Mental Conditioning

[playinatwork2]

I read all of the posts about the physical activity and I wanted some of you guys opinion that have done this extensively on the mental side.  I just finished a 2 day ride. I covered 1482 miles and had 26 stops. 24 were for the BMR and fuel while 2 were for important business meetings. I've only owned the bike for a week and had some issues with it before leaving, so the stress level was increased from that and the meetings. I caught myself making some simple mistakes by the end of last night. I rode off with the kickstand down once and forgot to fasten my helmet once. Simple mistakes but it was an indicator that I wasn't at full capacity. By the time I made it home I was not at full capacity mentally I know. How do you train your brain?

[Justin]

I dunno if this answers your questions - but when I set out for a LD ride or Rally, I set my goals in an easily accomplished manner.

For example, when I do a rally, I'll set my goals in this order: Be safe, Have Fun, Finish, Win - so I almost always accomplish at least 3 of my goals. As to general mental conditioning, I don't do anything for "training". You just need to be able to get in the "zone". I think a lot of the mental aspect has to do with good planning, covering your bases, and having backup plans.

[playinatwork2]

I think the meetings and the lack of preparation with the bike had a lot to do with it. I had the Sprint fully prepped and traded it for this bike that needs some TLC at the last minute.   I didn't have the GPS I planned or my heated gear that I planned on originally. Well it's not an adventure if everything goes according to plan anyway.  Little mistakes can lead to big consequences and I didn't really adjust well it seems. I just got lucky. So it's all about the prep work then?

I would like to hear what D-Mac did preparing for the IBR mentally.  The magnitude of that brain drain is amazing to me.

[Bounce]

WRT the IBR:

The mental game was what threw me the most off. With each checkpoint leaving out at a different time, my internal 24 hour spans got all whack-a-doodle. The start kicked off at something like 9am. Checkpoint 2 had us in the leaving with our tally packs at around 2am. And so on. I spent a LOT of time kicking myself for not being able to stitch together multiple "long" days with things like hitting the wall at 10 one day when m-f-er that was only 2 hours. In reality the new "day" was 2am-2am and a power nap at midnight on the last leg clearly wasn't still working at 10am.

I'm not sure if that's clear or not, but I was still thinking that 10am was only barely into "the day" when it was well past the half way point on a multi-day run on the last leg.

I spent way too much time kicking myself around for basic shit that wasn't reflecting reality. As a result, I was running off memory instead of my notes, ran right past my planned exit in Billings, to drop down, pick up a bonus, and come back up through Bozeman. I didn't realize this until Bozeman (that a long way). I kicked myself (more) bagged it, and headed on. Instead of kicking myself (yet again) I should have pulled out a map and looked. It would have shown that down and back from Bozeman was actually fewer miles. The only reason for the original plan was to avoid back tracking. As it was I dropped enough points to move up a spot.

But then there were several of those. Looking back, I'd have spent time at each rest bonus reviewing the rally pack to see what might then be possible based on how reality changed "the plan". The clock's ticking, sure. But there's time to look at the rally pack when things don't go as planned.

This, of course, was before data-comm link to teams with banks of computers and a regular nights rest.

The shorter the rally, the more it becomes a sprint where a single mistake can be nearly impossible to recover.

And this is also coming from someone without a ever a podium finish. 24 hour rallies, strong upper 3rd. IBR a finish above some with more experience. But a finish when only 18 months post vertebral fusion (C5, C6, C7).

[D-Mac]

I'd say that LD riding is mostly a mental exercise.

My biggest challenge on long rides is trying to keep myself from looking too far ahead, or beating myself up for past mistakes. When I get tired, even the most minor mistakes seem worse than they are, and I'm more likely to make stupid mistakes too.

I try to remind myself of a few things.

(1) It's just a GAME. If I'm not having fun (at some level) or being safe, then I have to stop. Related to that, I try and think about how good a story the current situation will make later. That usually makes me laugh at the absurdity of whatever situation I'm in and I instantly relax a bit.

(2) Rest when needed. If I'm starting to 'zone out' I stop at the next exit and take a 10-minute break. During that stop, I either get gas (if I'm at 1/2 tank or below), or I eat something. After that, I try not to remove my helmet - I just lie down somewhere and close my eyes for a few minutes.  It's AMAZING how much longer I can ride with regular breaks. I also know the point at which I need to stop for the night and what times of day I tend to need more rest.

(3) Plan rewards. I often motivate myself by rewarding a good ride with hot food or a nicer place to sleep for a few hours. I once planned the last hour of a route so that I could end up at a Sonic drive-in on the Louisiana/Arkansas border (IBR Leg 3). I visualized a foot-long hot dog for about 3 hours before I got there. Damn it tasted good. I ate it and fell asleep on the floor of a flea-bag motel lobby - still in full gear! I've also used promises to myself about comfortable beds and hot showers too. After Leg 1 of the IBR, when I slept in some of the scariest rooms I'd ever seen, I decided that I would stop caring about the cost of hotels on Leg 2. I managed to hit a string of Holiday Inn Express hotels on the East coast - to the point that I would use the appearance of one after 10pm as my excuse to stop for the night. I never managed to stay long enough to eat the free breakfast, and given the short time I stayed in them I think I spent an average of $50 per HOUR.  

