Early season racing

There was a time in my career when I thought it wasn't a good idea to hit up some of the early season races because I wasn't in "race shape" quite yet. I figured I'd use the time to pound out a few more hours and base miles and when I was race ready it would be a little more worth it, to start competing a little later in the season. In some cases I still agree with this. It all really depends on how much you've been able to put in over the winter and if you're willing to suffer through the early season stress. I'm also learning that getting out to the early season events is a great way to jump start your fitness, work out the kinks and give yourself a reminder of what's to come over the next six to seven months.Sometimes for me the best way to train for a race, is to race. Looking beyond just being in race shape at the mental and psychological aspects of bike racing. Getting your head in the game is very important and showing up to an early season race in less than peak condition can be an excellent opportunity to learn a little about yourself and the type of athlete you really are. Depending on how you take it can set the tone for the rest of the seasons efforts. Here are two examples based on personal experience.A few years back I found myself in less than peak form, which for most of us, March isn't and probably shouldn't be our fittest month. I decided to skip the early race in March and put in a few more miles on the road, that same weekend, in Southern Utah. It was nice to get out in the warm sun and put in a fair amount of time in two days. Probably more miles in those two days than a combine total of that year up to that point. At the time it felt great. It was a positive move for my fitness and I was able to consistently follow it up with more hours on the road in preparation for the following months of training and racing. What I didn't think about though was the psychological aspects that would have helped me later on, had I decided to race. Within a month or two I felt ready to go. Still early but at least I had a decent base and I was feeling pretty comfortable about my top end. It was the first race of the season for me, but nearly everyone else in the pro field already had a few under their belt. Before the race I found myself holding back a bit of anxiety and the initial shock of the race didn't do much for me as well. I held it out and finished  mid pack of a large pro field. Still not as comfortable as I could have been had I taken the opportunity to spark the system a month or two earlier. It didn't take long to catch back up and get where I had hoped to be, but it was a bit more effort and timely than it would have been had stuck it out in March.Fast forward a few years and I'm in nearly the same situation. Of course my fitness isn't at the top of the charts but I'm excited to get the season underway. I did a fair amount of early season racing and was able to settle in much easier. I was able to get my head on straight, assess my current physical condition and make a few adjustments to my training goals that I had set for the next few months. As the season went on, I was much more successful, structured and because I suffered a bit during an early season race, the bad days of training and racing didn't have as much impact on my psychological outlook.From this I learned that for me, regardless of how much I have or haven't been riding over the winter, it's better for me to get out and feel some pain in order to know how to avoid it throughout the next seven months. Plus, it's always a nice surprise to find out that the efforts you have been putting in over the winter actually pay off and who knows, you might end up with a big W to start things off. Can't complain about that.Good luck to you all in 2010.-KDAY