Originally Posted by
sfcrossrider
Just show up and have fun. Your first race will hurt A LOT more than you think it will, so why sweat it.
If he wants to train for it, why discourage him? Yes, it will hurt, and no, he probably won't win his race, but a month of prep can genuinely improve fitness.
I was in a similar situation as this guy for my first cross race, it was the season-closer and I did about three weeks of spinning classes, and practiced the remounts and such, and I was very glad that I prepped for it. I did half-decent, then I found out about a four-race series across the state line the following month (January), and I did half-decent again, and the whole thing springboarded me to getting a cross bike, doing group rides, losing ten pounds, etc etc.