I rode the National 100 today and feel elated to be unhappy with the result, as I was about 1mph off the pace I was looking for and something went wrong with course navigation; resulting in receiving a DNF result.
That may seem like a strange concept so I’ll explain the thought processes involved…
When we experience negative thoughts, it can be useful to consider how we feel about our thoughts and feelings by imagining that we’re on the outside looking in.
This pattern is based on NLP change techniques:
First start with the facts of the situation.
Then consider our emotional response and how we would feel about it if we were giving advice to a friend or family member.
Finally revisit the current situation and see if our thoughts have changed.
If the have, is it enough? If not, can we examine another thought or feeling relating to the same thing? We then need to refocus and revisit.
The following is what went through my head today…
After less than an hour, my legs had nothing left and I started to feel very tired: this frustrated me.
I questioned why I was tired and if it meant that I had lost fitness… I racked up 266 miles of commuting this week and was able, both mentally and physically, to turn up at a very competitive event.
My thoughts changed to something more positive.
I felt a little disappointed in myself for having not predicted that this would happen today.
I asked myself if I ‘should know better’ than to push that hard early on or not rest up properly.
It’s only 5/6 years since I rode my first 100 mile ride: that took all day and had 3 cafe stops! I’ve been on a pretty steep learning curve so don’t have years of experience to call upon, I now have a little more! This is OK if I learn from it!
I realised that I had ridden 95miles as I crossed the finish so knew that something had gone wrong with navigation and it was likely that I’d end up with a DNF. This made me feel like the whole day was pointless.
I asked myself why I came here to do this today and if I had achieved anything.
I was never going to win: Marcin Bialoblocki was over an hour quicker than me! I wanted a time for the BAR competitions to see if I’ve improved from last year and a good long ride under race conditions to get ready for the Mersey Roads 24hr.
My position on the bike felt good, I got my nutrition right for the event & I had some really good practice at pushing myself despite feeling rubbish, which will stand me in good stead for the 24hr TT in a fortnight.
Just the BAR comps then…
I thought ‘if I continue to the next Marshall and give my number I can prove that I rode over 100 miles and I have STRAVA for a time’ this is what I did. The organiser didn’t accept this but I know I’ve done what I can to correct the error so I’m disappointed but not regretful.
So in short, whether I end up with an official time (I rode 101.2 miles in 4:47:27) isn’t in my control but whether I choose to focus on the positives or negatives is entirely in my control!
Hi Phil, interesting read and thanks for posting. I’m curious about the commuting miles in the run up to such a big event. Don’t you taper at all? 250+ miles prior to a 100 mile tt where you’ll be pushing yourself is dare I say it, crazy. Whenever i have a big event coming up I’ll typically rest up the week before (I’ve done big weeks before an event and have been worse off for it compared to resting). Hope you recover and good luck with Mersey Roads!
Hi Ben. The commuting miles is a bit extreme and a bit of an oversight really! I should have tapered by getting the train for s couple of days. I’ve planned time off before the Mersey to make sure I’m ready.