(4) Talk it out. I talk to myself a LOT on long rides. I don't mean thinking to myself, but actually talking. I never do this at any other time. I'm not sure it helps, but I think it does. If I think it's getting too weird, I stop and phone someone.  

(5) Keep to a routine. One of my biggest IBR mistakes was leaving at midnight to start Leg 3. I hadn't slept enough at the Florida checkpoint, and I was used to setting off at 4-5am, but I was too excited to get riding when they turned us loose at midnight. Bad idea. It rained, there were too many deer, and I 'hit the 'wall' by the time I reached Alabama. I spent several hours during the night stopping far too often to rest my head on the tankbag for 5-10 min. Other riders seem to have made the same mistake, because I ran into several people at rest stops who were doing the same thing and complained about it as much as I did. The next day I had trouble recovering from the sleep deficit, and I ended up spending a few hours in a fleabag motel sitting out the heat and waiting for a storm to pass. I never did sleep, and I got tired of waiting for the storm (turns out I was so tired I miscalculated how it was moving), so after wasting more time I checked out and ended up hitting the storm dead-on. Classic example of how one strategic mistake led to several other bad decisions. On IBA rides I've made similar mistakes - the biggest was ignoring weather reports during a BB1500 and riding through heavy rain for 25 of my 30 hours on one trip.

I had a few major 'freak out' moments on the IBR. In each case, I was able to remember what my plan was for dealing with them.....mainly to stay calm, accept the situation, and move forward. One such moment came when I overslept on Leg 2 and had to toss out two biggest bonuses I'd planned to hit that day (up to that point I was starting to think that I might shoot for a Top 20 finish). For about 2 minutes I literally ran around my hotel room, packing, eating granola bars, swearing, chugging Propel, and frantically trying to sort through my maps.  My heart-rate sky-rocketed. Then I sat down, forced myself to laugh, told myself I must have needed the extra sleep (oversleeping two alarms and a wake-up call). I calmly packed up and forced myself to just "let it go." For once, it worked. The day ended up being great.

Another moment came when I was in the Arizona dessert. The wind and dust were so bad at one point I could only ride at about 25mph, and even that was nearly impossible. So I pulled over at a gift shop, looked at tourist crap for a few minutes, and slowly started riding again. It helped. Then there was the electrical problem in Nebraska.....getting lost and nearly freezing in Montana......and the worst storm I've ever been caught in (Mississippi/Alabama border). So many memories! I also pushed myself too far and rode all the way to my home on Day 4 to sleep in my own bed. Everything they say about not stopping at home during a rally is TOTALLY TRUE - I nearly quit the next morning when I had to leave early in a rainstorm. I was also exhausted. If I'd woken up my kids to say 'hi' before I left, there's no way I could have continued.

I must have said "F**K ME" out loud about 100,000 times during the IBR - mostly while riding through Nebraska and Texas.

All this reminds me that I never did post Leg 3 of my IBR ride. I gotta do that sometime . I wrote it up 16 months ago...it's on a computer somewhere around here.  

[Bounce]

I kept thinking about all the stories about NOT going home during the IBR as I rode from Amarillo through the DFW area, and on to Tyler before stopping for a sit down meal (of which i only ate the veggies). It was drizzling more of the time and I kept telling myself not to go home.

Meanwhile I passed up a 350 point bonus (Kneebone's old bike) that was just spitting distance of my route because I was too focused on the above and a SNAFU of camera equipment the night before that forced me to reroute in a way that put me through DFW. Again, failing to revisit the rally pack with those changes.

I was so pissed that I didn't even know about the above 350 miss until at least 6 months later. It took me that long to dare review the rally bonuses to see what I might have done differently.

Bottom line? First IBR. I finished. I came home safely. I had a ball. And I was able to even ride at all after the vertebral fusion; much less FINISH with a group of people smaller than those who have climbed Everest.

[Canuck]

I have never attempted the IBR, but I have done a couple of Iron Butt runs. Like others have said planning helps a lot, and rest when you need it is crucial. I just look for anyplace a bit quiet where I can lie down for 10 or 15 minutes and close my eyes when I get tired, even if it's a half mile down a gravel road and I just lie in the ditch for a bit. Picnic tables are best though. I always set the alarm on my cell phone to wake me up after 15 minutes. Sometimes I'll nap, but even when I don't I feel a lot better afterwards. The two other important things are hydration and nutrition. I put a small cooler in my topcase and put in lots of pre-cut veggies and easy protein snacks like nuts and dried meats. Eat protein/veggie snacks every 2 or 3 hours. A Camelback or similar water carrying pack that lets you drink while riding works the best for hydration, especially in hot weather. I find that more frequent small drinks of water also allows you to go longer before needing a bathroom break. Last, be prepared for the weather regardless of heat, cold or rain.

None of this sounds like mental conditioning, but it all helps to keep your cognitive functions functioning.

[Kankujoe]

Great thread! Good information... I'm just getting into LD rides with imposed time limits. I've done many LD rides & distance touring but only recently am I beginning IB type rides with imposed time constraints. Most of my riding has been casual touring, long distance but at a casual pace. I just finished my first official IBA National Parks Tour. In April I intend to do the Moonshine SS1000 & a possibly another personal SS1000.

I've been reading Ron Ayres' & Joel Rappoport's books on Iron Butt rides.

Thanks for posting info on things that help prior & during these type of rides.