Mental focus

Everyone makes mistakes, but it's important to learn from them - this forum is for stories of things that went wrong, and what you learned from the experience
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NevadaWolf
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Mental focus

Postby NevadaWolf » Sun Nov 15, 2015 7:53 am

Ok, need to get this forum started so I'll post up one of my goofs. Figured I'd start with one that I don't see mentioned often.

Background: I ride Iron Butt rides, meaning long long distances in short amounts of time. Beyond safety, one of the key aspects is time management and being able to optimize time when on and off the bike. Towards this, having a set routine for me is key to maintaining focus.

Story: At the start of my third IBA ride, the morning started out cold, cloudy, and drizzly. My Dad was with me to see me off and be moral support for me. I was hyped up and excited to go. I hurried through my pre start checklist and quickly pushed my bike to the gas pump. I didn't pay attention and parked too close to easily move to deal with the payment screen. My Dad took my card to help and reached behind me, while I fumbled with the tank bag and gas cap. He handed me the nozzle, I filled up, handed it back, and he dealt with the receipt while I tried getting everything back in place. He reached around to hand me the receipt - vital for the start of the ride - and the wind blew it out of my glove. We chased it across the lot and finally caught it. Winded for the weight of my gear, I got back to the bike, got the stuff out away, said farewell, and rode off. 200 miles later I cancelled the ride, upset, angry, and frustrated.

What went wrong: I was too hyped and unfocused. I rushed through my preflight and jumped into getting to the gas pump instead of slowing down and calmly verifying everything was ready and worked. I hurried to pull up beside the pump and put myself in a bad position instead of walking over and parking in such a way that I could move easily between the bike and pump. I let my Dad help (I do love him dearly), that disrupted the routine and left me feeling flustered on what to do next since half my steps involved working with the pump. Since I was interrupted, I didn't remove my gloves, resulting in the receipt getting blown away. The chase left me overheated, out of breath, and annoyed with myself for having such a bad start. Despite this, I pushed through, and began riding. I shortly discovered the heated jacket wasn't plugged in and my bluetooth connection wasn't paired correctly. I was now cold, tired, and angry at my own stupidity. Four hours later, at my second gas stop, I had been stewing in my own bad mental cloud and realized as I sat down in an angry huff that I was not enjoying the ride and it was only getting worse. I stopped for my own safety and sanity, and sat in the park for about two hours letting the anger and frustration subside before returning home.

What I learned: Slow down! I have all the time in the world before I turn that key to get my bike, my gear, my stuff, and most importantly myself ready to ride. Am I calm? Am I focused? Am I comfortable? Am I mentally and physically ready? I no longer even move towards the bike until these are all yes. A recent ride was delayed an hour because I was enjoying the company I had for a road side breakfast and it just wasn't important enough for me to leave right then. Slow down! I check everything and really look instead of glance. Is the GPS on? Is the phone paired with the headset? Is the jacket cable accessible? Have I done a walk around to check T-CLOCK? Is my luggage secure? And then again, am I calm? Am I ready? Slow down!

So much is said about the bike; how to ride, when to ride, where to ride. But as the rider, we need far more attention before we even swing a leg over. Ask yourself constantly are you okay to ride and give yourself permission to stop if that answer is ever no.

My routine for the start of a ride now includes, just before I pull out of the driveway, a moment of silence as I ask myself that question one more time. Am I calm? Am I ready?
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VStar
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Re: Mental focus

Postby VStar » Sun Nov 15, 2015 1:03 pm

NWolf, you were smarter than the average bear to know it was time to call it quits. I think riding is equal parts mental and physical, I'm never on autopilot when riding. Just for our day trips, I have a basic routine, I get ready in stages, do a bit of 'me' grooming, then a bit of 'bike' grooming, when the dogs go out for the last time, I start the bike to warm it up, and about 15 minutes later, I'm on the road. That's just for my local jaunt, not for the rules regulated marathon an IB requires, your's must be pretty intense.

Did you get to complete the Iron Butt challenge, later? Where did you go?
I've been there before. Can I get there, again?
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Dualsport Chic
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Re: Mental focus

Postby Dualsport Chic » Sun Nov 15, 2015 2:08 pm

What a great thread NW. I have far too often rushed in my routine and it nearly cost me and/or my bike injury.

As I now prepare for my first IBA ride next Spring, I will take your advice to heart and be sure to be calm and ready before emabarking!

Thank you for the great tidbits of wisdom.

My best,

DC
Northeast Dualsport Riders

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NevadaWolf
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Re: Mental focus

Postby NevadaWolf » Sun Nov 15, 2015 5:49 pm

Oh I take all lessons learned from my IBA rides and apply them to my regular local rides. No use learning lessons to only apply them to certain situations. That's why I love track days and taking lessons there to the streets, especially being more confident and stable in corners.

As far as did I complete it, yes. That specific ride was my first attempt at a BunBurner Gold (1500 miles in 24 hours) which I finally did complete this September. In between I did many 1000 mile days throughout the West, a few 1500 mile weekends in Nevada, and two cross country rides.
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Scooterpie
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Re: Mental focus

Postby Scooterpie » Sun Nov 15, 2015 8:40 pm

Mental focus is a riders best tool, it keeps you alive. Best part is you knew when to call it quits.

I am going to do an IBA ride next year.
4 wheels move the body, but 2 wheels move the soul!
My bike: Honda 2012 NC700S 'The Duchess'
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CountryCruzr
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Re: Mental focus

Postby CountryCruzr » Mon Nov 16, 2015 1:01 pm

Thanks for posting this NevedaWolf! Very good points made.
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FastLizard4
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Re: Mental focus

Postby FastLizard4 » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:51 pm

I think the biggest takeaway from this for anyone is that one should always do a self-check and evaluation every time before getting on the bike, Before starting the engine, pause for a moment and make sure you have everything, that you feel up to it, even small things like are you seated correctly. Even small distractions can cause big problems on the road. One of the distractions that gets me periodically is that I like to check my pockets before starting up, to make sure everything's zipepd up and I'm not going to lose my wallet on the road or something. But sometimes, when I'm riding in a group and everyone is mounting up in a hurry, I forget to do this, and it just causes an irrational (and distracting) nagging feeling until I have a chance to check.

For a sport that emphasizes speed so much, perhaps one of the greatest skills is knowing when to slow down and pause, and to have the courage to say "Stop!" to yourself when need be.
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