The magic of creating mental space

On Sunday I completed the Gravel Muster which was a multi-day point to point gravel riding event around the East MacDonnell range near Alice Springs in Australia. It was a couple of days after completing a multi-day trail running event on the Larapinta trail on the West MacDonnell range, and I was the only person this year to 'do the double'!

The drivers to do it were to experience the outback with an adventurous challenge. As I reflect, one of the takeaways that's also worth aiming to cultivate is the sense of mental space free from distractions. Both on and off the trail there was a sense of space physically and mentally. We were usually finished with the physical challenges of the day by early afternoon with plenty of downtime and long, shared evening meals.

We had the time for conversations that went beyond the surface-level catch-ups of the day-to-day and this was where the magic happened. I've come away with friends and connections from across Australia and plans for future shared adventures.