Counting Days

Kincade Pavich // June 18, 2019

Goals motivate us as people and as athletes. Without goals to work towards, any activity or sport can become rather stale. Whether you’re working to get faster on a dirtbike or land a new trick on a snowboard, goals make sports more fun and more rewarding. For the past few years, I’ve been setting goals in days, hours, or miles.

What do I mean by this exactly? Well, 3 seasons ago I counted my days on the mountain snowboarding each and every time I went. I logged which mountain I went to and a brief entry of how the conditions were, who I rode with, how well I rode, and if anything particularly good or bad happened that day. At the end of the season, this was incredibly rewarding and fun to look back on. When I am logging 80+ days per season, so many of the days run together that I soon forget some of the great experiences I had. At the end of the year, I looked at my list of days and thought “man, I could’ve gotten 5 more…”, and so it began. Ever since that year I’ve been logging every day I ride in every sport.

It is a huge motivator. If I rode 80 days last year, I want to ride 90 this year. It pushes me to get off the couch when I’m feeling a “lazy day” and go ride instead. There have been a lot of days I’ve had a hard time getting off of the couch, but none that I ever regretted doing so. Whether your goal is hours on a dirtbike, miles on a mountain bike, vertical feet on skins, or simply days outside, take a shot at keeping track and see how it pushes you forward. You’ll be amazed at how many days you’re able to add each year even when you think you’re maxed out, and how much improvement you’ll see in any sport from pushing for extra time getting out and doing it.

This year, I’m working towards 2,000 miles on a dirtbike and a combined 100 days between mountain biking and dirtbiking. What are you working towards? Comment your new goals below! If you don’t already have an account, it’s quick and easy to make one. You’ll be able to comment across the site, create a profile, pin tutorials, and more.