We don’t often talk about things like confidence as part of our training. It can’t be purchased or measured and isn’t a metric we keep track of, but it does play a big part in how we go about executing against our training plan, which spills over into how we live our lives.
Think of the last time you were challenged with something different in your training. Maybe it was as simple as adding single leg squats to your strength routine. Maybe it was a drill at the pool that involved tying your ankles together. Maybe it’s deciding whether or not to do that training ride in the rain and wind. Or finding a running route when you are travelling and have to force yourself to go alone in an unfamiliar city.
Even experienced athletes can face moments of uncertainty when faced with these scenarios. The flow that comes from familiarity is replaced by the tightness of the unknown and rises in our consciousness in the form of a decision. Face the fear and do it anyway? Retreat and justify? Deal with it and grow?
Remember last time you skipped a workout, or bailed on a particularly difficult segment? Were you able to set that aside, accept your reasoning without second guessing that and let it go? Or is it sitting there as a reminder that you have to face this again, except now the shadow of it has grown larger and the decision more complicated?
This is where confidence comes in, and building it happens in many ways.
Facing the fear and doing it anyway comes with its own set of risks – ranging from very low (ok – you wobbled or sank a lot), to very high (compromising your personal safety). It’s a powerful way of building confidence and eradicating the need to make that choice again when faced with a similar scenario. Most athletes will choose this path (assuming the risk is low!) and have the stories to prove it.
The problem with retreat and justify – it sits inside you and grows. All the justification – tired, not safe, no time, potential for injury – doesn’t resolve whatever feelings come up alongside that retreat. They will present themselves the next time you are faced with making this choice again, and chip away at other parts of your psyche. Overcoming the urge to retreat and justify, however, is a meaningful confidence booster which becomes a deeply embedded resource to draw on.
Dealing with it and growing involves a more complex set of dynamics. Dealing could also mean backing down for reasons that are reasonable and justified (read: wise). The difference is, you feel good about the decision and it strengthens you for facing that choice again next time. Similarly, dealing with it by facing the fear and doing it anyway involves accepting the consequences of the risk, and learning from the outcome, good or bad. Either way, the end result is growth, which builds confidence.
Perhaps confidence is more like a muscle than we think. Until we become aware of it, acknowledge our weakness, and challenge it – we don’t know how strong and resilient it can become. Or how much it can positively affect us as it spills over into our everyday lives. Working to build your confidence will help you become a better athlete, take on and overcome new training challenges and goals, and will help make you stronger and more resilient in many aspects of life. Simple awareness of this will help you start working to build on this. Every workout you tackle and perform successfully will build on it. Keep this in mind as you head into your next week and next training block… and keep working on your building that confidence muscle!
