All in the mind

Earlier this month I was able to attend a short but very helpful seminar on sports psychology given by Matt Ahlberg from Mental Notes Consulting (held at Revive Studio Ashgrove).  He emphasised that an athlete's pathway to success is in their attitude. 
Some basic aspects of the attitude that successful athletes have include:
-    being hard-working
-    being focused
-    being determined
-    having self-belief
-    being disciplined.

Of these things, it was interesting to hear at the seminar what different people (from different backgrounds such as triathlon, athletics, cycling, water polo, golf, and cricket) found challenging and/or easy.  For me, the hard-working and disciplined bit is easy.  However I really struggle with the self-belief side of things.  Matt explained that if an athlete is going to have self-belief then they need to think about all of their strengths, remember their good performances, and recall all the hard training they have put into preparing themselves.  If an athlete wants to be successful then they need to both think and act in ways that will make them a success.

Leading into race day, an athlete knows what they have to do. They have been training for it.  An athlete has been refining their skills, power, and fitness leading up to the race.  So to perform well on the day should be simple enough... just bring all this hard work together.  However, on the day an athlete’s thoughts and actions can make this process easier said than done.

A successful athlete has set routines and race plans to help them recreate the way they want to feel when they perform well.  They trust in following the process to achieve a successful outcome.  By focusing on the process, it helps an athlete perform to their best because it comes down to what is most in their control – what they think, feel, and do.  By following the process and achieving goals during training, this all builds an athlete's confidence.  This confidence then helps to empower the athlete to thrive under pressure on race day.
- Many thanks to Matt Ahlberg and Allira Rogers from Mental Notes Consulting (www.mentalnotesconsulting.com.au) and Anouska Edwards from Revive (www.revivestudio.com.au).

Off season, off road

Can you imagine my face when my coach tells me that at this time of the year I need two weeks off the road bike?  The conversation went something like this...
Coach:  You need some time off the bike.
Me: Time off from training, or time off the bike altogether?
Coach:  Time off.
Me: How long for?
Coach: Two weeks.
Me: (In my head). TWO whole weeks!?!?
Me: (Bargaining question number #1). Can I still go to the gym? Weights and stuff are still ok?
Coach: Yes.
Me: But no bike at all?
Coach: Looks at me quizzically.
Me:  (Bargaining question number #2). What I meant was, can I use my mountain bike?
Coach: As long as you are not doing it too often and absolutely no efforts.
Me:  Thanks, that's great.
Me: (In my head).  Phew!

I know I have mentioned in this blog a few times over the years that I understand the importance of a rest period between training blocks, but boy am I glad to be allowed back "off road" for a bit.
The first few rides on the MTB last week have already made me remember why I took up this hobby in the first place and wonder why I have done so little of it in recent times.

There's no cars or trucks to contend with, no traffic lights, no noise. There's just me and the bike, and the occasional friendly wave from another rider as they disappear back into the tree-lined trails as quickly as they came out of them.  There's just those nice MTB "feelings" that are much less frequent on the road bike.
The next challenge?  Getting smooth and flowing again while on the bike.

Aptly, this is an excerpt from the new "Flow" mountain bike mag by Chris Southwood...
"I can't bunny hop, I have heard riders say.  What?  Does this mean you have special gravity?  Of course you can bunny hop.  It just takes practice.  Practice may not ever make you a perfect rider but when you reap the rewards of your practice out on the trail, well, there are few more perfect feelings."

And I am ready for more of those nice experiences "off road".  And I have a feeling that when my two weeks are up, I may find it hard to get back on the road!