Scale Your Inner Mountains

If you had asked me five years ago whether I would bike my butt up a mountain, I would have laughed at you, then asked you to pass the chips and the remote.

In 2009 I *did* bike my butt up several mountains in one week; however, the greatest one I summited that week was the mountain in my mind, made up of seemingly insoluble boulders of self-criticism, fear, and lack of faith in my abilities.

It was on a long, steep climb in the middle of a week-long ride on Cycle Oregon that I finally "woke up": Slowly and steadily, trying to keep a quiet mind, I climbed for miles to the summit without stopping—me, the non-athlete, non-cyclist—passing by grown men weeping on the side of the road.

In that moment my entire belief system changed. I learned that my body can truly do anything, as long as my thoughts are in charge and in a positive, grateful, mindful state. And if my thoughts are in charge, well then…I can do *anything*.

This is why I support cycling. You learn things about yourself you never believed could be true.

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