Stay Tough Through the Tough Times

By: Kirsten van Heerden // Clinical & Sports Psychologist

With the Magical and Untamed African MTB Race on our doorstep later this month, Kirsten Van Heerden has shed some light on how to deal with the challenges of the Absa Cape Epic, and how to ‘Be Comfortable with the Idea of Being Uncomfortable’

 My swimming coach once said to me: “The swimmer swims the first 75m and the person swims the last 25.”  Well that was only a 100m race… how much more so when it is the Absa Cape Epic taking place over 8 days! What my coach was saying is that training gets us so far, but when the pressure is on and you feel like you body is about to give in, your character, grit and mental toughness is what is going to get you over that finish line.  It is hard and exhausting and painful, but as Lance Armstrang says: “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Luckily there are some skills you can learn and some planning that can be done that will help you to stay tough through the long days in the saddle:

1. Segmenting Your Race

In endurance events, it is essential to break your race up into smaller more manageable parts or segments. I'm not talking about each day - take each hour / each 10km / each hill etc, one bit at a time.  Break each day up in a way that you like and set a manageable goal for each segment. These goals are task-orientated, and you and your riding partner must define what the task is and what will be important to focus on (e.g. rhythm, cadence, speed, recovery).

Don't let your mind jump ahead to four hours time, or the next day, use the goals to help refocus on the task at hand and stay in the moment.  Segmenting not only helps with focus, but also helps with confidence.  Once you start ticking off segments and achieving the small goals you set, confidence will be boosted.  Remember, focus on the process (task) and let the outcome (end result) take care of itself.

• Set challenging, yet realistic goals. When thinking about each segment you should feel like it is achievable with a little effort. When you become anxious and afraid, reset the goals to something more manageable. It is said that ‘flow’ or being in ‘the zone’ occurs on the boundary between boredom and anxiety – nothing too easy, but not too hard either. The Goldilocks Principle! 

2. Plan, Plan, Plan

The more you plan, the better you are able to deal with situations as they occur and when things go wrong.  And we know in long races things often go wrong!  It is not negative to consider the 'What Ifs", in fact it is essential preparation.  You are far less likely to have an effective plan to deal with problems when you're exhausted.  You need to have the blueprints of the plan already so you can simply get into action as needed.  So, sit with your racing partner and go over some ‘If and then’ scenarios before the race even starts.

For example:

• If one of us gets a puncture, then…
• If one of us blows and the other is strong, then…
• If I don’t sleep well, then…
• If I feel frustrated with my racing partner, then…

3. Controlling Pain

One of the best ways to overcome pain and exhaustion is distraction.  Sing songs, tell jokes, or get back to focusing on the segment goals and tasks.  You can’t think two thoughts at once so if you are focusing on the task at hand or on the joke you are telling, you are not focusing on the pain. It doesn’t mean it’s not there.  You are just not paying attention to it.

4. Use your partner

You can’t always be positive and motivated and fully focused, so rely on your teammate to help you.  Social support acts as a buffer against stress and enables us to cope more effectively with more things.  This is vital when you feel you are at the end of your energy reserves or maybe feel overwhelmed with the task facing you.  See racing together as an essential and ready made support system!

Lastly, enjoy it!  You get to do something amazing that few people get to do - even if you will be uncomfortable doing it.  Good Luck and race hard!

Kirsten Van Heerden // BSc [Hons] MA Clinical Psychology
Clinical & Sport Psychology
Practice no. 0264830
T: 031 303 3874/5 • E: kirsten.vanheerden@gmail.com