To Race or Not to Race

Home again, right back into the grind.

I am thankful that I can come home to a job where I still get to be involved in the cycling industry, somehow through all the ups and downs at work over the last year, I still love bikes. It is so great to get somebody on their first bike, or to help them choose which bike to upgrade into, I just consider it such a worthy investment! I have already seen a bike change so many people's lives, including my own.

So I had planned my first race on March 3 in the local Spring Series but on my last day of riding out in Solvang I felt a change in heart and make a change in plans into a training plan that would be more effective long term for my racing goals. I decided that I would not ride the first race of the spring series, but rather head out and watch it to see what it is all about. From there I will target a few races, to race, and start to build my body up to target a specific race in Washington I would like to get to. The race in WA is a 3 days stage race and it is a women's race which is what I am looking for. Racing and training with men here, has it's benefits, but women's racing has such a different strategy altogether and I need to put my time into learning what that is all about.

Maybe it was God's way of confirming my decision but on the last day in Solvang I had a slight pull in my quad during a few sprint drills and that ended that ride early as we lightly spun home. The pull is not too bad, just enough that I need to take a few days off which puts me out for a March 3 race anyways and if I didn't have this injury, most likely I wouldn't take needed rest and I may even have tried to race, despite my decision. I really need to keep focused on my overall training plan.

So I am home, back to the rollers and cold rainy weather, trying to keep a good attitude about all of it and by Sunday i'll be able to layer up and get out for a nice ride.