Quieting the Negative Chatter in Your Head

Ever find yourself trying to hang on at the back of a paceline for dear life, struggling to finish a crazy tough workout without puking, or even wondering how you'll make it across that finish line? It's those instances when the pesky voices start the negative chatter in your head.

On Monday nights I have computrainer class. This past Monday I showed up already both mentally and physically exhausted. I had ridden my new bike over the weekend for 76 cold, windy, hilly miles. Then my work day started with a 7am conference call and continued with back to back calls until 5pm. Finally I packed up my gear bag and bike to drive 40 minutes in rush hour traffic to train. I walked in and two people immediately commented how tired I looked. And those voices in my head started their negative chatter. I knew this was going to be a tough workout. In all my years doing Vision Quest, there never is an "easy" workout.

I knew I had to silence those voices and turn them into positive affirmations. Working out and training for all these years, I developed tricks and games to play in my head. Monday night was no exception.

So how do I quiet the negative chatter in my head?
- Remind myself of my ultimate goal or goals
- Think how good I will feel once I finish. Gotta love endorphins.
- Remember how great it feels to accomplish something I didn't think I could
- Knowing it will make me stronger and I'm stronger than I think I am

But Monday night as I warmed up on my bike and saw the workout up on the big screen the negative voices got louder. The 75 minute workout look unachievable considering how tired and sore I was. So I used those voices in my head and played a little game that I've developed over the years. I took the workout and broke it up into small achievable chunks. The first chunk was the warm-up. Anyone can ride their bike for 10 minutes. Right? Then the next chunk was the three VO2 max pops. And so on. I wont lie to you, it was brutal to get through, but I did it and survived.

Breaking up a workout or a race into smaller chunks is very similar to what I do for project management at work or day to day life. Looking at the big picture can be daunting and paralyzing at times. But seeing it in smaller pieces makes it manageable. This is actually how I made it through my very first century ride years ago. I just thought of it as four 25 mile rides. It worked!

Embrace the voices in your head. They do keep you company on a long ride, swim workout or even a race. But don't let the negative chatter defeat you. Turn it around and let it help you...bring you strength.

So what do you do to quiet the negative chatter in your head? Share your secrets. Medication is not an option here.

Enjoy the ride...and the chatter,
Sheri