Watching top end riders over the years shows me just how hard they can go with examples of being carried off bikes, struggling to walk and throwing up. I've never been able to do that and will always back off. Again I'm not going to destroy myself to get a PB and being able to function again quite quickly is very much key.
Also this. I enjoy riding my bike too much to excessively risk my ability to ride a bike for the sake of any particular bike ride.
I'm still trying to write this up a ride report blog post for my RatN attempt, and when I do it will elaborate on this further:
I have entered 3 races, and started 2 of them so far. My first race I was so naive I had no chance of anything. For the second race, I entered thinking I could finish, but expecting that I'd finish last. The quality of the other races it was a forgone conclusion, just a question of how far behind those of us in the bottom half would be. Then on day 4, as I'm struggling into the headwinds, as my knees are hurting, I get the news that the pre race favourite has scratched, and I'm up to 2nd. As the next day or so progresses it becomes clear that not only am I in second, but it's highly unlikely that 3rd can catch me. All I have to do to get 2nd is finish. Just another 800km or so to go. Get to the end, in the time limit. My knees were agony, and in the last 100km the Achilles on the left started to play up, with 60km to go, it was just agony. I found a position for my foot on the pedal that hurt the least, and didn't take it off the pedal for the final 30km. When I finished, I collapsed on the floor, pulled my shoes off, and asked for Ice, the Achilles was just total agony. I would go on to spend a few days hobbling about on a crutch to try and keep the weight off the left foot. I had to allow an extra 30 mins to get up the 2 floors of stairs to get to my physio appointment (the lift is broken). Had I not been in with a chance of a top 3 finish, I probably would have scratched at around 1200km mark. Got on a train, and gone to physio to get my wounds fixed. But knowing that all I had to do to get 2nd was Finish, I threw everything at it. It would cost me a lot in terms of recovery to get fully fit again, it was doubtful at one stage about whether I'd be able to start the TCR in July.
Slogging hard for so long wasn't especially fun, but I knew I could do it, I'd done it on multiple audaxes as part of my RrtY attempt. I know some say that RrtY just teaches you to go slow and faff. But it also teaches you to Just Keep Pedalling™. Yes it's cold, yes it's wet, yes you've had this headwind for the last 100km, but Just Keep Pedalling™, it will stop soon.
I'm rambling. IMHO, yes you can train your brain, but it's not easy.
J