How to I Race Without a Comfort Zone?
Motocross Racer:
I
am a veteran racer. I have been working out through the winter, I have a
brand new bike (06YZ450F) and was able to get some riding in by traveling
outside Alaska during our long winter. I have several old serious injuries.
I have metal in both legs and conditioning is a big factor. I usually get
excellent starts and do really well until 3/4 distance of the race. I have
trouble closing the races up. It is not uncommon for me to have 10-20 seconds
on second place early in the race. I then get into a comfort zone when
no one is "racing" with me and begin to fade until the pack catches
up with me. I then have to gather back strength to rise to the occasion so
to speak. Sometimes I hold them off, but usually one or two guys get by me
at the end. I won my championships by being very consistent but not dominating
with wins.
Dr. Cohn’s Answer:
It sounds like you are limiting yourself with a comfort zone in that when you get ahead of the pack, you might be too protective. A comfort zone is not good in my work – I have studied this extensively. I see this in all sports, not just racing. Your goal should be to lap the lapers. For example, attempt to focus on increasing the distance between your competitors and keeping consistent lap times.
Challenge yourself to improve your lap times as you get further into the race. The issue is that you become too protective (or complacent) when you are in the lead and have the attitude to stay ahead of the others behind you. This sounds good, but might make you more defensive and then make more mistakes in this mindset. It’s almost the opposite of arm pump where a racer is trying so hard.
I will say though that Carmichael wins championships because he is consistent, not because he wins every moto. So you have to decide is the championship is more important than winning races.