For many of us it has been a long season just know, the finish is right around the corner. For the bulk of us our primary goals for the 2013 season lie in the month of October. With that being said, its time to really focus on your objectives and begin to hone the mental facet of the sport.
Visualization- Take 10-15 minutes per day and let everything go. Close your eyes, control your breathing, and see yourself the day of the race. Embrace the nerves and anxiety that come that day. Have your goals in mind and trust your training. You will be going into the event with a proactive approach visualize yourself confidently riding the race you want. While you visualize yourself racing play the race out in your head. You are fresh, your legs feel powerful, and you are following wheels, and always maintaining a spot in the top 7. See yourself conserving enery, never being out in the wind, spinning a lighter gear when possible, and not pedaling when you dont have to. Its your race, see it in your mind the way you want it to end.
Imagery techniques- As you progress with the visualization start to incorporate imagery techniques into your sessions. This entails going so deep with your visualization that you can feel the bar tape on your palms, the way the wind feels on your face and the sound of your bike on the pavement as you are railing through the corners. The deeper you go, the more often these sessions take place, the stronger you will be on the day of the race.
Positive Self Talk- Create a saying or mantra, something that means something to you that is positive. When you are suffering during your workouts, getting shuffled back in a race, or refocusing while training, say it and believe it! What I say is, I ride the best because I am a winner. To others its probably lame, but to me it has been one of the pillars behind my progression. What you say, you think, what you think, you do. Say it to yourself while looking into the mirror before you train, say it late in the race, before you start your last interval, It works, but only if you believe it and apply it!
In closing, looking internally can more challenging than the workouts your workouts. The above skill-set will take time to develop, start today. Fitness without confidence simply makes you another fit rider.
