#WinningWednesdays Back Issue E-Book Sample. Sample book created exclusively for readers of

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1 Sample book created exclusively for readers of #WinningWednesdays Back Issue E-Book Sample

On May 9th, 2014, moments before the Papendal Supercross webcast went live, Mike Day and

routine for hundreds of BMXers around the world.

2 On May 9th, 2014, moments before the Papendal Supercross webcast went live, Mike Day and Donny Robinson flipped the switch and welcomed the public to their first website, Pedals2Medals.com. The following Wednesday, May 14th, they sent out their first #WinningWednesdays tip of the week. Since then, their weekly has grown to be a hotly anticipated part of the mid-week routine for hundreds of BMXers around the world. This PDF contains the first 22 editions bundled together in one place for your convenience and on-going reference. If you are not yet a subscriber to #WinningWednesdays, Mike and Donny invite you subscribe now for free at, it s free. Mike Day and Donny Robinson Co-Founders, Pedals 2 Medals

3 Table Of Contents Week Plan to Succeed... 4 Week Bike Set-Up... 5 Week Mike s Pre-Gate Routine... 6 Week Donny s Race Weekend Nutrition... 7 Week Putting a Bad Race Weekend Behind You... 9 Week Roll Your Own Rollout Calculation Week Pressure is the Same at Every Level Week Parent-As-Coach: A Primer Week Rock the Rhythm Section Week Pull the Trigger, or Pull the Plug? Week Set Up Right for a Great Gate Start Week Turning Up Your Game in Turns Week Great Timing on Gate Timing Week Sleep On It Week Tips to Train for the Best and Plan for the Worst Week Jump On It Week Take the Hint: Do Those Box Sprints Week Train Yourself to Go the Distance Week Sprints, Part II: Dig In to Downhills Week Live from Japan Week Set Up Your Mental Game Week How Coachable Are You?... 38

4 Week Mike s Pre-Gate Routine So much of the race is decided before the gate drops. First, it s about what s happening in your head. Then, getting the perfect gate, on your way to a great lap. By the way, the two are forever connected. In the third #WinningWednesdays tip of the week, Mike Day gives you a look inside the time-tested routine he follows just before getting in the gate. When preparing for a race, it is essential that you take a moment and think about your prerace state of mind. Do you remember what was going through your mind moments before the gate dropped? Are you worried about who is next to you or annoyed that you had gate 8 all weekend? Did you psych yourself out or pump yourself up? As an athlete with years of experience, I can tell you that the short moments before the gate drops can seriously make or break your lap! I will let you in on a little secret. You can be as strong and prepared as anyone on the gate, but if you don t have a good mental outlook you will most likely fail. Those are the hardest moments, and being able to develop a pre-gate routine is essential to success. Use the time before lining up behind the gate in a way that will benefit you without letting nerves take over. Here is a look into my pre-gate routine in three easy steps: First, I close my eyes and imagine the perfect lap; starting at the gate to the first turn, through the rhythm section, and then sprinting to the line. I would think about everything it was going to take for me to have the best lap possible--every detail, as vividly as possible. Second: I repeat a mantra, of sorts that has always calmed me down, then pumped me up: relax, ready, holeshot! over and over again. Third: I clap my hands hard a few times. Then I know it s go time. Sure, there are times I didn t have my best lap or I didn t holeshot, but having a pre-gate routine calms my nerves because it s familiar and helps me get in a good mental frame of mind before gate drops. Next time you re at the track, start by thinking about what your perfect lap looks like and how you want your pre-gate routine to be. Then stick with it every time you race. It will become one of those consistent prep-points that will get you in the best frame of mind before the gate drops! Mike Day

Week 008 - Parent-As-Coach: A Primer By Donny Robinson Listen up, parents! Get down and give me five...minutes! It s time for some coaching for the parental BMX coach.

