I raced again on Saturday... didn't feel great. Showed up after 3 hours sleep on Saturday morning for the sprint tournament. Did my typical warm-up and felt surprisingly ok. Did my jumps out of the saddle and that is when I started falling apart. I couldn't stand up without pain.
Poor Karl Erickson, friend from Colorado. He rolled up next to me and asked how I was doing. The first familiar face and I just lost it. Couldn't stop crying, went to the infield, he followed (I am sure he is wondering what the hell to do with this emotional female), and the morning went something like that. I was slower on my 200m then I was 2 years ago when I was almost brand new to the sport. ha! I decided to not beat myself up mentally by sitting in the sun all day (100+ degrees), dehydrating, and not getting a break before the night racing. So, I withdrew from the sprint tournament, went home to shower, eat, and nap.
I did manage to make it back that night for the rest of the racing and fun. Although I didn't feel great, it was fun to race and try to help out teammates. Hannan won the scratch and we were all so excited for her!
Notable mentions for the weekend- Jimmy Watkins is looking good! It will be fun to see how he does down in Mexico for the Pan American Champs in a couple weeks... I expect big things!
Sunday I ended up staying around town and racing a crit. Not a great performance out of me. Physically I wasn't all there still. Mentally, I was a big baby for some reason. I was on a borrowed bike (thanks Tim the best mechanic ever). I was glad to get in under my belt though. You can't get all crazy after crashing a couple times and racing on Sunday helped me get the nerves out. Shelley came in 3rd after a courageous performance and I ended up winning the field sprint.
Lesson to all cyclists... you crash, keep riding/racing. It really helps the healing and keeps the stiffness at minimum but also helps the mental part. But, keep the rubber side down!
1 comment:
Hey Cari
Man you've taken some hits this season! But I am impressed with your brutal honesty and willingness to put it aside and keep rolling. It does feel so much better getting back on the bike - this week was my first time since Tulsa - but my back ached so much I have to cut it back again. But mentally, whoa, really so helpful. I didn't realise how much fear had built up. Even still, the thought of riding out on the road petrifies me.
Sorry, am rambling. Keep it up and best of luck for the rest of summer. I'll be watching. Maybe even while on the trainer...
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