Let’s be real for a second – training for an endurance event like the Iceman Cometh can be a thankless grind at times. We’re talking about months upon months of sacrificing sleeping in, skipping happy hours, and pedaling for endless hours just to put yourself through a few hours of fun at the Catalina Wine Mixer.
On paper, it sounds pretty nuts when you think about it. The grind of consistent training forges discipline, perseverance, and fortitude that bleeds into all other areas of life.
That said, maintaining motivation to keep showing up day after day is undoubtedly challenging. One of the biggest pitfalls is allowing your training to become stale, monotonous, and joyless. That’s the fast track to burnout, disappointment, and abandoning your goals altogether.
The solution? Making your training as engaging and fun as possible by switching things up and celebrating along the way.
Spice it up by changing the same interminable pancake flat road ride or following the exact same interval workout week after week is a surefire way to make your mind and body go numb. The best antidote is to constantly inject novelty into your schedule.
Explore new trails you’ve never ridden. Swap in some fresh interval formats. Head to a different climbing road and soak in new scenery. Sign up for a local XC race to remind yourself why you LOVE mountain biking.
You can even gamify your rides by doing scavenger hunts, snack rides (my favorite), group rides with your local group or bike shop, or seeing how many critters you spot on a trail (there is an Owl nest on Luton Black here in West Michigan). The more you can make each outing feel fresh and interesting, the more engaged you’ll stay.
Get a friend to ride with! When you have teammates, friends, and training partners joining in the fun, that motivation becomes much harder to ignore.
Make an effort to consistently train with a core group, or at least have partners for your key workouts. The bonding, competition, and accountability this provides is priceless for keeping you honest.
Posting your workouts on fitness apps (Strava, Garmin, etc) and letting your peeps see and comment is another fantastic way to crowdsource some external motivation. Nothing lights a fire quite like friends and family cheering you on!
Let’s face it, there are inevitably going to be some downright crappy training days along this journey. Rain, cramps, flats, bonking…sometimes the suck factor goes to 11 no matter how prepared you are.
When you find yourself deep in the pain cave like this, one of the best coping mechanisms is to actually laugh at and make light of the suck. Having a good sense of humor about these situations we put ourselves in can make them much easier to endure. Finding the humor in the hardship builds character and lightens the mental load.
Don’t forget to mark off major milestones and accomplishments with some well-earned celebrating! You’re investing an incredible amount of time and energy into this process. Reaching small goals is worth at least a beer or two.
Training for a goal like the Iceman Cometh takes incredible mental fortitude. But by focusing on variety, teamwork, humor, and celebration, you ensure the journey is every bit as gratifying as coming up the Icebreaker hill and crossing that finish line. Let’s get after it!
About the author: Tobi is a passionate mountain biker and ultra endurance gravel cyclist who thrives on pushing his limits in the great outdoors. He has a deep appreciation for nature, savoring the scenic views and challenges of unpaved singletrack trails and long gravel routes. Tobi’s passion for adventure drives him to constantly seek out new ultra endurance gravel races and mountain bike events that take him on new dirt roads. He has participated in the Iceman Cometh Challenge for over a decade. When not hitting the trails or grinding away the miles on gravel, Tobi enjoys camping trips with his family. He is also actively involved with the West Michigan Coyotes youth mountain bike team, where he coaches and rides alongside his daughter, fostering her love for the sport. The solitude of the trails and the invigoration of conquering an ultra-endurance race is what fuels his obsession with mountain biking and gravel cycling.