So, a warning that this one is a long one!
What are my goals? Why am I frustrated?
A few weeks ago, I did the usual Saturday ride with the local bike shop.
Over the previous weeks, the ride was getting quite comfortable for me and I was quite enjoying having a fun, actual "coffee ride" as the cyclists say, where you go for a roll with some familiar people to have coffee afterwards.
I knew the pace of the ride and I knew it was comfortable and I didn't need to push very hard.
Except this ride was a bit different.
Due to situation and dynamics of the group, there was quite a lot of acceleration and deceleration.
As a result, I found it quite a challenging ride.
So challenging that I actually cried most of the way through it.
(via blogs.villagevoice.com)
A lot of it was me getting upset at getting upset. (Silly, I know).
Anyway, I realised I was frustrated because my expectation of what the ride was changed and my goal had been "to do the Saturday ride comfortably" which wasn't a very effective goal.
I really believe in S.M.A.R.T. goals:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
Eg. "I'm going to ride 60km Sunday morning."
So, after a day of debriefing with my husband as my counsellor, I realised that I was feeling frustration because I wasn't clear on what I was trying to achieve, and therefore I wasn't clear on how to achieve it.
I thought that the goal of "cycling with the Saturday group comfortably" was good enough but now I realise how vague and ineffective that goal is.
It is completely not S.M.A.R.T.!
And the goalposts will change depending on various factors.
My husband also explained that with group riding, the leader has the responsibility to keep the group together.
But, as a member of that group, I have the responsibility to try and stay with the group, but if the pace is too hard, I have the option to drop off.
It isn't my responsibility to crack myself trying to stay on a group that is too fast for me.
What I should have done is stay at a pace that I could do, and then either the leader will decide that the group will slow down and keep me on, or they will ride off.
Either way, it's not a big deal as I was familiar with the route and as an adult I am responsible for getting myself home from wherever I am.
Also, I learnt when there is acceleration and deceleration, it can be easier to just stick to your regular pace rather than adjusting speed with the group every time it changes. If the group is accelerating and decelerating, on average, you should be ok.
Mental strength
As it felt so silly to be crying over a weekend casual ride, I decided I needed some tips on how to get stronger mentally.
I asked every cyclist I knew and I got amazing tips from everyone.
The ones that stood out to me and that I found relevant to my way of thinking were:
1. Focus on what you've done, not what you have left to go.
If you focus on what you have left to go, you'll likely feel crap because you're not there yet, and you won't be until right at the end.
So you might as well focus and be happy about what you've achieved so far.
I used this one in my first 100km and it really worked.
"Hey, I've done 10km, I'm 10% of the way there, that's awesome."
"Hey, we're 25km in, we're a quarter of the way there, that wasn't too bad."
(Thanks Tsz!)
2. Believe in yourself.
This one's pretty obvious.
I have found that sometimes I find it easier to believe in someone else believing in me.
My favourite saying was James from MC Cyclery on my first group ride, at the top of the hill, he said "You've got this".
At the time I thought it was odd as people don't often say those types of statements to me.
I often hear more reassuring statements aimed at making me feel better.
But "you've got this" is a great phrase because it's true and sometimes you need someone else to break through your self talk to prompt you with some friendly, encouraging dialog.
When I think I have no more to give, I often repeat James' words to myself.
(Thanks James!)
3. Find your rhythm / zone.
As a dancer, I am quite good at hooking my physical movements in with rhythms.
My zoning strategy for getting through physical hardship is to count to 4 over and over again.
I discovered this when I started walking / jogging / running.
I found there were certain songs that felt more comfortable to listen to when running.
And then I found when I was struggling, I would just count to 4 rather than listening to the song.
I realised that I had found my tactic for pushing through the pain.
I use this strategy for all sorts of physical hardship - boxing / situps / etc.
It comes in very handy for my hill climbing and I hook my cadence and breath to the rhythm and then I have something to focus on and then it becomes a repetitive motion that I can hook into and zone out, rather than focussing on the pain / hardship of the activity.
(Thanks Josh!)
How funny, I just realised all those 3 tips were from my local bike shop! And that's why I love MC Cyclery so much!
Rapha Women's 100km / My first 100km
In anticipation of the Rapha Women's 100km, a bunch of my cycling friends decided to arrange a 100km ride so I could do my 100km before the event and be less nervous on the day.
I wasn't sure about it as in my head I was all built up to the Rapha event as my FIRST 100km.
But after talking to my husband, I realised (a good life lesson in general) that sometimes (or maybe most or all of the time) it's more about the journey than the destination.
It's not necessarily about enjoying just the event, but also enjoying what I do in the leadup, the preparation and training as well.
It's like the purpose of the event is to give me an excuse / a direction to head in.
We rode down to Royal National Park and Waterfall and Sutherland before returning.
I managed it quite well, sticking to a manageable pace (slowing down when I could feel myself going close to the red zone).
[fyi - I'd been focussing doing road rides 4 times a week - varying from 30km to 60km - leading up to the Rapha event.]
At about 95km I started to develop a headache which I suspect was from not drinking enough water.
All in all, I was quite happy and very proud with that result.
It was actually quite lovely riding a challenge with people that I knew and was comfortable with and trusted.
It was a touching gesture and much appreciated.
As you can tell by my smile. :)
My first road race
So, someone posted about the Manly Warringah Cycle Club's Women's Road Race on the Sydney Women's Cycling facebook group.
Usually the women race with the men but this weekend to celebrate La Course by Le Tour de France (1 day women's race on the last stage of the main race) they've decided to have a dedicated women's race.
I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and commit to entering.
This is despite adamantly saying I'm not planning to race because I am a sore loser.
(via www.thedesertreview.com)
But, I felt like I should take advantage of a women's only opportunity that was set up to encourage women in cycling.
I'm trying to decide my goal for the day.
The race is a neutralised (the group stays together) on the climb up from Akuna Bay and then a run to West Head and back. (Kuringai National Park).
We looked back on Strava and my average for my one and only West Head ride was about 21 km/hr so that gives me at least a benchmark.
If the group starts going at 25 km/hr then at least I know I'm in for some pain. :)
I am trying really hard not to place to much expectation on myself, because I have no idea about the ability level and dynamics of a road race.
So I think my goal will be to finish with the pack if I can and to have used up most of my energy to the best of my gauge at the time.
It's tricky because I won't know how much energy to save for the end.
It'll be a good experience anyway, after all these years of road race watching, to actually participate in one!
I am a little scared of touching wheels or not holding my line, simple beginners mistakes, but I just need to be careful and it's good that I am already aware of these.
I definitely don't want to be the Gerro to any Talanksy's tomorrow! (Stage 7, TDF 2014)
(via www.sportal.com.au)
I have to go to sleep now so I can wake up for the race but I will try and post about my experience tomorrow!
