Mental training (getting your head right)

bramstoker

How do people prepare themselves mentaly? Today i raced but after 2 laps and a twinge in the shoulder and one in my back, i suddenly thought "why am i doing this?" From there on every slope was a chore and i couldnt get away from the thought, then i cycled out of the course and called it a day.
To be fair on myself, i just got off a 7 day shift and did 10 hours yesterday, my job is very phycial, but im still annoyed that i let the little deamon in and then took it to heart.
Anyone have similar issues in the past? Any tips to avoid this?
Cheers

ride_whenever

Training is the key to mental strength. It prepares you for your pain and makes you know that you are better than everyone else and can succeed where they fail.

The other important thing is the proper processing of your adrenaline. Excitement and anxiety are both products of exactly the same physiological response. The key to mental preparation is to make sure you process every drop of adrenaline as excitement, then your output increases (which is why racing hurts). If you suddenly process this as anxiety (because of your twinge say) then your antagonistic muscles contract with the agonists reducing your power output by around a third, making it very very very difficult, but you go slow, so it becomes a vicious cycle.

You can feel this happen if you suddenly realise you're riding beyond your own idea of your ability. You tense up and suddenly have to go really slowly. The trick comes in managing to go the other way, I find that pushing so hard you can barely see, let alone think, means you don't have a chance to get any anxiety.

weeksy59

I'm shocked mate.

In any form of racing/competition i've competed in failure to complete the track/course is simply not an option.

I did a 3 lapper at Porridge pot hill and was lapped by the winner about 15 secs before completing lap 2. I wanted to die at start of lap 3... i was gutted...

However stopping wasn't an option, even after crashing several times after.

Good avice from the man above. I just closed my mind and ploughed on... the words "you're not stopping no matter how tired you are" were said more than a few times.

DamonC

This is why I like data.

A good GPS and HRM system removes a place to hide. The mind controls what is going on and can be easily listened to.

Data removes this. There is no hiding when you have data

ride_whenever

except you go slower...

testing on time trial riders has shown they ride slower with a HRM/powertap/gps because they're doing what they think they're capable of. In the thrill of racing they can go a bit faster.

DamonC

If you relate the plot to the HRM soon after the ride you can spot where you could have worked harder IME.

Its been a few years for me and its all individual but I found after several sessions on the same route I understood where I could be working harder and the realtime display told me what I needed to know to work harder.

ride_whenever

oh for training it works well.

but for racing you end up slower.

DamonC

Oh yes racing is flat out flat out flat out then damage limitation hahhahahah...

Jedi

use imagery to picture yourself and see the events unfold during a race before hand and practice them.
find why you pulled out and discard that memory as you dont need to store that image.
try and feel your efforts etc..during the race and fell your relaxed state etc