From Zero to One Hundred

I have never competed in a mountain bike race before. In fact, I have never participated in ANY bike race. But next summer, in August of 2023, I plan to ride (and hopefully finish) the Leadville 100. I will be going from literal ZERO to a total of 100. Why? The answer lies below.

“You could be the difference between me finishing or not”, I replayed Daniel’s words in my mind again and again as I watched the first corral of riders approach the Leadville 100 start line. His words, while not entirely true, clearly exemplified the nervous energy that Daniel (and likely many other competitors) was wrestling with in the final hours leading up to the Leadville 100 – a mountain bike race that starts at 10,000 feet elevation and involves a total of 12,000 feet of climbing over the course of 100 miles. Sounds insane, right? And still, over 1,500 riders showed up to compete in this year’s event. 

As the next ten hours unfolded, I watched as Daniel pushed beyond what he believed his body to be capable of, fighting the urge to slow down or quit, and instead tapping into a reservoir of strength and power he didn’t yet know existed. He nearly collapsed over the handlebars of his bike in relief as he crossed the finish line. What he’d feared would be impossible (trust me, there were many moments of “but Mimi, what if I don’t finish?!”) he’d just proved to be possible. If he could do that, what else might he be capable of?

Throughout the race, I was there in the role of cheerleader and support crew. My job was to be at the right spot, at the right time, with a replenishment of water and a stockpile of Hammer Gels and Hammer Bars. I know my role was important, and that Daniel was extremely grateful for the encouragement that I provided, but I am not a “sidelines” kinda gal. I don’t particularly enjoy watching as others ride into the pain, I want to be in the suffering with them. As I watched Daniel struggle to pedal up “Powerline Incline”, a hill that has a grade of 26%, all I could think was, “Next year, I am doing this.” Leadville awoke the slumbering athlete within. 

Through high school and most of college, the majority of my energy and focus revolved around the sport of running. Much of my identity was tied up in my success within the field. I knew how to embrace pain – to ride the “pain train” – to work with it and use it to achieve new levels of physical prowess. I could go to my edge and then go a little bit further. I once finished a race and “saw stars”, nearly passing out at the finish line, having poured the entirety of myself into that race. Over time though, I have moved away from so intensely challenging my physical limits. This was out of necessity, the pressure of competing at such a high level had taken a toll on my body and mind. Separation was critical to my healing. 

But now, the itch has returned and I believe I am more equipped to venture back into the world of endurance sport. I have a yearning to test just exactly what I am capable of – to train with a specific, and daunting, goal in mind. Instead of passing the water bottle to the exhausted competitor, I want to be the exhausted competitor. And why? Because I am beginning to question the limits I have placed upon myself, in all areas of my life: “I will NEVER be able to run that fast again, my body can’t withstand it” or “I could NEVER be a successful freelance writer, profiting off of my passion” to name a couple of examples. Continuous self-doubt plagues me. But, perhaps, as Daniel discovered in his race, I may prove the impossible to be, in fact possible. Where better to put my self imposed limits to the test then through physical challenge? 

The overcoming of physical limits translates into the overcoming of mental limits. The surpassing of limits changes you at a fundamental level as you learn how to override the impulses of your brain. Growth at this point is inevitable. 

“Physical limits reveal your mental limits – as soon as you make it possible – and do it – it somehow becomes possible” [Impossible HQ]. Each day we wake up and tell ourselves a story about what we believe we can or can’t do, placing unnecessary ceilings upon our own lives and our potential. When we set, and then surpass, a lofty physical goal we crack those ceilings wide open. If we can achieve something so grand with our physical body, if we could keep going well past when we thought we couldn’t, imagine what else we have the capacity for. Suddenly the world is our oyster. 

Physical limits, when exceeded, change you. Your perception of who you are, what you are able to achieve, is impacted and a seed of confidence is planted. When you water this seed through continuous challenge and discomfort, roots emerge. “Your perception of ‘hard’ expands” [Daniel Blanc Gonnet] and with it, your own ability to embrace and move through adversity in its many forms. You begin to question what it is that you want from this life, no longer locked into this mindset that your life must remain as it is, for, if this one little story you believed about yourself isn’t true, what else isn’t true? 

I guarantee you that in the Leadville 100 race there was a moment for each athlete where he/she questioned whether or not they’d be able to continue. Lungs burned – both from exertion and elevation. Legs cramped, sending spasms through tired muscles. The mind shouted out, We could just…stop. 

To push through our physical limits we must override the impulse of our mind. Our brain has evolved to keep us safe, comfortable and in a state of pleasure. When we put our body through such an intense experience, the mind will speak up in protest. But, if we listened to the desires of our mind all of the time, where might we be? Likely eating chocolate and scrolling through Instagram (or maybe that is just me). No, instead, we must regularly practice self-discipline, diligence and perseverance if we wish to grow into the best version of ourselves. Physical challenge is a gateway. When you think you’ve given 100% and your mind tells you that you have nothing left to give, and yet you give just a little bit more, you begin to understand that you are so much stronger than your mind allows you to believe. 

I returned from Leadville with a spark – a flame if you will – that burns to train, to compete, to test what I am capable of. For if I can overcome the physical limits that I have placed upon myself, where else may I be able to blossom and grow? As a result, I have set two lofty goals: 1) run a marathon in the fall of 2023; and 2) Compete in the Leadville 100 in the late summer of 2023. Yes, these goals absolutely terrify me. What if I don’t achieve them? But, what if I do! What if there is more power and strength within me then I am presently aware of? 

What do you believe that you are capable of? Do your beliefs leave you with a sense of expansion or contraction? Might this be worth exploring?
“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” Arthur C. Clarke.