6 Gaps Century- wow what a great day! Why was this so important to me and to so many others? It’s just a mountain… actually it is a lot more than the course. This race actually conflicts typically with IronMan Chattanooga, Augusta IronMan 70.3 and the Lake Lanier Tri so this year, 2020. So, the one positive result of all the races being cancelled or postponed is the opportunity to check off bucket list challenges. There had always been fall races that always conflicted with my schedule and 6 Gap Century was one of them. This race is generally for my “roadies” vs “triathletes” but this year so many of us participated from both worlds because it was a chance to race!
This century ride is one of the toughest century rides in the country consisting of 6 significant climbs, Neels Gap, Jacks Gap, Unicoi Gap, Hogpen Gap, Wolf Gap, and Woody Gap, adding up to over 10,000 feet of elevation gains covering 104 miles.
I have ridden 3 gaps many times and 6 gaps a couple years ago so I knew how hard this ride would be. It scared me to think about doing this century ride but at the same time, it seemed like the perfect time to check this off my list. I’ve been training all year for races that I hoped would happen but understandably, there just weren’t any races on my calendar.
The North Georgia weather turned out to be in our favor overall even though we had thick fog at the beginning and some light rain as I was climbing up the Hog Pin but the temperature was just perfect for hard work. I rode with a group of friends, and we delayed our start to avoid a huge crowd of people who wanted to start early.
The big thought I had is how much our minds affect our physical performance. One of my friends hadn’t been riding long distance this year. In fact, her one longest ride was maybe 70 miles with no serious elevations and she’d never rode in the gaps before. I was excited to do this century ride with her but at the same time, I was a bit concerned for her because I wondered could she finish? Each gap I climbed, we stopped to regroup at the top which does make for a long day, but also for a fantastic day because we all had each other to share the hard monuments. Every time I saw her rising up to the top made me smile with excitement and noticed she had a positive spirit in spite of the immense physical challenge. I was the happiest when I saw her appearing to the top of Hogpen, the toughest and longest climbs of all! After we finished the last gap, I told her with excitement, “ You Did It, girl!!!” And, her response was, “Of course, I did!” with the level of emotion that didn’t match with mine, it seemed. It could’ve been because she was totally spent leaving everything on the road. Initially, I was a bit put off by her reaction (or non-reaction), but made me realize she never allowed herself to think she would not complete this mission, even for a moment. Quite simply, her mind was set and her body followed the pathway. That’s why she accomplished this monumental challenge.
How important is our mental toughness and positive thinking to do well when we race? Very very important. In fact, it could be more important than physical readiness. It is also critical to have a clear reason why you’re doing it. I’ve seen athletes training for marathons to complete the race but quit after running 20 miles of the race, just 6 more miles to go. I’ve seen athletes going for personal records giving up just 6 miles into the race.
David Goggin said in his book, Can’t Hurt Me, “Why are you doing this? What is driving you toward this achievement? Where does the darkness you’re using as fuel come from? What has calloused your mind? You’ll need to have those answers at your fingertips when you hit the wall of pain and doubt.”
That’s why we train hard not only to improve our fitness but also callous our mind! We all are so much more capable than what we believe we can accomplish, but we must know “WHY”.
Whatever the goal is, I believe in all of my athletes to achieve what they set out to do. We answer the why before we map out the how. Everyday, I strive to be a better version of myself & when I see improvements in my athletes, it excites me to be involved with their change working towards their goals as a team, them and me. That is my reason WHY I coach.
Completing 6 Gap Century definitely callous my mind & gave me confidence. I hope this building block will help me with my next challenge. I already know my why.
Excellent blog on the WHY