12 Rules for Success by Professional Mountain Biker Rebecca Rusch
Recap by Sarah Knapp, Photos by Jeanne Meyer
Last night's event with professional athlete Rebecca (Reba) Rusch started off with 45 minutes of interval training at T2 Multisport on the Upper East Side. T2 has CompuTrainers - meaning we were able to ride real bikes and see our progress, the course and our personal metrics on a screen at the front of the room.
Rusch, an accomplished climber, paddler, mountain biker and adventure racer both rode with us and walked among the cyclists sweetly reminding us to push harder and be stronger - each interval was only 6 minutes of our lives.
After the ride we all threw on our street clothes then grabbed some fresh fruit and Rusch's signature drink the "Head Rusch" (Patron, Red Bull, lime). Rusch was in town to promote her and Selene Yeager's new book "Rusch to Glory" (she really likes the name puns).
Along with signing books and shmoozing, Rusch did a short presentation on her "rules" for success. They're pretty awesome, inspiring, and have anecdotally (through Rusch) proved to be true.
So here they are for you, Reba's Rules for Success, which she hopes will "light a fire under your butt to get out."
Reba's Rules for Success
1. Stack up your moments.
Rusch suggests thinking about the millions of smaller moments that all build up in the long term. In racing this means cutting down breaks, speeding up on downhills and other small changes that will all contribute to a faster finish.
2. Paying attention the space in between.
Here she's talking about the flats and downhills - the times when people let their focus go a little.
"Whenever everyone is coasting I turn on the gas." Those are words from a woman who wins.
3. No matter how good or bad you feel it won't last
This one is important for all types of reasons but at its core is the key: everything is an up and down, take a deep breath and keep going.
4. Don't sweat the small stuff, and be nice.
Fist bump for mentioning the cardinal rule of everything - be nice. Something that's super simple but you hardly ever hear as advice for being successful. Rusch notes that emotional stress is wasted energy - mellow out and save your calories for later.
5. REMEMBER WHY YOU RIDE
It's not what you do, it's why you do it. This is what defines us as people after our races (adventures, challenges etc.) are over.
6. Start slow and finish fast
This isn't surprising advice from an endurance athlete. Pace yourself - it's about the long haul.
7. Set non-performance goals
Just remember that when it comes down to it, you're racing yourself. Prioritize how you race and your personal best first.
8. Write your own script.
This one was my favorite. Everything we do is our script: not only does this mean big life choices but also our everyday details including the way we think, the way we act, the little decisions on how we spend our day. We choose to say "I can" or "I can't."
9. IF YOU FALL, GET BACK UP
Don't wait for someone else to help you.
10. Forget limits
You put them in your head. They're arbitrary.
11. No shortcuts
There's no secret, it's pure, honest, hard work. If you want something, put in the time.