How Participating in February/March's SUMMIIT Climb Made Me a Stronger Writer
During the week ending February and beginning March 2023, I participated in the virtual SUMIITT Climb event organized by SUMIITT Challenges. I was given a set of metrics (high resistance, low cadence) to follow for my rides to roughly mimic riding to the highest point of Haleakalā, based on earlier rides on my Peloton. I regularly participate in other events organized by SUMIITT Challenges, including their quarterly Pelofondo. While I participate on a Peloton, the company is not involved with the event. The goal of the quarterly event is simpler than the SUMIITT Climb. For the Pelofondo, you register to complete a self-chosen number of miles in a 48-hour period. On the weekend, the app unlocks at midnight on the Saturday and locks either when you either chose to end your participation or at 11:59pm on the Sunday. I usually register for 100 miles. Usually for the my Pelofondo I stick with Music and Endurance rides. I record every ride, even if it was a slow ride, to make every mile count. For my Climb I did not record every ride, as the recorded rides needed to be taken within the required metrics which require a high resistance. I often chose to take a recovery rides before and/or after the higher resistance rides.
In the weeks following the event I have been working on a number of writing projects, and have realized that participating in the Climb strengthened my writing practice in ways that I want to share.
1. During the Climb you do not record all rides, you only record rides within the given metrics. The additional rides are meant as recovery, to make the recorded rides stronger. In the same way, not everything you produce for a writing project will be usable. Understand that the seemingly extra writing that gets saved for other projects makes the submitted work stronger.
2. Breaks do not have to be completely away from the project. During my breaks from the Pelofondo I took virtual yoga classes and stretches. Similarly, when you need to take a break from the actual writing, you can work on other aspects of the projects including editing from.a print-out.
3. During the Climb I participated in live rides where you can virtually high-five other participatnts. I also joined a team and participated in the Facebook group of my team. Simlarly tell selected others about your current writing projects, find a community that supports your writing goals.
4. Taking a day off of the bike during the week-long event was unexpected, but as it turned out, ideal. similarly take time away from your writing, not just for life’s necessities. Spending the day not riding made my rides stronger later in the week. Yes, deadlines are real, but taking time away from a writing project will likely benefit the work.
5. The most important to me was to have a food plan for the week. The week was physically tough, and to have a roasted chicken in the fridge made it so I did not have to do the physical labor of creating meals for myself. Similarly, when writing, it is easy to get mentally and emotionally exhausted. You might not have the emotional energy to think about daily food requirements. Plan ahead for this. If you know you need to specific amount of focused time writing, have meals and snacks pre-planned to conserve your mental energy.
6. Block out distractions during a set writing period. For the recorded rides during the event, I had to focus completely on my cadence and resistance numbers on the screen. I now set myself writing periods, distraction free times, and then try to give myself a recovery. time.
As someone who has never considered myself an athlete, I find that the SUMMIIT events are the right amount of accountability for me to make sure I train between events. I am looking forward to the Pelofondo at the end of April, and the outdoor walking/running virtual event (SUMMIIT Stride) in June.
