There you are, at the bottom of a hill, on foot, or on your bike, or on skis, ready to start up. But are you really ready? Here are a few strategies you might consider.
1. Choosing More Pain for Less Time by Going Faster over Less Pain for More Time by Going Slower
Hey, whatever floats your boat.
2. Self-Pity
Seems like an attractive option until you remember that you鈥檙e essentially doing this to yourself.
3. Rage
Sometimes cathartic, not necessarily productive.
4. Reminding Yourself to Be聽Present and in the Moment
See 鈥渞age鈥 and 鈥渟elf-pity.鈥
5. Checking Your Watch/Phone/Tracking Device to Determine How Many Vertical Feet You Have Left to Climb
Obtaining this data will very often do nothing for your progress or morale.
6. Wondering If It Would Be Faster If You Were Just Walking Instead of Pedaling Your Mountain Bike in Its Granny Gear
Sometimes this question can be answered by an instance of someone hiking past you as you spin your pedals at approximately 900 RPM.
7. Wondering If It Would Be Faster If You Were Just Walking Instead of 鈥淩unning鈥
(Also at approximately 900 RPM.)
8. Using Bottled Oxygen
Seems to be more common on really big hills, but it聽could be advantageous, I guess.
9. Asking Someone Who Is Descending How Much Farther It Is to the Top
10. Giving Up
Proven to be less effective at reaching the top of the hill聽but very satisfying in the moment.
11. Thinking About How Nice the Descent Will Be
Yes, even if the descent sucks or you crash or fall and sprain your ankle, it will be nicer than climbing.
12. Telling Yourself the Summit View Will Be Worth It
Oh yes, the view from the summit鈥攕o extraordinary and transformative that it will wash away all the sins of the climb that preceded it.
13. Putting Your Head Down and Slowly Plodding at an Even Pace Until You Reach the Top
Usually works fairly well, TBH.
14. Stopping Every 20 Feet to Catch Your Breath
Yes, I think I鈥檒l pretend I鈥檓 just stopping to enjoy the view here, even though it鈥檚 almost exactly the same view that I stopped to enjoy 20 feet below this spot, and the one 20 feet below that, and so on.
15. Lying Down for Just a聽Few Minutes
Oh yeah, that鈥檚 really nice. Might have a little cry while I鈥檓 down here before I get back up and start uphill again, or not.聽Not at all. Maybe I鈥檒l just stay here聽or make a new home here on the side of the trail.聽OK, I live here now.
16. Promising Yourself a聽Reward If/When You Make It to the Top
Examples: Pizza afterward, a Tesla Model X, not making yourself do another lap of the hill, finally accepting yourself for who you are with radical self-love.
17. Staying Home Instead
Also not effective at achieving any sort of literal summit, but maybe a more metaphorical summit, such as the pinnacle of self-care聽or something like that.
Brendan Leonard鈥檚 new book, , is available now.