Since I had a short tow time today, I decided to add even more rocks. I loaded enough so that I was just able to flex my legs and move uphill. Then, once I made my hour 15 uphill, I loaded even more rocks to ensure that my downhill speed was just like going uphill.
I tested and figured out that I could actually crawl on my hands and knees and move quicker. And that was crawling backwards, too. The whole point of this exercise, besides the heavy workload on my legs and joints, is to prepare me for the psychology of feeling like I’m going nowhere fast.
When you are looking at an infinite plane of ice and blue sky, it is difficult to feel as though you’re making progress.
Until I begin passing mountains, it will feel like I’m going nowhere real fast. I need to be mentally prepared to deal with such circumstances. Adding incredible weight to the tire, up to 40 pounds of rocks, gives me that sensation.
I can stare at the trailhead for a good 15 minutes before I finally arrive. The final curve revealing the end is only 200 yards away. That really does do a number on your head.
That is exactly what I want.