Stuck in your own head? Here's how to fix it

Our bodies might be race ready, but if our minds are working against us, we'll never perform at our best.

I once worked with an athlete who was physically strong, incredibly disciplined, and putting in all the right training. But come race day, his mind turned into his worst enemy. Standing at the start line, he'd be hit with a barrage of thoughts:

• What if I mess up?

• I don't want to let my team down.

• I'm not as good as I should be.

No matter how much he trained, self-doubt crept in and took control. And it was showing in his performance.

Sound familiar?

This is something I see all the time, especially in endurance athletes. They've got the physical grind down. But elite performance isn't just about what we do with our legs. It's also about what's happening between our ears.

The Two Voices in Our Heads

We all have two voices inside us:

• 🗣️ The Athlete: confident, focused, and committed to the goal

• 😈 The Monster: full of fear, doubt, and negative self-talk

The Monster says things like:

❌ "Why can't you figure this out?"

❌ "What's wrong with you?"

❌ "You're going to mess this up."

The Athlete? That's the voice that encourages us, trusts our training, and helps us stay calm under pressure.

Whichever voice we feed is the one that gets stronger. And for many athletes, they've unknowingly been feeding the Monster for years.

Flip Don'ts to Dos

Here's a simple mental shift that changes everything: Instead of telling yourself what not to do…tell yourself what to do.

The brain doesn't handle negatives well. If I say, "Don't think about a shark," your brain immediately thinks: Shark! The same thing happens when we think:

• Don't mess up.

• Don't get nervous.

• Don't crash on the descent.

We're unintentionally focusing our brains on exactly what we don't want.

Now let's flip that:

✅ I want to stay calm and in control.

✅ I want to ride smart and stay sharp.

✅ I want to trust my training and enjoy the ride.

This isn't just positive thinking; it's performance thinking. It's one of the foundational skills elite athletes practice to stay mentally strong.

Train the Mind Like We Train Our Bodies

At first this mental shift may feel awkward or even cheesy. That's okay. The goal is to practice this mindset daily, just like we'd train intervals or refine our fueling strategy. Over time it gets easier. And the results? We feel more confident, more focused, and more in control. We stop sabotaging ourselves and start showing up as the athletes we know we can be. Our minds is our greatest assets; let's not leave them untrained. Confidence, motivation, and focus aren't just things we have; they're things we train.

Start today. Flip your don'ts to dos, feed the right voice, and get your brain working for you instead of against you.

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At BaseCamp, we believe that every cyclist has the potential to achieve greatness, no matter where they start. Our mission is to create a community-driven training environment where cyclists and triathletes of all levels can train together, support each other, and grow stronger, faster, and more confident in their abilities. Our cycling training programs are expert driven and tailored to your needs. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just getting started, BaseCamp is where you belong.