I can’t keep up this pace
Yes you can, you got this
But my legs are hurting
Everyone hurts, come on, keep pedaling
But it is still so far to the top, and it is so steep
Just keep turning the pedals, you’ve done the training
But have I done enough training? I’m not sure I can make it at this speed
Don’t slow down!
Ah man, it gets even steeper now
Come on!
They’re going away from me – I’m gonna back off
Don’t, you can keep going, I know it!
But my legs will feel so much nicer if I just slow down a bit
Don’t quit now
I’m easing off
Don’t give up
Ahhhhhh … that feels better
Damn …
Why do we quit?
What quits first?
Body or mind?
I read an interesting article recently on the Escape Collective website which reports on a recent study looking at what makes us “give up” on a ride.
As they state in the article:
You know what it’s like. Maybe you’re in the middle of a race, trying to follow an important move. Perhaps you’re trying to keep up with your mates as you climb your favourite local hill. Or maybe you’re just out riding by yourself, trying to set a new PB on a given Strava segment. In each case, you’re at your limit, barely holding on, and then, suddenly, you can’t anymore. The elastic snaps and you’re forced to back off the pace and recover.
But what causes this “snapping of the elastic”?
Is the body simply unable to do it anymore?
Or is it our mind telling us to quit?
Task failure
In the scientific journals this moment is called “task failure”.
And task failure has long been thought to be a combination of physical and psychological factors.
But the interesting thing this new research looks at is the subjective experience at the moment of failure. In other words, why WE think we are quitting.
In my experience, when I think back to when we were rugby training in my 20s, and whilst I was never among the people who ran so hard they puked, there was certainly a lot of times when it was my body that just stopped. The legs turned to jelly, or the arms couldn’t simply lift anymore, even though I was desperate to keep going.
I was never a long-distance athlete, but if I ever did have to do long runs it really was my legs and lungs failing me rather than my mind just shutting things down.
I only started cycling seriously when I was around 30 years old, and I never did any structured training or racing until I was in my mid-30s. And I think that by this point in life I’d realised that I didn’t HAVE to destroy myself and suffer so badly – this was supposed to be a fun hobby!
And reflecting on past hard training rides with my buddies here in Geneva, I’m pretty certain that whilst the legs are truly hurting when I quit, I am sure I could continue that little bit longer and suffer more if my mind was more resolute.
But it’s supposed to be fun
But as I say, cycling is supposed to be fun – and when the fun stops, I tend to stop!
But there are guys I ride with that really enjoy that suffering and can often keep going until they pretty much fall off their bike.
This marries with one of the findings in this most recent report, namely
Younger cyclists, including those in Junior, Under 23, Elite, and Master 30 categories, perceive task failure as a more involuntary process [i.e their body failing them] compared to cyclists in Master 40, 50, 60 categories, and Leisure cyclists. Additionally, cyclists with more years of experience tend to view task failure as slightly more voluntary.
So, it seems that with age and experience comes a better understanding of the physiological and psychological signals – and hence feel like the task failure is more of a deliberate process and decision.
So next time you’re suffering up that hill and the elastic is stretching, or you see your PB time getting away from you, ask yourself this:
Am I giving up because my body is failing me, or is it more to do with my mind? Can I continue that bit longer? If you give up, will you feel later on that you could have done more, given more?
What I’ve been listening to whilst writing
Peter Gabriel – So
This classic from 1986 is the definitive album from Peter Gabriel. Maybe its something to do with the fact I was 11 years old when it was released and every track on it just reminds me of that time of life. With tracks like Red Rain, Sledgehammer (seek out the video if you’ve never seen it), Don’t Give Up (which sparked me to seek out the album again considering the subject matter of the blog), and Big Time it showcases his voice perfectly, combined with the best of ‘80’s production.
Enjoy.
