It Was All in My Head

I am a cycling enthusiast, and yesterday I finally hit an average riding speed of over 30kmh, and it got me thinking about a lot more than hitting a goal. This article is a bit more personal than my usual, but I think it's worth sharing, as I never really understood what "it's in my head" meant until I'd experienced it.

In the early days of the pandemic, while I was complaining to my wife that the gym is closed, she pointed me to the bright side, that I could "work on my cycling". I had started cycling a couple of years before that, on the nice (though often crowded) roads of Singapore, but was limited to weekends (or jet lagged weekdays). My speed when I started cycling on a steel bike averaged maybe 22kmh, but as my body adjusted I could probably hit 24. I then upgraded to an aluminum frame, which let me hit maybe 25-26, and it was at that point that the pandemic struck. I think in the first few months of more regular riding (3 days a week), I started seeing improvement, maybe 26-27kmh. Fellow cyclists will understand when I decided to upgrade my bike again, and got myself a light carbon fiber frame one. That's the bike I've been riding the last couple of years, the one which allowed me to sometimes touch 29kmh average speed.

Now let me tell you, I really wanted to touch 30kmh. It was a nice round number, and a clear target to aim for. But no matter how much I huffed and puffed, no matter how well I slept or rested or ate the day or week before, no matter how many green lights I hit, no matter how cool the morning was, or how good I felt after the ride, I just couldn't do it. I felt slow on the hills (often overtaken, rarely overtaking). I felt the burn in my muscles. I just never went over 29.1kmh, and I know the exact number because it frustrated me to no end, and led me to giving up. I continued cycling, but didn't push for 30. What was the point, I thought.

A couple of months ago I was introduced to a cycling group. We were set for a morning ride, with the promise of 28-30kmh on the flats. I had warned them about my shameful speeds, but was very quickly assured that it's ok if I'm a bit slower. Well the group ended up being just me and a proper triathlete who uses this ride as a warmup for his 20k run afterwards. Off we went, riding side by side and chatting. We got rained on, proper Singapore downpour, but we completed the main ride. We split off after, and I got lost on my way home, several dead-ends and hills around NUS. I got home, dried myself off, and looked at the results: 28.9kmh. Oh well, it was fun, and I had a good conversation with my riding buddy. But something else popped up in the results: a new personal record. What was it? Fastest 40km. Average speed: 30.1kmh.

I stared at it for a bit, not really comprehending. How could this ride, during which I was chatting, during which we sometimes had to yell over the rain, lead to an average over 30? It didn't feel particularly strenuous. The route was coincidentally almost identical to the route I usually take. What had happened?

The 40km that got me the average was the first stretch, riding with my buddy. My best guess was that riding while chatting, not continuously checking my speed, and unconsciously trying to keep up, had let my body automatically take over, pushing past an artificial limit of burn or breathing that I had set on myself. I could do more, I just didn't believe I could. The experience showed me that 30 was attainable, and didn't feel like I thought it would: it wasn't more burn, but a different kind of burn. It wasn't heavier breathing, but deeper. I discovered new ways of accessing what was already there. And it opened faster riding to me. I've had a few rides since, and yesterday morning, the ride in the picture, was my first solo over-30kmh ride.

Same me, same route, same bike, different mindset. The 30kmh plateau was all in my head.

What have I learned from this? What can you?

1. Once I hit a performance plateau, I needed a coach to help me break it. While my riding buddy wasn't coaching me, he riffed off of my speed, adjusting whenever he saw I fell behind. Who in your life can be a coach, helping you break your plateaus?
2. I stretched without breaking: I was already close to my goal, and hitting it was a matter of degree, not kind. If I'd tried to go from 25 to 30 I would've injured myself. What goals can you set yourself that are slightly outside of your comfort zone that'll allow you to feel progress without breaking down?
3. Tools matter, but to a degree. I definitely saw a jump in progress when I switched to lighter bikes, but the consistent improvement afterwards was pushing myself, not new tools. What tools might have a step improvement on your life (personal or professional), and what tools will only give you incremental improvements (or diminishing returns)?
4. Luck helps: green lights, light traffic. When were you this close to achieving a goal, only to miss it due to bad luck? And when was luck a factor in successfully hitting a milestone?

What other lessons might have I missed?