Neuroscience shows that you don’t have one performance state—you have two distinct brain operating systems:
Calm and controlled. Heart rate manageable, thinking flexible, full cognitive resources online. This is where you absorb technical feedback, execute complex drills, and build skill
Activated by competition or testing stress. Heart rate elevated, fight-or-flight systems engaged, attention narrowed. Complex thinking is offline, and only one or two thoughts can be held at once.
Most mental training is designed for Training Brain, then expected to work during Racing Brain, whether on the racecourse or in a high-stakes erg test. Biologically, that’s impossible.
When results don’t match ability, many athletes unconsciously build “protective explanations” around performance. This isn’t weakness, it’s the Racing Brain protecting identity.
“I didn’t sleep well,” “My technique feels off,” “This isn’t my best event.”
“The warm-up felt wrong,” “The erg monitor is glitchy,” “I can’t get my head right.”
“If we’d had more time,” “The conditions weren’t fair,” “I should have done it differently.”
Over time, this shifts identity from I can race or test well to I’m not built for this. The athletes who care most are often the ones most vulnerable, because Racing Brain works hardest to shield what matters most to them.
The first step is awareness, recognizing how the Racing Brain feels in the body and what thoughts it creates. The second step is commitment, choosing to stay engaged with the race or test instead of chasing escape routes.
Mindfulness plays a role here. It isn’t about forcing calm. It’s about noticing activation without judgment and returning focus to what matters: the next stroke, the next breath, the next commitment.
You can’t eliminate activation, and you can’t force calm on the starting line or during a 2k test. But you can train athletes to perform effectively within Racing Brain.
Racing Brain tools only work if the body is supported. Poor sleep, unstable blood sugar, or dehydration amplify activation and make focus almost impossible.
When these basics are ignored, no amount of mental skill training will fully hold. Physiology and psychology work together.
Like physiology, Racing Brain development follows a progression:
“Dr. Schary really helped me do well on my 2k. It gave me a way to break it down and not stress so much over it. Very reassuring and informational — it helped me realize my worries didn’t need so much precedence in my mind.”
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