Generally I don’t look to Mike Tyson for dazzling insight. Tyson is an incredibly gifted fighter but he keeps messing up his life. He did offer a pearl of wisdom once: “every fighter that steps into the ring has a plan…until they get hit.” I think about that during the first five minutes of every race. My race strategy starts to fade as my legs fill up with lactate acid, my lungs burn, and my heart feels like it is going to burst from my chest. I start to consider other hobbies; perhaps stamp collecting, or maybe building one of those ships in a bottle. There are probably some good shows on TV I have been missing out on.
My attitude needs to change this year. I need to look forward to suffering, in races and during hard training efforts. I am working hard for the opportunity to suffer and I can’t look at it as a bad thing.
That (first 5 min) is the hardest part of a race in my mind. If you are with the leaders the plan sticks and all is well. If I don't, and lose contact with the skinny guys, that's when I can decide how the race is going to go. The times that I got angry and dropped the hammer I caught back up and flew. The times I got down on myself...the race was over.
ReplyDeleteThis year I had to adjust the plan. I knew I'd be dropped on the first climb, so i changed the plan to what I was going to do after that. I just watched them go up the fireroad, and then when the trail dove into the singletrack, I went to work. I would typically pass more than half the field. Granted the leaders were long gone, but at least I finished in the thick of things!
... If only it was 30 degrees, hailing, with a 50 mph wind every race. Then I'd be unbeatable!