Dam Lies

I awoke this morning to hazy skies and brisk mountain air. I find it easiest to decide the night before where I plan on riding to avoid last minute indecision. With all the smoke last night and the barrage of meetings I would face through the day I had told myself that I would make a quick run out to Paradise and back for a 26 mile ride. It would be short and quick.

That’s a lie I frequently tell myself. Once I’m in Paradise and the air is still cool and the morning still fresh adding a few more miles doesn’t seem like a big deal so I tell myself I’ll just go to Avon and turn around. That’s another lie. There’s not a good turn around spot in Avon so it’s just a few more miles up the South Canyon to Porcupine Dam. Once I’m there I’ll head home. That’s another lie because at the bottom of the canyon you can turn left instead of right and make your way south to where the asphalt ends. Now you are quite a few miles from home and my lies have forced me into a 44 mile ride.

I like these lies. It’s my brain fooling my body by breaking something that seems large into small digestible bits. Whether it’s 40 miles or 100 miles I’ve had good luck with this approach. Find the lies that motivate you to go a little farther or push a little harder.

Good lies

The next hill is the last one you are almost to the top – pretty much never true.
Wow, I am so fast as I pass anyone riding anything from a road bike to an old Schwinn – also not true, I’m not that fast.
Today is a rest day. I could beat them anytime I want to – anytime I get passed.
If I can just keep it above 25mph a little longer I will eat chocolate when I’m done

Bad lies

I’m too tired I’ll rest today and ride tomorrow. I’ll probably be tired tomorrow too.
It’s too cold I’ll ride when it warms up. I won’t.
I rode so I can eat as much chocolate as I want. There is no way I can ride enough to build a calorie deficient large enough to make up for one of my chocolate binges.

So I’ll keep lying to myself but I’ll try to keep it to the good lies that get me to the dam instead of the bad lies that will leave me damned.