Team camp represented the final turn of the page from the 2011 season to that of 2012. So naturally Heybuckshot wanted a "get real" interview to sum up my first year pro for the Manual For Speed. They asked what I learned the most, what I would tell an aspiring pro, what to warn about... maybe cutting away some of the delusions of the common amateur racer. Although I'll leave it up to them to share my top answer, here are the next 3 little pigs that I'm using to build my house for 2012.
#1: Stay updated on the Manual For Speed for the answer!
#2: This is a hard profession. If you don't (1) absolutely love riding your bike - like I mean get chills down your spine every time you think about attacking on a hill or sprinting out of a leadout train or riding down new foreign roads on a sunset-sprayed descent with your best riding buddies - (2) love meeting and becoming friends with everyone you meet and making their day better and (3) doing only the things that directly benefit your team, remain an amateur racer and enjoy a balanced life.
#3: Sometimes things go wrong. Like really wrong. Like missing your flight when you are alone in a foreign country and you lose your luggage. Don't stress, pretend you are in the forest and have broken your ankle. Just take a moment and think before you act. It worked for me and I made it to my destination. Plus...DELTA ACTUALLY WILL PAY YOU BACK FOR LOSING YOUR BAGS..WHO KNEW!
#4: Because I travel so often, there are few things that I can safely say are consistent in my life. You must find consistency...the body and mind thrive on routine. It can be small, but it must be something. Some professionals travel with their own coffee press; others take their laptop for consistent blogging (writing is a powerful stress-reliever); for me I enjoy writing down my morning sensations each day. I think of it as my work, because no matter what happens for the rest of the day I know that I have self-evaluated my situation at least once - checked in with my body and mind; This quick checkup opens the door for internal discussion as to how best to maximize my situation for peak performance in the coming days and weeks. An example:...if today's weather is untrainable, enjoy your day and rest guilt-free; stretch, massage and do those things that you don't have time for during a double-session training day like cook or go to a movie, cause you never know when you'll get another 'vacation' day.
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