Setting Your Intentions: Training, Social Pressure, and the Power of a Pre-Ride Check-In

Ever had a ride or run that didn’t go as planned? Not because your legs gave out, but because your head did?
Maybe it was a group activity with friends that suddenly felt like a race. Or a training ride/run that left you feeling like you didn’t measure up. These are often the days when your fitness is fine, but your intention got lost somewhere between the parking lot and the first climb or fast effort. It is totally normal and happens to most of my athletes quite often. You are not alone.

When the Brain and the Body Compete

A friend recently joined a small group ride with me and he had to cut the ride short. As mentioned before, not because he was undertrained, but because of mental fatigue. Later he told me, “I think I might have showed up thinking about training goals and not cycling joy goals.”

I could relate.

There’s a physiological reason why that kind of mental fatigue can hit harder than expected: your brain and muscles compete for the same fuel—glucose. During endurance exercise, especially at moderate to high intensities, your body begins prioritizing glucose delivery to the working muscles. At the same time, your brain continues to demand a steady supply to support decision-making, emotional regulation, and focus.

When you're pushing physically and caught in an internal loop of overthinking—worrying about pace, comparing yourself to others, questioning your performance—your brain burns even more glucose. That cognitive load can lead to mental fatigue faster than you expect, even when your legs feel okay.

This tug-of-war over energy affects clarity, mood, and motivation. What might’ve been a fun, steady group ride suddenly feels overwhelming—not because your body can’t handle it, but because your mind is starved of the fuel it needs to stay calm and focused.

That’s why I like to say:

“When your muscles are fighting for fuel and your mind is tangled in self-reflection, clarity gets lost. That’s why intention is the real pre-ride/run warm-up.”

Coming into a ride with clear, positive intentions helps quiet the internal noise. It also reduces the mental cost of trying to do too many things at once.

Why Setting Intentions Matters

Not every ride needs to be a performance test. And not every group ride/run has to be social. But when you don’t decide ahead of time, your brain tries to do both… And that’s exhausting.

Sometimes the confusion is physical, not just mental:

• Want to put out more power? You might need more resistance (longer climbs, heavier gear, riding into the wind).

• Want to go faster? You may need less resistance (drafting, smoother terrain, lighter gear).

But here’s the kicker: power and speed don’t always align.
Trying to hit both in a group ride can leave you either off the back… or off-track.

So if you're riding or running for a training stimulus, you have to be intentional. You may need to hold your pace on a climb and let others go. You might need to skip the mid-run surge when your group picks it up. If you're there to enjoy the company and the flow, that’s valuable too, but give yourself permission to unplug from numbers and just be present.

The key isn’t choosing one over the other. It’s being clear with yourself. What’s the goal of this session? And are you willing to let go of distractions that don’t support it?

Try This: Pre-Activity Intention Check-In

Before you clip in or set off for your ride/run, ask yourself:

• What do I want to get out of this ride/run?

• Am I here to train, recover, socialize, or get fresh air?

• If I start comparing myself, what can I come back to?

• Do I need to let my riding partners know what I’m aiming for?

Saying your goal out loud helps too. Something like, “I’m gonna ride steady today. I’m just here to move, not rip legs off,” sets the tone and lets people support your plan instead of guessing it.

When It’s Not About Metrics

Sometimes, your best rides won’t show up as PRs or power numbers. They’ll show up as:

• A better night’s sleep

• A clear mind

• Or a moment when you chose kindness toward yourself over comparison

And that matters… A lot.

From a neuroscience perspective, when we successfully complete a challenging task that aligns with our intentions, the brain rewards us with dopamine. That’s not just about pleasure, but also reinforcement. It tells the brain: this was worth doing. It encourages repeat behavior, which is the foundation of building habits and sustainable progress.

But if you constantly finish rides feeling defeated, off-track, or like you "failed" some invisible test, your brain doesn’t get that reinforcement. Instead, it wires in stress, doubt, and avoidance. Over time, that drains motivation—even if your fitness is improving on paper.

That’s exactly why I built the Sustainable Training & Adaptability Cycle (STAC)—to help athletes create a long-term training rhythm that supports both physical development and mental well-being. STAC isn’t just about what’s on the calendar. It’s about building a training life that fuels you, not one that burns you out.

And that includes group rides and social efforts, too. If you approach those days with intention—knowing what you want to get out of the ride, what your body and brain need—you’re more likely to finish feeling aligned, not exhausted.

So yes, you might not set a PR on a ride where your goal was connection, or movement, or recovery. But you will strengthen the neural pathways that say: this activity supports me, and I want to keep doing it. That’s training with sustainability, and it pays off in more ways than metrics ever will.

Final Thought:

You don’t need to prove your worth with watts, pace, or finish-line photos. But you do need to honor your reason for showing up.

That reason might shift from day to day. Sometimes it’s fitness, sometimes connection, sometimes just moving your body and getting fresh air. What matters most is that you know what you’re here for, and that your ride or run reflects that.

This is the heart of the Sustainable Training & Adaptability Cycle (STAC): a flexible, values-driven approach to movement that keeps your training aligned with your life—not in conflict with it. Intentional efforts build momentum. Joyful efforts build sustainability. Together, they create a rhythm you can stick with for years.

When you show up with clarity, it’s easier to let go of unnecessary pressure, avoid the trap of comparison, and make space for the kind of growth that lasts.

Before your next ride or run, try asking:
What do I want from today?
Then give yourself permission to pursue that—and nothing more.