So, I am not sure what it is that draws me to the hills, the mountains, the steepest climbs. I have ridden most every big climb in Europe and the US and have never enjoyed suffering more than when riding up hill. I hear that it takes a certain mentality, one that I think fits well with THPL. One that is hard to explain and hard to escape. Maybe one day it will make sense and maybe it already does….. And as misery loves company, those of you so inclined, I recommend finding every hill you can and then ride up them - you will love it.

And so this leads me to the question, why is it that most people when given the choice will select to ride a bike downhill instead of uphill? OK, Joe, you state - do you really not understand it? Silly boy, it is more fun to ride downhill. Speed is great, it takes limited effort to ride, you see a lot more and it is exhilarating to ride downhill And while I could be persuaded to believe all of these perspectives I am not convinced that riding downhill should be preferred. And you might ask why? why would someone want to ride up hill. A few thoughts on the subject….

THPL contemplates a lot of elements of Life, Learning and Fitness – it talks about a state of continuous improvement whereby you get better each day in small increments, with each day building upon each other, setting a strong and lasting foundation. One that will carry you forward with high levels of confidence, experience and strength. And, yes, while we often talk in analogies to make concepts easy to understand, there is a true parallel between success in life and riding a bike up hill.

Both riding up hill and success in life require focus; a focus on form and technique
They require a big effort to get to the top, nothing comes easy but once you have earned it (reaching the summit) you know it is because you made it happen.
It takes longer to get to the top of the hill. This is true in all aspects of life – development does not happen quickly - it does happen when you keep at it even when it seems improbable you will make it to the top
On the ride up you can look around and appreciate the sights and sounds of the natural beauty around you – when you move to fast you miss that which is there but missed all too often
Success in riding up gives you confidence to do other hard things in your life – I often state, if I rode up Mont Ventoux, then I can do this challenging task. By allowing prior performance (success) to set the bar high, you force yourself to persevere even when you know it is hard to do so

So, find a hill, run up it, walk up it, ride up it. Do it again and again and find a few others , over time you will look forward to the hills and the strength they give you and your quest for THPL will stay on track

Sunday with Sally, 3:26 + 25 seconds, wicked hard, 209 pushups on 4:17. There is a rumor brewing that there is another person working the 4:17 song challenge they got to 210. Tonight I was passed, still have the record but it is getting worrisome - good, this is what I needed a bit more motivation. Stay tuned…..

Loving life and as many hills as you can throw my way

Ciao

joe