Cycling BC Athlete Tip: October 2013
BC Athlete: Catharine Pendrel
Topic: Self-Talk
The other day while out riding I caught myself noting all the things I was doing wrong. “You’re too far back”; “You were too late on the pedals.”
How we talk to ourselves in training and racing has a huge impact on our performance.
Don’t give yourself reasons or excuses. Give yourself direction and empowerment.
Instead of saying “You’re too far back,” tell yourself to “Get forward.” This frames things in a way you can improve your performance. It changes your focus to what you can still do rather than stewing over what you didn’t.
I don’t know how many times I have heard people say, “I’m just not a climber.” You may not be the best climber, sprinter or time trialist in the world but you can still be very good. Everyone has limiters that need to be trained harder than their strengths, but not even giving yourself the chance to be good at your weaknesses certainly won’t help you get there.
So next time you are out on a training ride or in a race pay attention to your self talk, know what you can say to keep focused forward on that long climb, that flat section or in the group sprint. Cut off the negative talk and focus on what you can do. Give yourself direction in how to ride to your best ability.