Mental Toughness - Mental Strenght

After reviewing my 1st year of racing results and putting together my 2010 goals, this topic of mental strength has really hit home for me again and it has made its way into cycling for me. Those that know me, I used to play competitive division 3 college tennis in Wisconsin. I started playing tennis at age 12 and have spent countless hours on the tennis court competing, training and teaching. I remember those days of feeling frustrated, having anxiety days before a match, or consistently losing my focus during a match. Of course not all my tennis matches where this way. I had to learn how to get into the zone and control my breathing, eye contact, and thoughts as I played out the next point or hit the ball. Whatever it was, I had to stay in it, which is something that took practice to do. So how does one use mental toughness in cycling. My coach Madeline has given me her input and provided me with some useful tips. I have also found a good article that I'd like to share with all of you. In my opinion, its a well written article with a good perspective on what it takes to build and practice being mentally tough before, during and after a race. Double click on Mental Toughtness - Mental Strenght