Cyclocross - I pulled a muscle. Should I race tomorrow?

Yesterday my brain and body forgot how to go over a barrier and I pulled the inside of my thigh. It's not swelled up it just feels like a really sore muscle, basically. I went for a ride today and it still just feels like 1 really sore muscle- tender to walk on a little, hurts when it stretches, that sort of thing.

It's just a 30 minute race but should I rest and avoid injury? Looking for opinions.

What do you think?

30 mins of fun vs a season nagged by injury. Your call...

See I can't recall the last time I pulled a leg muscle so I'm thinking "oh it doesn't really hurt, just sore, it's not serious, I won't injure myself more" but frankly I don't think I can gauge if it's bad enough to not race or no. It's the 1st race of the season too.

If it's just sore and doesn't actually hurt, you could give it a try. Just be ready to DNF in a hurry if it actually starts to hurt. You could be setting yourself up for weeks more problems. Or it might feel better tomorrow (in which case, it probably wasn't actually a pulled muscle).

I tweaked my leg in some way Monday. I was describing it as a strain, but it probably wasn't. I finished the 11 mile ride in to work, and by the time I rode home it was just sore. By Wednesday, I was going out for a cross clinic. Today, it felt great.

Definitely ice it tonight -- 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off -- also rest, compression and elevation. See how it feels in the morning.

Taking the weekend off is probably the smart thing to do.

I wouldn't Tim. You may say to yourself that you will just take it easy but it's a race and you won't. Just go out on the road and try to loosen it up.

Yeah, I stayed home. I know I would have pulled it again going over a barrier.