Do You Sabotage Your Own Training?

http://www.bikingbis.com

Can you believe what happened this week at the Tour? How on earth could someone sabotage the event as they did? Many of us sat in shock as we watched flat after flat occur: some 30 riders fell victim to a not-so-funny prank as well as quite a few team cars. Thankfully it occurred on a climb and not a descent; it could have been much worse.

Merriam-Webster defines sabotage in the following way: "an act or process tending to hamper or hurt." Who would ever intentionally sabotage their training? It happens every day, like it or not. The culprit may surprise you: it is the person inside your very own skin. Here are some ways that we inadvertently sabotage our own progress as cyclists:

• Not recovering properly
• Not fueling our bodies with high octane sources
• Negative Self-talk 

Recovery
Complete and proper recovery are vital to your training program in any sport. While we all "know" this, how many of us truly practice it? Perhaps it is time for a short refresher course. http://www.active.com/triathlon/Articles/How_to_Tell_When_You_re_Over-Reaching_or_Over-Training.htm

The Right Fuel

When I realized that I could be an competitive athlete in my 40's, I decided to change my eating habits and see how it affected my performance. The results: a night and day difference from how I ate and trained as a teen / college age kid! There have been very few training rides where I "just didn't have it in the tank". While I don't partake in supplements and magic endurance products, I do eat whole, real foods. A whole wheat mini bagel and a small zip lock bag of raisins fuel me for rides that are up to 2-3 hours in length. It may not be for everybody, but it is what works for me. Post-ride fueling usually consists of a good ole PB&J with a glass of milk (chocolate is best!). Juicing has become a part of my daily nutrition plan and a nice, cold fruit & spinach smoothie is a great mid-afternoon snack. Daily I pack in 8-10 servings of fresh fruits and veggies. Each of us has to find what works best in our bodies and the purest foods are whole foods. http://www.livestrong.com/article/194068-whole-food-diet-for-athletes/

Negative Self-Talk

Just as certain as "we are what we eat", we are also "what we think." A sure-fire way to damage your training is to think or speak negatively about yourself. Self-efficacy is the belief that we can accomplish what we set out to do. We can talk ourselves right out of just about anything with the words we tell ourselves: I hate hills. I can't climb. Sprinting is not my thing. I have bird legs."  Sometimes we verbalize these statements to draw a compliment out of someone. Sometimes we truly believe it. Each of the time that we do it, however, it is making an imprint on your brain and you start to believe it. It's time to change your thinking and your actions will follow. Imagine what will happen when you tell yourself, "I can do this!" or "I'm getting stronger" or "It's just a hill". You think it, then believe it, then act on it. It's how our minds work!

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportspsychology/a/Positive-Self-Talk-And-Sports-Performance.htm

  
Hopefully there will be no copy cat pranks like the tacky one that occurred in Sunday's stage of the Tour. Hopefully as well you will not jeopardize your own future in the sport by partaking in the unintentional habits that were discussed today. Perhaps you can evaluate the recovery methods you employ as well as the fuel sources - nutritional and mental -that you use on a daily basis. We can step up our game easily by making adjustments in these three areas. Ride on!