One of the biggest issues I've dealt with in years past was my lack of confidence on the bike.
Perhaps the best example was last fall. I only did one race all year and it was the Deep Blue Time Trial. My confidence was so non-existent that I didn't ride my time trial bike, wear a skin suit, or a time trial helmet. I showed up equipped for a road race and I finished last in my category. No surprise. The way I showed up for that race, there was almost no pressure to perform... which is a common trick for people with no confidence.
I've mentioned before that my training this winter was completely different from what I normally do. It had an interesting side effect: for the last 6 months, "speed" never crossed my mind. I was focused on power. The courses I set up on the CompuTrainer were all uphill, so my speed was not really relevant to riding outside. I just focused on hitting my power target for the day for the amount of time I was supposed to hold it.
Power and time. That was all I focused on. Each week, I increased the target just 1 or 2 watts. No big deal. Small steps that I could handle. Not to say it was easy, just that I could handle it. After 7 months, my power targets were up dramatically and I have absolute confidence in how much power I can put out for any set amount of time because I've done it a dozen times in training.
I learned an incredible lesson: that success in training builds confidence. Success in really hard training builds really solid confidence.
Since my races are all time trials, I can plan for them by knowing roughly how long it will take me to finish (within a couple of minutes) and then base my power target off the training I've already done. I might add a couple of watts considering it will be race day and I will be a little better rested and more motivated than I am for routine training. But I know what power to aim for.
For example, next week's race is only 9 km (about 5.4 miles, according to the mapping sites). I'm guessing that I will finish somewhere between 13 and 15 minutes, so all I have to do is pick the power I think I can hold that long and then show up and do it. It might be cooler or windy, but I know the power that I can hold for that long so I can pace for it.
In years past, I've been a nervous wreck, worrying about placement. This year, I'm just focused on power and duration. If I hit the power target, it's a good day. We'll just wait and see where that goal gets me on the result sheet.
