How mountain biking builds more than physical health

All the extra time indoors this winter has made it one of the coldest I’ve experienced. Not the coldest on record, but the coldest in terms of how hard I’ve found it to get warm and stay warm.

I mentioned installing underfloor insulation briefly in my last newsletter on flow (this is the one you now get if you subscribe). To my surprise, my partner Cam was as keen as me to tackle the DIY version of this task sooner rather than later. What does this have to do with mountain biking, and this newsletter, you ask? Nothing…it would seem at first glance. Then thinking about it further, all kinds of things!

For starters, lots of days spent sweating in dirty, dusty environments for fun meant we weren’t phased when swapping the trails for the historical-beverage-containers-filled, sandy, coal-dusty, subfloor area of our home. It also meant we had a few key pieces of equipment to draw on, like moisture-wicking clothes we didn’t mind getting dirty under our white plastic DIYer suits and dustproof bike lights for when the headtorch failed. Fitness and flexibility certainly helped, as did the kind of personality that doesn’t mind putting in hard effort for a big reward.

The biggest surprise though came from dog-sitting some friends’ beautiful Border Collie the same weekend, friends we met through the world of bikes.

Asterix instinctively cleared the area of any lizards or other house guests we were nervous about encountering, made moving under the house look fun and easy, made me laugh on more than one occasion with her doggy antics, and reminded us to take breaks – that snacks and pats were important and her mealtimes were not to be missed.

At one point in the project, I cracked it. I was hot. I was over it. There was an uncomfortable amount of dirt in my eyes. And it had stopped being fun. I crawled out from under the house for a break, and there was Asterix lying belly up on the grass, sleeping under the sun, fur moving gently in the breeze, making this particular Saturday look like the best, most relaxing Saturday ever.

I was reminded that it was a pretty good day after all. And that spending it under the house was a pretty satisfying choice to be able to make, and that other days spent soaking up the sunshine were still for the taking. In that moment, the frustration lifted, laughter returned, eyes were washed, a brief stretch was had, and crawling back under the house to learn about each uniquely spaced joist seemed like a fun adventure again.

I once heard that you’re only as happy as your friends’ friends. One important idea here is that the people we’re surrounded by have a significant impact on how we think, the things we do, and how we feel. Same goes for the people they’re surrounded by. I’m going to add to this statement that on very special occasions, like this one, you’re only as happy as your friends’ dogs.

I’ve lost track of the unexpectedly wonderful ways that being involved in a sport like mountain biking adds to my experiences off the bike. It bums me out when I see people on the trails or social media trying to justify their ride time, or complaining that they don’t ride even a fraction as much as they’d like to. Like crawling under the house, dragging some roughly cut insulation batts, for a lot of us, there’s a privileged element of choice in how we share our time between all the things, people, tasks and experiences that we value.

This post is your reminder that time spent riding (or walking or climbing, or lifting, or fishing, or snorkelling…) is full of surprises in how it gives forward to other parts of your life. So keep making time for it. When deciding what’s the most valuable way to spend each part of your day, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that time spent enjoying a sport is only worthwhile for the personal, short-term, physical benefit it brings.

Keep learning how to be comfortable when you’re uncomfortable, when that’s worthwhile and when it’s really not. Use your gear ‘til it’s so worn out you don’t mind if it gets dirty(-er) or scratched and collects a few more stories. Meet those kind, fun, talented friends with the loveliest of dogs. Build your physical health, and with it your social health, mental health, emotional health, community health, creative-solutions-finding health, and use all of this to add a sense of perspective to other parts of life.

What’s more, I guarantee you that each challenge you overcome on the bike will teach you more about the myriad skills you can draw on for tackling other tricky tasks. When to push through, when to step back, and when to pause for a moment to look at the bigger picture is the quick perspective shift you need so you can decide whether you keep trying with the tools you have or if another strategy might be needed instead. (A quick trip to Bunnings for some $4.40 clear goggles made Sunday a lot better too!)

That’s it for this month’s story. Keep riding, keep progressing, and remember: the skills and connections you build in one area often uniquely equip you in another. If you’re hitting mental blocks on the trails (or under the house), and a particularly sweet dog isn’t around for a quick reset, consider an online coaching session. Having multiple effective strategies is key to consistent, robust results, whatever your goals. I’d be glad to help you expand your toolkit too!