On one of our Mt Diablo rides, Veronica and I rode together on the last brutal 17% grade at the top. I found out that she doesn't look up either but she has counted the number of cracks in the pavement (there's one about every 6 feet or so). She started counting out loud that day and, of course, I had to ask. I also focus on keeping my breathing slow and deep or I burn way too much energy with shallow and rapid breathing. I sometimes sing a very slow dirgelike song in my head to keep me breathing at a slow enough pace.