5 Week Parent-As-Coach: A Primer By Donny Robinson Listen up, parents! Get down and give me five...minutes! It s time for some coaching for the parental BMX coach. Please, gather your kids around, because they ve earned the right to see that maybe you ve been a little heavy-handed in your coaching approach. Or, perhaps, they might just see that I approve of how you ve helped encourage and shape them as BMX Racers. I m not a parent yet, but I have witnessed thousands of BMX parents interacting with their kids during practice and national events. It s quite possible, being such a fierce competitor myself, that, for a moment, I may eventually push my kids (in whatever they do) with the same ferocity that I ve pushed myself in my own professional career. However, I can only hope that I offer direction to my kid(s) just as my parents did for me. First off, if you ve never put on a helmet and took a lap around a BMX track, DO IT! Before you ever push your rider to do that extra full lap at the end of training, experience it for yourself; it s far more difficult than you can ever imagine. And as you struggle for the ability to breathe after only ONE LAP, not only will you know what your kid goes through, but you will also show your rider that you re invested in being a team, not simply shouting from the sidelines, and making not-soindirect statements in the car on the drive home. Attention all kids! Listen closely My parents were right! It s hard to admit, but I want to save you time, energy and pride. Over the course of my life, my parents have been right far more than they ve been wrong. Do yourself a favor and try listening to those who have more life experience than you. They really do want the best for you and suggest and urge you on for your benefit. But, parents, your kids are NOT you! Don t try and shove them into something they don t want. There is a difference in realizing your kids potential and going overboard in attempts to force what isn t there (or isn t there yet). I will only speak to the BMXer / parent relationship, so as to not cross any beyond-bmx lines. Not all kids want to be Olympians or NAG riders. That s OK. Heck, maybe they ll end up liking BMX Freestyle better or another sport / hobby entirely. However, if your kids show interest in racing BMX competitively, then allow them all the resources they need to achieve their goals. continued on next page

6 Week Parent-As-Coach: A Primer (continued) - You are their coach. Push them. If they say they want to succeed, then show them what kind of time and energy they will need to invest. This is a discussion best had away from race day, or the ride home from a not-so-good showing at the track. If they re not interested, leave it be for a while; pushing more will do no good. My dad let me dictate where my path was headed, but was there with me to train every day I wanted. - Talk. Before, during and after training. Tell them what they re doing right and wrong and what things may help them. They may not listen, but they will hear you. And, after everything else they try fails, they ll come back to your suggestions. Don t use an I told you so tone, as that will likely cause a rebellious response, even in the youngest rider. - Don t bother them after a bad race. Give them space. Some may only need five minutes, but I sometimes need five days to recover (to this day). We re competitors and hate to lose, so we will punish ourselves for the mistakes we make. They know how it went, and don t need reminding of it. They ll come to you when they re ready. Then you can tell them how they can improve. - Stop yelling at them when they re on the track. They can t hear you anyway, and it can tend to be embarrassing. (Cheering is encouraged, of course, if only for your purposes). - Be visable. Even though we re individuals on the track, we like to know where you are and that you re watching. Remember: it s this unconditional support system that will carry them through the ups and downs. My parents are the reason I stayed with, and excelled, in BMX Racing. More importantly, how they raised me, and brought me through my BMX journey has allowed me to grow up to be the person I am today. It cannot be understated that this time, win or lose, will be a tie that binds your family together forever. This little kid bike can take us all a lot further than any of us ever imagined. Photo on previous page (clockwise from left): After the 1993 ABA Grands (first grands win-10 cruiser) with my mom & dad; On Powerlite, rockin the #1 plate; On the medal stand in Beijing--the highest of high points for any BMXer; last weekend in Rockford, IL (dig the new SE / Pedals 2 Medals kit).

7 Week Rock the Rhythm Section By Mike Day What straightaway on the track do you feel is most important? The first one? Yes, the first straightaway is always the most important, which is why you see so many top racers practicing gates. However, I spend just as much time practicing the rhythm section as I do gates. I feel that if I have a bad start or something happens in the race, the rhythm section is the straightaway I can make up the most time, and hopefully get into a qualifying spot. Here are a few things that I do to practice this straightaway. First, I always practice pumping through the rhythm section. I would come in real slow and push my way through, coming out with a ton of speed. This helps me get used to the section without going through it at full race speed. Every section is different so pumping and getting used to it is key to not getting in over your head and wrecking on the first laps out. Pump through it four or five times, times until you feel comfortable enough to start hitting it at speed into the straight with a little more speed. Second, I look at it and pick five different lines through the section and practice each of them. All won t end up being the fastest way through, but in practice I work on everything. You never know when that line you worked on will come in handy at another track. A mix of everything to work on from pumping, manuals, jumping and then when you get more advanced you can learn double manuals and jumping and land into a manual. The lines in these sections are endless so be creative when you pick your five to practice, then keep changing them each time you come back to the track. The reason I always practice so many different lines is so, if I find myself out of position in a race, or if there is traffic where I want to be, I instantly have a plan B (and C, D, E, etc.) because I practiced everything. Lastly, I always look at the turn before the rhythm section and make a mental map of the best line that will allow me to come out with the most speed. I usually do this for every turn, but the turn before this section it most important, because it dictates your entrance speed. Your entrance speed is very important if you are coming from behind, so look close at the corner beforehand and pick a good line. Once the site is finished, we will have more on rhythm section technique in several of the video modules, but these are the things I look at when I practice a rhythm section. When you get good on this kind of straightway, it will help you on every part of the track. Plus, you ll find you are much more prepared to come from behind, if you find yourself there. So hit the track, be creative and have some fun! Mike

