Con Game

Today's lecture will focus on the role of confidence with respect to our athletic training endeavors. The number one problem I detect among blogger athletes is an apparent lack of confidence in their training program's effectiveness. On the flip side, oddly enough, in a close or maybe even disputed second place, is the overconfidence of some riders. In fact, within the bike racing populace as a whole this is probably the larger group. Maybe overconfidence isn't the right word, as what I'm talking about is more like faith in divine intervention, as if some miracle is going to happen and these guys aren't going to get dropped. But bloggers tend to bellyache more about sucking than they write about being great.

So we have two groups, the first that trains their asses off yet still needs constant validation in the form of testing, race results, or pep talks, and the other who can barely fit into their bulging skinsuits, yet still pony up for races which will inevitably be cut short for them as soon as the wick gets turned up. We won't waste too much time on the latter group. You know who they are, I know who they are, they know who they are. The only training advice that relates to this group is don't invite them on your training rides because: a) they probably will have an excuse to not show up anyway, and b) even if they do, they'll only drag you down to their level, and c) most importantly, if dishing out a training ride ass-whooping to this group does give you confidence, it's the wrong, phony kind (see b).

Before moving on, you may be asking "Why is confidence so important in training anyway?" Glad you asked. Or that I asked for you. Going back to the second group, we see that too much confidence hurts. More accurately, misplaced confidence is the problem. Be realistic and honest about your abilities, as these abilities are what should be dictating your tactics, but have confidence in your training to improve them, or at least bring them to a peak when you're needing them the most. Notice how I cleverly introduced timing into the discussion. We've now answered the opener for this paragraph; confidence facilitates patience, and patience is the key to peaking, or at least to being near your best at the times most important to you.

Let's look at how this might work. In January our example athlete embarks on his/her annual journey toward competitive greatness. Already they've made a mistake. This shouldn't be an annual journey. In fact, the journey never ends. You never get where you want to be. For some reason though, many athletes think one year is some kind of magical time period during which any athletic goal can be accomplished. Why this lack of patience? It takes most people four years to obtain an undergrad college degree, and that's after thirteen years of "base." Show a little more respect for being a good athlete too then, and have some friggin' patience, and understand the magnitude of what you're trying to accomplish. Here's a little free Nega-Coaching for you: If you can't stay focused for more than a year or two, then give the fuck up now, because you don't belong in this sport. That felt good.

Where was I? Oh yeah, so our athlete is training his/her ass off all through the cold, dark winter, but then gets smoked on a training ride or at some stupid indoor time trial, then goes into "I suck, my life is meaningless" mode. With "real" competitions just four weeks away, panic ensues, shovels are readied, the "plan" gets tossed, and deeper hole digging begins. There's nothing wrong with making some adjustments, but a properly confident athlete won't be put into the position of doubt by one or two "bad" performances. The smartest ones might be more worried by going too well too early. I'll admit, it's a lot easier to be confident if you've got experience. There's nothing quite like getting dropped one week but then dishing it out the next to demonstrate the powers of patience and timing.

The good news is underconfident athletes keep a lot of coaches in business. One of the hallmarks of the no-cons is their need for constant validation, which of course has to be external. Overtesting yourself, be it formal tests, timed intervals, or simply always having one eye on your average power are sure ways to find a plateau. A high plateau isn't the worst place to be, which I guess is why many riders find comfort there. But it's not a peak. It's not what you're training for. If you try to make a breakthrough every time you swing a leg over the bike, you're bridging the gap from underconfidence to faith in miracles.

I probably did a shitty of taking this where I wanted, and the it's almost light enough to head outside, so that's all you get. Don't be afraid to comment. Maybe that will help me finish. Thanks for reading.