Had a conversation with my coach yesterday. We talked a bit about my ATP (Annual Training Plan) and some specifics about what types of workouts I would like to include in the months ahead. The conversation also included some discussion of overarching goals. It is always good to talk with your coach to get your head on straight.

The two major points of our discussion dealt with MOTIVATION and CONFIDENCE. Both of these aspects of training fall under the mental category. Jim says that he isn’t worried at all about the physical part of my training and goals. Primarily, we need to work on these mental portions.

That isn’t to say that I won’t have to work hard to be ready physically. The point is that I’ve proven to Jim that I have the potential — and have proven to have the physical ability — to race well in the tough Masters scene here in the Southeast. If I can train as well as I did last year, I’ll be ready.

The catch, according to Jim, is that it isn’t enough for him to be convinced. It is more important that I be convinced. It doesn’t matter how well I train physically if I don’t have the belief that I can hang with the big boys. Two riders leaving the line with similar physical abilities can have vastly different outcomes based on their mental confidence and toughness.

So, how do you get there? Visualization seems to be the word everyone throws out there. While you are on the trainer this winter, you close your eyes and imagine yourself in a breakaway with the big dogs. Come race season you find yourself in the situation and know you have “been there before” and you can do it. Your mind creates the template for your body to follow.

Obviously, there has to be a balance here. It does no good to visualize that you can do a reverse dunk on a 10 foot basketball goal when you are 4 foot 2 inches tall. Visualization works best when you have past experience to build from. In other words, I have been in a break with the “big dogs” of a category 4 race or even with Pro 1-2 guys on a Donaldson Center or UWBL ride. I know what it is like to be there — almost. This gives me the knowledge that my goals are realistic and “dreaming” of accomplishing those goals is not a pipe dream.

Here is my problem. I get myself psyched up for the race. We leave the line and I find myself some minutes later in my dream position. Suddenly the pain kicks in. I’m looking at the riders around me and they don’t seem to be breathing as hard. One even talks to the guys around him! I feel like I am hanging on by a tire width. The vision starts turning to vapor. The “can’t” word enters the brain and I’m done.

Am I really not physically able to hang with these guys? Jim says I am. Am I a mental wimp unable to suffer well enough to finish with the top of my field? I don’t know the answer to that question.

One of my goals for the year is to produce a positive answer to both those questions. I’ve got to trust Jim and the numbers. Both of them say that I have the physical ability to race well in the Masters. What I think will help me most with the mental aspect is some success. I don’t mean a win, but a strong finish. My goal is to use one success as a stepping stone to the next. Failures will be learning situations with the belief that correcting them will lead to success.

The planning itself starts to take care of my motivation issues. Other than the cold, I am starting to get excited about training for the 2011 season. The picture is starting to come into focus and that clarity gives me the ability to start making the adjustments to physically be ready to find myself in the scene. Each workout becomes an opportunity to remove any physical variables so that my only question to conquer becomes a mental one.

How do you prepare mentally? Anybody out there just not question their abilities and enter a race with utmost confidence? Why do you think that is? Anybody else out there like me? Have you found something that works?

Hey, this is a season to learn.

There is more to this training stuff than just physical exercise.  A lot of it is mental.  It has been a fight for me this week.

Finally, I came to the point where I realize you can only do what you can do.

Monday I followed the plan.  Tuesday I varied from the plan in order to spend some time on my mountain bike.  Wednesday didn’t work out too well as I was extremely tired and had a busy day.  Staying up late spinning just wasn’t going to cut it!  Last night I went to work out at the gym, but I did not do the prescribed hour plus of spinning.

At first this really bothered me.  Then I realized that I really haven’t taken a break since the last race of the year.  While most of the racers around took off the week after the Downtown crit, I was riding my bike to Texas.  When I got back, I was off the bike for less than a week before starting to train.

It isn’t going to kill me to ease into this.  There is no need to push myself causing conflicts with my schedule and putting pressure on other aspects of my life.  Doing so might or might not lead to physical improvement — but it certainly won’t lead to my mental improvement!

So, my plan is to go through the next several weeks trying to stay as close as possible to the training plan.  However, if I miss several session, it is going to be no big deal.  Something is better than nothing.