Future State Champion

After the cyclocross race I did in Monroe last year, where I was psychologically defeated very early on, I started becoming interested in the mental aspect of racing and training. I bought a book on the topic,The Mental Edge by Kenneth Baum. I've been working through some of the exercises in the book, and while they seemed kind of corny on the first read, I think they are working.

One of the first things he has you do is come up with a "Desire Statement". As I interpreted it, this is a long-term goal or desire. He has you write it down multiple times per day for a number of days to really let it sink in. I initially had trouble coming up with something. I had a few ideas, but when I wrote them down, I found that they either weren't specific enough to give me a real target or that they didn't inspire me. I have come to believe that the inspiration part is critical. This is what is going to get you fired up to train on days when you don't feel like it.

The desire statement I came up with is this: "I want to win a Michigan state championship mountain bike race." Considering my current level, this is a really big stretch. On the other hand, it's very specific, and it gets me fired up. Will it ever happen? I don't know, but it's not totally outside the realm of possibility.

I developed this desire statement at the end of last November, and I think it is already making a difference. The main thing I've noticed is that I think about myself as a bike racer differently. The best way to describe it is that I don't see my current level in an isolated way anymore. I now think of where I am as a stopping off point on a path that eventually takes me to where I want to be. I think, ultimately, this should help me deal with the disappointments and setbacks I will inevitably face; hopefully I'll be able to see them relative to the "big picture" and they won't seem so bad. The real test for all of this will be when I start racing again this year and get faced with reality, but for now, my motivation and confidence levels are very high.