April was a very busy month for me I had a race every weekend, and all three were A events. Early-season training leading into April was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Early winter, I did some of the highest volume I’ve ever done, then later on, I spent a few weeks battling a sickness and injury.
I was able to get back on my feet by March and put in a solid month of training beforehand. As frustrating as it was to have a few interruptions, I accepted that there was really nothing I could do about it, and those are the ups and downs you face as an athlete. I wasn’t dealt the best hand to kick off the season, but I felt ready and determined to play with everything I had.
The most difficult aspect of the month was being able to be mentally ready to go each weekend, which I knew going in. Last year, I did Sea Otter, then BWR back to back. I remember after Sea Otter, I felt defeated going into BWR.
This year, having a third race in April, I wanted to decompress from my races better so I could go into each weekend feeling back up to speed. Armed with more experience and maturity as an athlete this season, here are some mental practices I found to help keep my head on straight.
Planning and Preparing
Sea Otter was the most stressful event of the month. This being a Grand Prix race gave the race a lot of weight. I also had a few sponsorship obligations/activations that added to the chaos of the weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sea Otter and the opportunity to engage with sponsors, but it’s a lot to jam into one weekend. I knew that once I got through Sea Otter, it would be smoother sailing (…? haha) for the rest of the month.
I wasn’t too worried about Levi’s Grando Fondo or BWR California. This year was my first time at Levi’s, but for me road isn’t as stressful as gravel. Since I raced BWR last year, I knew what to expect for the weekend.
Going into April, I made sure that I had all three bike setups in mind. That made it so I was able to gather all of the equipment I needed for the month and so I would have one less thing to worry about. I don’t really work much, but I made sure to move all of my work to the beginning of each week so I didn’t have the stress of trying to work from a hotel room.
Putting Each Race Result Behind Me
After crossing the line after Sea Otter and Levi’s, I felt disappointed, which was okay. I wear my feelings on my sleeve because I work so hard and care so much about these events. So, I feel disappointed when I fall short of what I was hoping for at an event. As much as it hurts to feel disappointed about a race, it’s a blessing in disguise because it shows me how much I care about what I do.
What is not okay is to stay in that rut of disappointment for too long. I know that immediately after the race, my feelings are so strong after being immersed in them for the entire race. With some time to sit with and sort through my feelings after the race, I was able to find some small victories and contentment with each result. Below are my TrainingPeaks comments right after each race.
Fortunately, I had a full car drive home to sit and decompress after each race. Each car ride home, I spent the drive writing the caption for my Instagram post and my comment in TrainingPeaks, which also served as a way for me to journal about each event immediately after. Journaling has always been a great outlet for me, and writing after each race was a great way to decompress.
Prioritizing mental rest
I put a lot of effort into mental rest to fully refresh my mind after each weekend. Luckily, these events were staggered, and I had at least a full week between my events. After each event, I had a big endurance day or two, which were my outlets to find calm between the storms.
I also did my best to disconnect from bike racing as much as possible between events. I saw my friends a few times, and being able to laugh with them and forget bikes exist for a few hours was the perfect way to refresh my mind.
I kept my training schedule open to whatever changes I needed to make to do whatever sounded the most fun. A few rides I added on or subtracted an hour, and I ended up switching all of my intensity days from intervals to group race rides. Even though these changes are small, they did a lot to help me feel refreshed by the middle of the week.
Enjoying the trip
It’s easy to completely forget about the fact that you’re on a trip, even if it’s a race trip. For Sea Otter and BWR, we stayed an extra day or two, which was nice to be able to enjoy the area a bit. I got to walk around, enjoy the change of scenery, and check out some new restaurants.
For me, being able to enjoy the trip has two great benefits. It lets me find moments to step away from the stress of racing and take advantage of the new area I stay at for the weekend.
Wrapping up the month
Driving home from BWR, I felt satisfied with how the month went. I did a much better job at decompressing each race compared to last year. Going into each weekend, I was excited to have another chance to try again, as opposed to last year, when I felt low on confidence.
At each race, I learned a lot and gained quality racing experience. I was able to place better at each race as the month went on. Finishing the month with the best result of my career at BWR California was the best way I could have imagined the month ending!