Fun Nightmare

So this weekend did not exactly go as planned. I was nervous but super excited, and thanks to Don, I was visualizing an awesome two days of racing. Saturday I was up before the sun at 5, eating my Clif Bar breakfast and biking over to the time trial. Feeling pretty good.

Then, Marcos and I went out to ride the course, and that's when I started cramping. Badly.

So, hobbling over, I made the decision to suck it up, race the 2.7 mile TT and then see how I felt. Dad helped me change my tube on the front wheel and make some minor bike adjustments. Then, racetime.

My legs were burning and cramping the entire time, but I managed to finish 17th out of Women's Intro. Not a good time, but at least I didn't do too bad- finishing 17th out of 40 when you're crying while racing is not the worst thing ever.

Afterwards, I pretty much couldn't walk, so I decided not to race at Princeton. Went home to put my bike away so I wouldn't be tempted and changed into shorts and sleeveless since it was so nice and warm out. Don took me to Princeton, and I actually had a great time hanging out and taking pictures and video of the other racers, cheering them on like crazy. I love that about being a team- even though I couldn't race, I still felt good about them racing and doing great!

Woke up Sunday feeling pretty good, though my alarm got screwed up from Daylight Savings so I was running super late and had to rush to get to Livingston on time. Still, feeling ok. I was a little nervous, but Mom, Dad and Colleen showed up to cheer me on.

This was a circuit race, and for the first two laps, we were coached, which was annoying as hell, since everyone was moving at a snail's pace and braking so much at corners. Then, we had a two lap race. I was doing good, feeling great, making my way up in the pack, when a girl in front of me crashed. I almost avoided it, but ended up going down, hanging onto my bike so it wouldn't go flying (like some of the other riders did!) I destroyed my elbow, bent the hoods on my handlebars and torn up my left leg. Bleeding quite a bit and with my leg killing me, I kept riding. It hurt a ton, but it was worth it when I finally started passing girls. We had a line going but towards the end I broke away. At the final sprint, one girl was chasing me and passed me for a second but I sprinted past her and as I got in front of her, she mumbled "mother f**k" and I was laughing by the time I crossed the finish line.

I was really upset about my circumstances over the weekend, but really proud about how I handled them. Now I think I'm over my initial nervousness, and I can't wait for next weekend!

Of course, it would be nice if I had some new skin. Showering hurt so damn much this morning. CVS is my next stop, looking for some waterproof bandaids!