Last Weekend Of Fun
by Matthew Connors on February 28th, 2007
On Saturday I had my second Arizona State Championship race. It was at the race course that everyone hates; Estrella Mountain Regional Park it is the hardest course that we have and the rockiest course too. The two things you need out there is Kenda tires and Stans No Tubes. So I got out there and felt good, I was ready for the race.
I’m at the start line talking to the people around me trying to get in there head, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. I hear the 15 second to go and I focus on the trail next thing I know we take off and I get hit by the person on the left of me witch makes me huck bars with one of my friends, so in the first 20 feet I almost crashed twice. wow I have never done that before! That definitely got my blood flowing. After all that, I was in last place so I saddled in and started giving the mountain all I’ve got for two laps, on the third lap i kept telling myself that everyone is hurting more than me. I gave everything I had at that race and what do I get out of it? A 12th place finish. I was pissed!
After the race I sit down and drank my recovery drink and tried to catch my breath. 10 mins after the race I tried to get up and I couldn’t, it was bad. My legs have never felt like that before, it was real bad. I had to wait around the race for 3 hours just so I could drive home. Wow! That was interesting. When I got home I remembered that I had a road crit Sunday morning. If you want some good training enter a road crit, it’s a sprint for like 30-40 mins. Saturday night I tried to recover and take a lot of advil.
Sunday comes around and I can’t even get out of bed. Some how I get all my stuff and drive down there. I find out that my race will be 35 minutes long plus 5 laps. I get out all my stuff, and put it on, I try to ride but it hurts. At the race I see all the people that didn’t race the mountain bike race yesterday. I just though to myself what a bunch of wussies. I’m at the start line in pain telling myself that I can get through this no problem. I was wrong. When we took off my leg hated it but there is no quitting for me. I blocked out all the pain and took it one turn at a time. Then I hear one to go and I make my move from the back, and I end up finishing 9th that is the best finish I’ve ever had at a road race, so I was happy. Once I stopped the pain got really bad. I’m just glad my sister came out to watch so she could drive me home, because I could barely walk. That was my fun and pain full weekend.
I was not too happy with the mountain bike race, but the road race helped. Now I need to kick the training up again. The next race is the March 24th out at White Tanks Regional Park. Last year I had my best finish there, so we will see what happens this year. This Sunday I’m going to pre-ride it all day so I will have it down. The weekend after White Tanks race we have the first NORBA Nathional Race out here which will be a blast. Until then I’ll be putting in my 150 miles in on the bike each week and see what happens next. See ya in AZ!
March 1st, 2007 at 10:32 am
Great job hanging in there and working through the pain. Top 10 in a crit is very cool.
March 1st, 2007 at 11:22 am
Wow. great story… I mean it sucks that you didnt place as well as you wanted and the pain, but it sounds like you definitely have some serious mental training to overcome the physical pain.
I know you are going to do well.