I've been entering MTB half-marathons for about 10 years now. When I started I was stoked to finish in the top 50%, but today I was stoked to finish in the top 4%. I've certainly stepped up the training over the years, but it's only the last 9 months that I feel like I've started learning how to "race". The real change started when I actually got some coaching - just one weekend (the Fling training weekend with Anthony Shippard and Kyle Ward), but for me it was the start of understanding racing vs riding in a race. Today I felt like I raced.