Back in April, Andrew Short was one of our Seat Time Podcast guests. He had a phrase during the episode called Throttle Therapy. I don’t believe that phrase is unique to him, but I do believe he had some great words behind it when I asked him to explain Throttle Therapy more.
Recently I’ve been feeling a bit stuck. I hurt my back in April and missed the Farm14 Enduro. From there life started to take over with school ending and summer activities starting. In that stuck feeling, I realized I hadn’t ridden the Fantic since March. I took the day off of work and reached out to a buddy who could ride mid‑week. We didn’t beat the heat, but we had a lot of fun getting seat time.
Throttle Therapy Riding Video
When I hurt my back before the Farm14 National Enduro, I had been overtraining. I was preparing for Farm14, but I was also running a lot of miles prepping for my first 52 mile ultra marathon. The compounding nature of riding and running, plus all the hip hinging from riding, created a scenario where my core couldn’t keep up. My body forced me to slow down so I didn’t hurt myself indefinitely; the body is pretty smart.
Even though it sucked to miss the Farm14 National Enduro, the real race for me in 2026 was always the Possum’s Revenge Ultra Marathon. I had a pity party for about 15 minutes after I realized I had to bow out of racing Farm14. Then I called the professionals in my life and started working on my body to figure out what happened and how I could get runnable in four weeks to tackle this ultra.
I was successful. I got my core and back stable, and I completed the 52 mile Possums Revenge course at Possum Kingdom Lake in 15:16:07. It didn’t go to plan, I had to adapt on-course, and I learned a lot. Which is what any race or competition should teach us; We can know a lot, but we can never know everything. Then life took over.
What Happens When You Can’t Ride?
The throttle therapy session I got with Brandon and Josh was what I needed. I had been going too long in the day to day without finding the time for me to disconnect, think, and be around like minded dudes.
But this got me thinking, “What happens when I can’t ride anymore?”
I am currently 46, and I hit 47 later this year. Even though I don’t want to slow down with the way I live my life, at some point life does catch up. As we age, our bodies degrade, that’s just a fact. There are certainly ways we can live to focus on longevity, but that’s for another article.
What happens when we can’t heal from the ailments that plague us, or from aging in general, and we can’t do the thing we love to do to disconnect?
We have to change.
Due to all the messages and comments I got hurting my back before Farm14, I saw a lot of people hanging on to something they didn’t have anymore. There was an anger and resentment in their words that I couldn’t understand.
I understand it a bit more now.
As life throws us a curve ball, we have to adjust. We can’t keep chasing meaning in the ways we did before, because we may not be able to do those things the same anymore.
As dirt bikers, it’s really easy to use race results or speed against riding buddies as a barometer of accomplishment. We pat ourselves on the back with those accomplishments to try to find happiness or some sense of meaning in them.
I think that’s why I received the snarky comments and messages. Those people haven’t adjusted or adapted to what their life has thrown at them.
After this riding session, I began to ask myself in what ways I need to change so I don’t keep needing to break away from life for throttle therapy. What can I begin to shift or adjust in my day to day so I find what matters in a different way than I have in the past.
I don’t have a direct answer to that yet, but that’s because it’s for me to figure out for me. You’ll have to do the same for you if that’s something you’re looking for.
If any part of this resonated with you, and you think you might be looking in the wrong places, here’s a quick thought. Purpose gives us something to strive for. The fulfillment we’re looking for in that purpose needs to be internally motivated, not externally driven. Said simply, we want it for ourselves, not for others to pat us on the back for.
Anywho, my coffee is cold and the day needs to start. Thanks for reading and I hope y’all enjoy getting seat time in the near future. And if you can’t get seat time anymore, or currently, I hope you enjoy the thing that fulfills you and still feels worth doing.
If you enjoyed my ramblings, I have a personal Substack as well. I am currently writing a book and posting chapters there. XOXO
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