Quote Originally Posted by mydisneydollars View Post
Thanks for posting your report I learned alot from it. I am glad that you finished and I am sorry to hear about your pain. I am no where ready for a race but I am looking forward to when I am.
Disney,

I'm so glad that my experience taught you something! I know it taught me a lot, as you could tell from my post. And the pain was expected, but the level of pain was the unknown. I have to say though, that I think most of the pain was as a result of being dehydrated to begin with and not being used to that sort of exertion in the hot summer sun (I usually ride in the first half of the day for hard rides). Having that race experience, although I still don't know what it's like to race in a group, is what I needed in order to figure out what my level of fitness is and what I need to do to get better. Plus, I'm not afraid of entering other RR's because I know that my results/confidence can only improve from here!

Also, I knew I wasn't ready for a race, even though I have been biking since mid-April and riding with my team since May. The experience of a race will give you a good idea of where you are and where you need to be, which can only improve the way you train and what you work on. I would suggest just doing a race, regardless of where you are in your abilities, and just see what happens. Take it from me, the positives of this experience greatly outweigh the negatives!!!

Good luck!
Jen