Week 022 - How Coachable Are You? By Donny Robinson If you re reading this, it s likely you re interested in improving your BMX racing skills.

8 Week How Coachable Are You? By Donny Robinson If you re reading this, it s likely you re interested in improving your BMX racing skills. The tips Mike and I have been putting out for the past 22 weeks are all real-world experiences from our journey through the sport. And, in reading those tips, then applying them, making the effort to improve, you have proven you can be coached. Being coached is not always easy. It means setting-aside your own thoughts and feelings of how something should be done, and listening to someone else. Listening to a coach takes trust--both in your coach, and in yourself. BMXers are usually fiercely-independent, so it may feel a little unnatural at first. The bottom line: we can all benefit from being more coachable. Pedals 2 Medals is a Virtual BMX Coaching service. This week, we launched our first product: Personal Video Critique. The service opens up a way for you to upload a video and get fast feedback direct from Mike or myself on whatever part of your BMX game you feel you could use some coaching. Check out the link at the bottom of this message for more info. Launching the Video Critique got us thinking about the topic of being coachable, since it s important that when a client invests in a critique they actually follow the advice. Whether you are being coached by your parent, a professional coach or a virtual coach, here are four key tips to be more coachable and get the most out of the advice. Start. Now. On anything: We ve talked before about having a plan and executing it. Often times (and I do this myself) we get so caught up in trying to create the perfect plan that it never gets off the ground. We do this for a variety of reasons, ranging from the desire to never be wrong, to not wanting to put work in on something that is not perfectly-planned, and sometimes a procrastination move when we see all the hard work that lies ahead. If you want results, pull the trigger on something. Today. The next step will be revealed once you get going. Your willingness to jump right in and get started today makes you more coachable than all the gonna-doers out there. continued on next page

9 Week How Coachable Are You? (continued) Give Feedback. When your team (coach / parent, etc.) asks you for input, give it to them. For us to get the most out of our work, we need to be at our best. Meaning, if we are fatigued, if we didn t sleep well or if our nutrition has been off, future training and performance results will be affected, so speak up and don t try to tough guy (or girl) the workload that s put in front of you. Don t take the easy way out either, of course, but the important part to this point is: speak up, and give your coach some honest feedback on what s happening for you. Your real feelings and opinions prevent time from being wasted. When time is being used efficiently, more productivity takes place. Act like it means something. If your goal is to improve your racing, then every time you step out on the track or the training grounds, you have an opportunity to be better. When you re already at the track, or already at the gym, the hard part is done. Give 100% effort to the task, every time, lest you waste the time of those working to help you. Making it count tells your coach you re committed, and ready to dig deeper on your way to the best possible results. Attitude adjustment. Do you think you ll become a success overnight? That s a serious question, and one I often struggle with. I think if I do my physical and mental training, I will win. But if I don t win, I feel like a failure. I m not looking far enough ahead. Your attitude in this moment (whether winning or losing) will effect your next move, day and week. If you ve made the commitment to put the work in to become a better racer, then believe in that process. Know that Rome wasn t built in a day. Attitude is everything. Someone stinking up the place with a negative or defeatist attitude is not coachable. Open your mind, and open up the possibilities. Become more coachable so that you can become more successful. Donny

10 Cover Photos: Mike Carruth (front); Cameron Stow (back) Join #WinningWednesdays for Free at

Episode 12: How to Squash The Video Jitters! Subscribe to the podcast here.

Episode 12: How to Squash The Video Jitters! Subscribe to the podcast here. Hey everybody. Welcome to Episode #12 of my podcast where I am going to help you shake off those annoying, pesky little jitters