Mental focus
Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 7:53 am
Ok, need to get this forum started so I'll post up one of my goofs. Figured I'd start with one that I don't see mentioned often.
Background: I ride Iron Butt rides, meaning long long distances in short amounts of time. Beyond safety, one of the key aspects is time management and being able to optimize time when on and off the bike. Towards this, having a set routine for me is key to maintaining focus.
Story: At the start of my third IBA ride, the morning started out cold, cloudy, and drizzly. My Dad was with me to see me off and be moral support for me. I was hyped up and excited to go. I hurried through my pre start checklist and quickly pushed my bike to the gas pump. I didn't pay attention and parked too close to easily move to deal with the payment screen. My Dad took my card to help and reached behind me, while I fumbled with the tank bag and gas cap. He handed me the nozzle, I filled up, handed it back, and he dealt with the receipt while I tried getting everything back in place. He reached around to hand me the receipt - vital for the start of the ride - and the wind blew it out of my glove. We chased it across the lot and finally caught it. Winded for the weight of my gear, I got back to the bike, got the stuff out away, said farewell, and rode off. 200 miles later I cancelled the ride, upset, angry, and frustrated.
What went wrong: I was too hyped and unfocused. I rushed through my preflight and jumped into getting to the gas pump instead of slowing down and calmly verifying everything was ready and worked. I hurried to pull up beside the pump and put myself in a bad position instead of walking over and parking in such a way that I could move easily between the bike and pump. I let my Dad help (I do love him dearly), that disrupted the routine and left me feeling flustered on what to do next since half my steps involved working with the pump. Since I was interrupted, I didn't remove my gloves, resulting in the receipt getting blown away. The chase left me overheated, out of breath, and annoyed with myself for having such a bad start. Despite this, I pushed through, and began riding. I shortly discovered the heated jacket wasn't plugged in and my bluetooth connection wasn't paired correctly. I was now cold, tired, and angry at my own stupidity. Four hours later, at my second gas stop, I had been stewing in my own bad mental cloud and realized as I sat down in an angry huff that I was not enjoying the ride and it was only getting worse. I stopped for my own safety and sanity, and sat in the park for about two hours letting the anger and frustration subside before returning home.
What I learned: Slow down! I have all the time in the world before I turn that key to get my bike, my gear, my stuff, and most importantly myself ready to ride. Am I calm? Am I focused? Am I comfortable? Am I mentally and physically ready? I no longer even move towards the bike until these are all yes. A recent ride was delayed an hour because I was enjoying the company I had for a road side breakfast and it just wasn't important enough for me to leave right then. Slow down! I check everything and really look instead of glance. Is the GPS on? Is the phone paired with the headset? Is the jacket cable accessible? Have I done a walk around to check T-CLOCK? Is my luggage secure? And then again, am I calm? Am I ready? Slow down!
So much is said about the bike; how to ride, when to ride, where to ride. But as the rider, we need far more attention before we even swing a leg over. Ask yourself constantly are you okay to ride and give yourself permission to stop if that answer is ever no.
My routine for the start of a ride now includes, just before I pull out of the driveway, a moment of silence as I ask myself that question one more time. Am I calm? Am I ready?
Background: I ride Iron Butt rides, meaning long long distances in short amounts of time. Beyond safety, one of the key aspects is time management and being able to optimize time when on and off the bike. Towards this, having a set routine for me is key to maintaining focus.
Story: At the start of my third IBA ride, the morning started out cold, cloudy, and drizzly. My Dad was with me to see me off and be moral support for me. I was hyped up and excited to go. I hurried through my pre start checklist and quickly pushed my bike to the gas pump. I didn't pay attention and parked too close to easily move to deal with the payment screen. My Dad took my card to help and reached behind me, while I fumbled with the tank bag and gas cap. He handed me the nozzle, I filled up, handed it back, and he dealt with the receipt while I tried getting everything back in place. He reached around to hand me the receipt - vital for the start of the ride - and the wind blew it out of my glove. We chased it across the lot and finally caught it. Winded for the weight of my gear, I got back to the bike, got the stuff out away, said farewell, and rode off. 200 miles later I cancelled the ride, upset, angry, and frustrated.
What went wrong: I was too hyped and unfocused. I rushed through my preflight and jumped into getting to the gas pump instead of slowing down and calmly verifying everything was ready and worked. I hurried to pull up beside the pump and put myself in a bad position instead of walking over and parking in such a way that I could move easily between the bike and pump. I let my Dad help (I do love him dearly), that disrupted the routine and left me feeling flustered on what to do next since half my steps involved working with the pump. Since I was interrupted, I didn't remove my gloves, resulting in the receipt getting blown away. The chase left me overheated, out of breath, and annoyed with myself for having such a bad start. Despite this, I pushed through, and began riding. I shortly discovered the heated jacket wasn't plugged in and my bluetooth connection wasn't paired correctly. I was now cold, tired, and angry at my own stupidity. Four hours later, at my second gas stop, I had been stewing in my own bad mental cloud and realized as I sat down in an angry huff that I was not enjoying the ride and it was only getting worse. I stopped for my own safety and sanity, and sat in the park for about two hours letting the anger and frustration subside before returning home.
What I learned: Slow down! I have all the time in the world before I turn that key to get my bike, my gear, my stuff, and most importantly myself ready to ride. Am I calm? Am I focused? Am I comfortable? Am I mentally and physically ready? I no longer even move towards the bike until these are all yes. A recent ride was delayed an hour because I was enjoying the company I had for a road side breakfast and it just wasn't important enough for me to leave right then. Slow down! I check everything and really look instead of glance. Is the GPS on? Is the phone paired with the headset? Is the jacket cable accessible? Have I done a walk around to check T-CLOCK? Is my luggage secure? And then again, am I calm? Am I ready? Slow down!
So much is said about the bike; how to ride, when to ride, where to ride. But as the rider, we need far more attention before we even swing a leg over. Ask yourself constantly are you okay to ride and give yourself permission to stop if that answer is ever no.
My routine for the start of a ride now includes, just before I pull out of the driveway, a moment of silence as I ask myself that question one more time. Am I calm? Am I ready?