Being in "the Zone"

[black mamba]

The times I've been lucky enough to feel I was truly " in the zone" were those times when, for some reason, I was acutely aware.....I mean REALLY acutely aware of everything that was going on around me. The sense of smell was accentuated....the sense of feel was enhanced beyond the norm...I had a pronounced degree of body balance and movement that was unusually defined. In addition to all that, my sensitivity of sight and intensity of focus was something that I recognized as being particularly elevated. It has only happened to me 3 times I think....once on the track and twice on the road.

 

[pickax]

Yup. so eloquently stated by all. It's as buzz we all want again.

 

[mike25]

I, too, don't often get in 'the zone'. Although I am concentrating on what's going on and the road ahead, I can't seem to help myself from thinking about the bad crap (what's that dark spot on the road, what's ahead of this turn that I can't see, did i just see a bog forest rat off to the side of the road, etc).

DING, DING, DING, We have a winner!!!

Save the "ZONE" for the racetrack. Ya, I found the zone on the

street many times, only crashed a twice. Corner workers are

your friend.

 

[Bounce]

if you're "in the zone" and think of anything doesn't that mean you are no longer there?

 

[James Burleigh]

if you're "in the zone" and think of anything doesn't that mean you are no longer there?

Yep. If you're in The Zone and you think "Hey! I'm in The Zone!", well, it's like waking up just before you get to touch her, uh, ho ho's... "Damn!"

The time described at the opening of this thread was the only time I've ever felt in the zone on a motorcycle. As others have mentioned, I'm usually too busy trying to stay alive in traffic, and on twisties I'm usually missing entry and exit points and speeds, and don't click into The Zone.

Now, there are two other occasions when I have entered The Zone. When I used to play competitive handball in college, once in a great while I would play a game where I could not miss a shot and was unbeatable--that was The Zone. It makes me wonder if the top players of a sport, like Federer, are able to "turn on" The Zone every time they play--think about it: you have to have the skill to go with the ability to concentrate (Zone In).

The other time I entered a Zone-like state was driving (my car) to work years ago, and a guy in a delivery truck decided I'd cut him off. He was out to kill me. I became absolutely focused while trying to get away from him. It was like my vision and awareness entered hyper Superman mode, and everything around me froze while I plotted my path ahead.

Perhaps another Zone time was when, taking my entire family in the minivan for a Sunday in Berkeley, we came out of the Caldecott Tunnel and stepped onto the set of Apocalypse Now--there was fire all around us. Cars were starting to drive wildly, pulling over to the side. There was thick black smoke and debris in the air. We had just driven through (under) the Oakland Hills Firestorm. I realized I needed to get my family the hell outta there, and became hyper-focused.

And now you know The Rest of the Story....

Jb