zenbiking
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@BicycleLab @susanalexander Agreed. It's taken me a few years to stop constantly comparing my performances to those of others (some who are 20 years my junior) and focusing on improving my personal performance.
@susanalexander 130 miles in was lonely, hard and dark on rural gravel roads in the middle of Kansas. A town and checkpoint was another 20 miles away, so after I made the call to my wife, I ate, took a moment to catch my composure, and then got back on the bike. I was ready to pull the plug at mile 150, when the organizer told me that I was actually 152 miles in and that I only had 48 left to go. After taking that particular bait ;) I just started counting backwards in my mind as the miles ticked off.
Climbing in the mountains and being lost would definitely be just as bad. Col d'Aspin and the Pyrenees? Sounds like a dream week. :)
@susanalexander Far from knowing a lot. My first 200 mile unsupported race resulted in a complete mental breakdown about 130 miles in, and a post-event promise to my wife that I will never call and leave a message on the answering machine again. I still managed to finish tho. People definitely underestimate the mental stamina required to be truly by yourself with no distractions for hours at a time. You discover a lot of things about yourself. :)
My indoor riding sessions normally have a focus other than just sitting and spinning. While I do think I'll give this a try, I personally prefer to ride outdoors. I have been able to enter a similar point of zazen occasionally on my solo rides, and during a long (12+ hour) races.
In these days of $100+ entry fees to events, and "attend my training camp to guarantee a starting spot" schemes, it's nice to see that a fun, successful event can occur with nothing more than an idea, and a few people sending in a postcard or two.