Beginner to road biking/want to start racing!

[BikeMomma]

hi sarahk,
thanks for all the ny info! i made a big mistake, though. i think i overdid it a bit this summer because a couple days' break from training turned into a 3 weeks off, pretty much. I did some mountain biking and a few road rides but all in all i pretty much just took it easy. now i'm definitely not in race shape anymore. probably would huff and puff through the public race at the thater crit and it just wouldn't be pretty.
stupid move!

That's the thing about racing....once you get that competitive spirit, it becomes addicting, and then it's verrry easy to overdo it, as it seems you found out. I preach baby steps and above all, patience. Your form will come, but never as fast as you want it to. The most important thing in training is to remember to just have fun - don't make it work, and don't make yourself think you have to (you want to, remember?). Do fun rides, not just training rides. Good for the psyche!!