Finally there was a race at my 'home track' where I've been riding for the last year and a half. This was the first race I ever took part in and just decided to do it for fun. I guess you'd call it an XC race but I'm not sure about that..
The race was 3 laps of a very technical track that I am quite familiar of. In total about 16 km and it took about an hour for most people to finish. I didn't really know what to expect but I knew that I usually do 2 laps after work quite often and occasionally 3 laps on weekends on this track so I knew it wouldn't be too tough for me. What I didn't think was that this time I was riding in the middle of the day when I normally ride in the late afternoon. Here in the tropics it makes a huge difference temperaturewise and I was knackered and dehydrated when I finished.
I went off the track and crashed after the first 5 minutes into the race and ended up exhausting myself trying to catch up with the group after the mistake. I didn't finish last and I was just happy to finish the race as some other competitors didn't make it in the heat. It was my first race and I chose the open class instead of beginners class so overall I was happy to finish the race and went home with a smile on my face.
For some reason it took me a whole week to get back on my bike after the race (I normally ride 3 or 4 times a week) and I didn't enjoy it. I can't say what it was that made me feel that way as previously I've been completely obsessed. I just did fee km's and went back home.
It took another 2 weeks to try again, partly due to weather but also because I just didn't feel like it. This time I remembered how I felt last time and was worried that I wouldn't enjoy riding this time either. I started pedaling and completely forgot what I had been worrying before and after 2 minutes i to the track caught myself smiling riding the familiar track. It was a huge relief to enjoy the riding again.
My motivation is back now and I can't wait to go riding again tomorrow if the weather is ok. I am just wondering why I had that 3 week period when I was fed up with riding and have you guys ever struggled similar way? Maybe I OD'd a bit while training for the race? I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed in my result as I only wanted to finish my first race so I don't think that put me off.
If you've experienced something like this do you force yourself back to the saddle or just wait until it feels good again?
I would appreciate any comments, thanks!
The race was 3 laps of a very technical track that I am quite familiar of. In total about 16 km and it took about an hour for most people to finish. I didn't really know what to expect but I knew that I usually do 2 laps after work quite often and occasionally 3 laps on weekends on this track so I knew it wouldn't be too tough for me. What I didn't think was that this time I was riding in the middle of the day when I normally ride in the late afternoon. Here in the tropics it makes a huge difference temperaturewise and I was knackered and dehydrated when I finished.
I went off the track and crashed after the first 5 minutes into the race and ended up exhausting myself trying to catch up with the group after the mistake. I didn't finish last and I was just happy to finish the race as some other competitors didn't make it in the heat. It was my first race and I chose the open class instead of beginners class so overall I was happy to finish the race and went home with a smile on my face.
For some reason it took me a whole week to get back on my bike after the race (I normally ride 3 or 4 times a week) and I didn't enjoy it. I can't say what it was that made me feel that way as previously I've been completely obsessed. I just did fee km's and went back home.
It took another 2 weeks to try again, partly due to weather but also because I just didn't feel like it. This time I remembered how I felt last time and was worried that I wouldn't enjoy riding this time either. I started pedaling and completely forgot what I had been worrying before and after 2 minutes i to the track caught myself smiling riding the familiar track. It was a huge relief to enjoy the riding again.
My motivation is back now and I can't wait to go riding again tomorrow if the weather is ok. I am just wondering why I had that 3 week period when I was fed up with riding and have you guys ever struggled similar way? Maybe I OD'd a bit while training for the race? I can honestly say I wasn't disappointed in my result as I only wanted to finish my first race so I don't think that put me off.
If you've experienced something like this do you force yourself back to the saddle or just wait until it feels good again?
I would appreciate any comments, thanks!