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Old 01-16-13, 07:13 AM
  #1391  
shovelhd
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Originally Posted by sarals
Sure, I've gained some strength, some speed, some experience, but mostly, I've gained some insight into me. Sometimes, too, I wonder at the wisdom of what I'm doing. I've learned I really don't have physical gifts, none at all, and all the determination in the world will only take me so far. Younger, totally average riders, can and do ride right past me at times. That really causes me to question why in the world I think I can "race". I'm almost resigned to the notion that, like last year, I'm pretty sure the young women in the fields I'll be in this season will utterly destroy me. I hope I don't get so demoralized that I give up.
First, on how you feel. If you are due for a rest week, that means you've just finished a strong training block. You are supposed to feel like crap. Run down, tired, achy, out of gas, like you just want to have a couple of drinks and crash. If you don't, then you and your coach aren't on the same page, and I seriously doubt that. Just wait. Wait until you hit the gas the first or second time into your next block. Your legs are going to .

On riding and racing. Your description sounds a lot like when I race with the pros or a strong M40+ field. I have one move, maybe two. Otherwise, it takes all I've got to hang in and surf the field. There are times when the field owns me. I know what you mean, and it's frustrating, but it is what it is. You have found ways to deal with it, that's GREAT! I am fortunate, and I believe one of the outliers here in that I raced a lot at the elite level when I was young. I was in the same field as David Phinney, Eric Heiden, Bob Roll, Wayne Stetina, you get the picture. I raced for 6 years and then quit. I went 26 years without touching a road bike, then got back on one. It all came back, and I did well in my first year returning to racing. People told me it would be like that. I didn't believe them. I could not imagine that one could spend a half a lifetime away from a sport, return, and do well. But there is something about the human body that remembers. So if you didn't have that history on the bike, then you have to start from scratch. In the small women's fields that are often open and combined, then that is extra hard if that is the majority of the racing that you are doing. It takes a lot of guts just to pin on a number when you know what's coming. I agree with your coach that focusing on age group racing from a results perspective is wise. This is exactly what I do. The M55+ criteriums are my race, the level playing field. Everything else is just for the thrill, challenge, and fun of it. Look at the schedule and find those races in your area. Heck, find them out of your area. Those are your targets. Then, whenever you race up, tell yourself at the start that this is all for Race X, Y, and Z where you are going to crush people.

I understand how you can get discouraged, especially so early in the progression when you have never tasted the success of winning. I've never met you, but from what you've written here, you seem to be a competitive person. You are not afraid of suffering in order to be successful. You measure yourself against others and want to beat them. You are very smart. You have picked up on a lot of the nuances that take beginning racers a lot of time to figure out. To me, that means you won't be satisfied with taking the town line sprint on the group ride. You ain't no Strava Queen. You are a racer, even though you might not feel like one now. Keep up the hard work. It is the structured training base that will build success in the future. You have a great coach. He will help you, guide you, crush you, and ground you. It's all a part of the progression.
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