3 steps to build confidence

You are on the starting line of a race. Your heart is pounding, your thoughts are running, doubts are creeping in. Or, you are out on course, something has not gone your way, maybe the weather has kicked up, wind is churning up chop, or the rain has started to fall. Maybe you have been dropped by the group. Where does your brain go in these moments? Does this lead to a drop in your confidence? If so, you are not alone! So how do we get through these situations? We have three steps to build and use confidence:

1. Do hard things

2. Use motivational self talk

3. Be prepared. 

Do hard things

There is a saying, “to run faster you have to run faster.” Ok smart a$$, I asked for suggestions, not sass. Unfortunately, it is true, to run faster over a 5k, first I have to run faster over 200m. To climb long hills faster, I have to climb smaller hills faster. To build confidence, I have to do things that shake my confidence.

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary confidence is the belief that we will “act in a right, proper or effective way.” In other words, it’s the belief that we can do what we set out to do. To build that confidence we have to put in the miles, lift the weights, participate in other events. We need to prepare, perform and give ourselves an honest review of our training and our race performance. 

Motivational Self Talk

Motivational self talk is what you say to yourself about yourself and about the situation. It is our inner coach, cheerleader and teammate. It is realistic, performance based, and not outcome driven. In motivational self talk you are encouraging yourself. Some examples: 

“This hill is hard, but I have trained hard. I have ridden many hills! Focus on cadence and I will get up this hill”

“All of these people are passing me. That’s okay. This is my race. I train to be strong the entire race not just the 1st mile”

“I have put in the work, I am going to focus on nutrition, my pace and finding joy out there”

“I LOVE race day!! My fast heart rate and thoughts are simply telling me I am excited. This is awesome!”

During your training is the perfect time to practice motivational self talk. In training, figure out what is challenging you, pay attention to your inner voice, intentionally seek out what would be a better message. After training, sit down, write out what would be motivational messages you would want to hear. Writing them down is an important step. Through actually writing the positive message is getting locked in through motor movement (the writing), cognitively (thinking about it), and you get the visual cue of it (reading the writing). 

Be prepared

Have you ever gotten to a race or a training session only to find you forgot something at home? I know I have!! I have shown up to bike rides with no shoes, I can’t tell you how many times I go to the gym and after working out and showering I discover I have no work shirt or bra. Last year I was at a race, and another rider forgot her front wheel for her bike. 

Being prepared decreases anxiety which can help our feelings of confidence. 

Being prepared has a few different components: 

• Being prepared physically

• Being prepared mentally

• Preparing our gear

• Preparing our nutrition

Being prepared physically: 

This is where your actual physical training comes into play. Knowing you have generally followed your training plan will help boost your confidence. Knowing you have put in the hours in the gym, in the water, on the trails and on the road will lead to the physical capability to do the event. 

Being prepared mentally:

Motivational self talk, having a variety of mental tools will help add to your confidence. We build these by practicing these skills in training and going over them before the race.  It is not just knowing that you can physically do the event, it is also the belief that you can handle what is thrown at you.

Preparing our gear:

I highly recommend having your gear packed and ready to go the day before the event. There is nothing more anxiety provoking on race morning than frantically searching for something you need. It is not just do you have your gear, but is your gear working well? If everything is packed the day before the race, your race day anxiety will be less. 

Preparing our nutrition:

Yes, we are talking about race day nutrition. But it is also our nutrition and hydration in the days leading up to the event. Knowing that you are fueled well, and knowing that you can tolerate the nutrition on race day will help you feel confident in knowing that you will have a much lower risk of GI distress and that you will have the energy to get through the day. 

I would love to hear how you may use these tools, and how you build confidence. Add in the comments below or reach out to me on Instagram @patspencerlcsw