Dear Brain, shut up!

The following is "borrowed" from Daniel Gilbert's blog

One of the ironies of human psychology is that desperately wanting something can make attaining that thing all the more difficult. When stakes go up, performance often goes down. In one study, subjects practiced sinking a putt and got better as they went along — better, that is, until the experimenter offered them a cash reward for their next shot, at which point their performance took a nosedive.

This is because we pay close attention to what we’re doing when what we’re doing matters, and though close attention is helpful when our task is novel or complex, it is positively destructive when our task is simple and well practiced. Golfers in another study were told either to take their time and think about their stroke or to step up and swing as quickly as possible. Although novice golfers did better when they took their time, expert golfers did worse.

The lesson from the laboratory is clear: thinking about tasks that don’t require thought isn’t just pointless, it’s debilitating. It may be wise to watch our fingers when we’re doing surgery or shaving the family dog, but not when we’re driving or typing, because once our brains learn to do something automatically they don’t appreciate interference. The moment we start thinking about when to step on the clutch or hit the alt key, our once-seamless performance becomes slow, clumsy or impossible.

It pretty much sums up my crit at the Wagga Classic at the weekend*. I had cruised the whole 30 minutes of the crit. Perhaps I was in a grade too easy, perhaps I had underestimated my form, whatever the reason I had been largely in control of the race. That is until the last lap and a half.

All of a sudden I started thinking.

Thinking about not pushing through gaps that were there, because maybe that would put me on the inside when we got to the corner and we all know "inside suicide".

Thinking about timing of when I pushed for position in the bunch and hesitating when there was a blatant opportunity.

And worst of all, thinking about winning the race.

Apparently this sudden "brain activity" was apparent on the sideline. No longer was I one of the stronger more dominant riders in the bunch. I was some nufty who was suddenly disorientated and bewildered by the surroundings.

I managed to pull myself together a little bit and did hold up a bike that had a rear wheel sliding and skipping more than once. I think I was 7th over the line.

But, the disappointment and "what if" still lingers...

Image Credit

*We are not talking about the road race because, well, I just went out for a training ride to get ready for Sunday- OK?!

Back to Reality

3 weeks after setting off overseas we found ourselves heading home. This timeframe also meant that I had about 6 days of bike cramming to be ready to race at my favourite race of all time- the Wagga Golden Wheel Track Carnival! Surely 3 weeks off, which included 7 days trekking at altitude just meant I was going to be super fresh to race, right?!

The first ride back was like slipping on an old pair of slippers and I was so glad to be back on my bike. It was looking good for a good impromptu prep for racing on the weekend, until things went pair shaped.

A ride from work to BundaDome, all of 3 km, with a HR pushing high E3 suggested something wasn’t quite right and I was dutifully sent home from the track with no racing. Wednesday and things were no better. In fact they were worse with the gastro infection that I had had when we were in Phuket, and that had started to simmer away before we got home came back with a vengeance. Couple that with a mild chest infection and it was off to the doctor for me.

Being a microbiologist, I had a fair idea what was going on. The most important part of the conversation with the Dr, after he had prescribed some god-awful broad spectrum antibiotics, was “Can I race my bike on the weekend?” “If your lungs and gut are up to it.” That was enough for me. I was going to race in Wagga (besides the accommodation was booked).

The drugs did their thing. My legs did their thing on Thursday at the track and I wasn’t as shabby as I thought I would be. An easy roll around with MiffyG on Friday morning and I was itching for the weekend!!

Don't die wondering

McDonald's Classic Criterium Wagga Wagga NSW, 13 June 2010

I really like the crit circuit around Wagga CBD. A little bit technical, a little bit undulating and if you can get away the potential to not be seen around some of the corners!

After the handicap the day before, there seemed to be a few tired legs around the place. The race was set to be 30 minutes plus 3 laps, with intermediate sprints at 10 and 20 minutes. After the first 5 minutes I decided that I wouldn't contest the intermediate sprints and would save myself for the final sprint.

The race was without incident, although with such disparity in the skills and speed of the mixed bunch it was imperative to keep alert. On the whole, it was a pretty easy crit as far as they go. I made the mistake of not setting the clock on my computer so I wasn't sure how long we had been going/how long to go, so was hesitant to try and get away for a solo win or at least a solid attack to mix things up. In the end I waited patiently in the bunch for the final lap.

Unfortunately I forgot to pack my sprinter reflexes and when the guys next to me started to organise their 2 man train I didn't react. In fact I waited much too long to launch my sprint, despite being in excellent position in the final corners, and in the end I ran out of course before I made my way up the podium places :( In the end I finished 6th- off the podium and out of the prizemoney!

So many what if type questions... Next time I will remember to pack the sprinter and then I won't die wondering!

Handicap by name... Handicap by nature?

McDonald's Classic- 83km Handicap
Wagga Wagga NSW, 12 June 2010

Again reminded why I really dislike handicaps! They are an absolute gamble- a result very much depends on the rest of the people in the bunch and the days that you are good won't necessarily be reflected at the end of the day.

The McDonald's Classic Handicap was one of those days that could have been so much more. Right from the gun the bunch was a shambles. Everyone was looking at each other as if it was the final 5km and waiting for someone else to make a move. For neither love nor money would a paceline get organised. And the men certainly didn't want to listen to the lone female in the bunch! Needless to say, the bunch blew itself apart within the first 10km!!

That left 73km to go... in the wash up after the hill that killed my bunch, I was in the second group with, I think, 3 further ahead. We chased hard and I think in the end we got back together. It is hard to tell, I found out later that the bunch ahead of us also disintegrated in about the same place as mine. The chase went on until we were caught at about the 35km mark. Making the most of the increased bunch size I took the opportunity to feed, but then we turned into the cross wind... cue a number of us getting flicked off the back of the bunch.

And so it went on. Chasing in small bunches, chasing solo, and ending in a small bunch. The biggest frustration of the day was that I felt awesome on the bike. I went over the "hills" like they were flat and was generally having a good day, I just didn't have anyone sharing that with me. I think that is probably the biggest handicap of these races...