The psychology of riding better with Prof. (in the making) Haley Smith

“Yes, 100 per cent.”

That was Haley Smith’s answer when I asked the pro rider and PhD candidate if you could train mental durability. We spoke recently, ahead of her upcoming talks in Montreal and Toronto (and later in Vancouver and Halifax). Those events, some of which include ride components, are part of her Competere project, an initiative to help women and girls grow into passionate cyclists. Competere stems from her academic work in sports psychology. If you’re keeping score, that’s one “social intervention” project, as she calls it, and one busy academic schedule. Also, don’t forget the still rides at an elite level. This year, she was fifth at the Traka 360 and second at Cape Epic with her riding partner Hayley Preen. That’s a full plate.

“It’s all synergistic,” Haley Smith said of the links between her racing and studies. “Those things are mutually beneficial. At times, it’s extremely overwhelming and my time is stretched way too thin. But I think that I have a greater understanding of my sport. I experience cycling with more texture than I ever have before because of school. I appreciate more elements of it. I’m less inclined to look at a win as the only way to be successful. I’m more inclined to look at other elements of a performance or of execution and feel fulfilled by them, which is really helpful in the long run.”

On the topic of training mental toughness, which is a significant component of my chat with Haley Smith on the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast, Smith has tips. She also has other pieces of advice that you can use so your head can help your legs achieve their best on the roads or trails. You can hear Smith’s advice on the pod, or jump to some of her tips presented below, which I’ve condensed and edited for clarity.

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Is mental durability something we can train?

Yes, 100 per cent. Your brain is the limiter. Your brain is what decides whether you keep going or you stop. Usually the alarm system comes on before there’s actually a physical reason to back off or to stop. And you can become habituated mentally to pretty much any stimulus.

That’s essentially what you’re doing when you’re training durability. You’re habituating yourself to the pain, the discomfort, the fear, the anxiety—whatever it is—and you’re learning how to exist with it. We deliberately train that in intervals. You…