I almost quit.

I was only 4 miles into a 40+ mile bike ride — already struggling up a steep hill early in my ride. Then something happened. When it did, I almost turned around and went home.

It wasn't a flat tire.

I didn't wreck.

I didn't forget anything.

What was it that compelled me to want to turn around and go home?

The Backstory

First, I want to let you know that for me, 40 miles is a ride that requires all of my effort, focus, and preparation. I'm fairly new to road biking and have only recently completed rides upwards of 30+ miles. Other friends of mine are able to do 100+ mile rides, which I hope to be able to do someday.

This particular day, I decided to try for 40-miles solo. I woke up around 5:45 AM and departed from my house in the dark about 30 minutes before sunrise. I was fully prepared with plenty of water, small bags of food to replenish myself throughout the ride, and an extra tire and pump.

Depending on which route I decided to ride, the elevation can be significantly different. This particular route is very hilly throughout the first half. This set the stage for this story.

A Voice

It seems weird for someone to only be 4 miles into a 40-mile bike ride, and then suddenly want to turn around. But this feeling was very compelling and very real for me.

About 15 or 20 minutes into my ride a little voice whispered to me, "You can't do this. You're already struggling to get up this hill and you're only 4 miles in. How do you expect to finish the other 36 miles of this bike ride?"

Have you ever heard this voice?

It's the voice that says...

• "You're not qualified, you'll fail."
• "You shouldn't take that risk, what if you fail?"
• "Don't start that business, it'll fail."
• "No one cares what you think, you're a failure."
• "You'll never succeed, you'll always be a failure."

But a funny thing happened on my bike ride.

I kept going.

Hitting Your Stride

That voice slowly faded away as my effort increased. My breathing intensified. My legs still hurt, and the hills were still very difficult. My focus zoned in on my cadence and heartbeat. As I neared the top of one particularly large hill I was struggling to climb, I began picking up speed. I shifted into a lower gear and repositioned myself for a downhill descent.

Downhill you can easily reach top speeds 39+ miles per hour without pedaling. As I sped down that hill, I felt like I was flying. I briefly thought for a moment, "I can't believe I almost turned around and went home. How silly of me to listen to that voice. I'm only 4 miles into my ride, I haven't even hit my stride yet."

These thoughts etched themselves into my memory.

Choosing What We Listen To

I realized that this happens all the time in our lives. When we attempt new things, take new risks, and step out of our comfort zones, we get fearful, tired, and worn-out. We start to believe lies about ourselves or our circumstances. Sometimes these thoughts come quickly and at the most inopportune times. When they do, we feel like quitting or sometimes not even starting!

But we don't have to listen.

I ignored the voice, focused on my goal, the moment I was in, and the task at hand. This allowed me to get further toward my goal. All other voices were drowned out. I didn't hear anything but the sound of the wind rushing across my body.

That small battle was won in that moment.

But the bottom of that hill eventually came, and that fun descent ended.

Guess what?

There was another hill.

But I kept going.

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For those wondering, I completed the ride. 41.7 miles in total. My longest bike ride so far. I had a flat tire at mile 35, which is always a pain, but when I finished the ride, the adversity made it all the sweeter.