Originally Posted by
Ygduf
it's the recurring head injuries.
but really, Aaron, you've been lifting 5 months and are 90% to 1000lbs club. Maybe track racing!
Yeah, I didn't really like track. Gave it a full year. But OTOH, it was a full year of racing Wednesday night, while training Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. So it was low priority and maybe (probably) that's why I didn't get to cat 2 on track. I know I say I can't sprint, but who knows. Maybe I'm biologically a sprinter that just never liked sprinting and never practiced it. That was kinda the goal/experiment with the gym/crit focus thing. See if I can sprint. Cat 2 may not be the best place to finally learn to sprint though lol.
Originally Posted by
furiousferret
Damn @
aaronmcd I'd miss it if you left, but you honestly feel burnt out on the sport and there really isn't a point. Even for the ones that love it, bike racing (specifically the training) turns into a second job and its just hard to keep at it for years on end.
I do absolutely love racing. But your right about burning out on the second job. I guess that's why I'm so torn.
Originally Posted by
TMonk
I'd also like to add that this is short sighted, both in regards to your lack of improvement on the bike, and the newbie gains that you're seeing at the gym. Eventually you will plateau. Then what? Move on to the next hobby?
Maybe! I feel like I get newbie gains quickly so it might benefit me to switch hobbies each year and be a jack of all hobbies. 5 months... that's about where I hit most of my peak power numbers. I think 5' power peaked after a year or two. Weights are much easier to program carefully and more measurable and predictable. I can predict what I'll lift within 2% vs when I'd go out for intervals and try and be within 10%. Who knows we'll see. Or not, depending on what I do...
Originally Posted by
Psimet2001
You know you don't need our approval but I understand it might be nice to hear racers say, "hey you're not going to miss anything".
So...
Hey you're not going to miss anything.
If you still want to be a part of what's going on some of the time then just start working on the promotion end of this. Possibly officiate. Then when you get frustrated with that then try racing again.
Honestly right now I am seriously jealous of those that have weekends where they sit around and jobs that pay them. Just thinking of going to work, going to the gym, and then hanging out with real people outside of bike racing on the weekends really is appealing. Thanks for that dose of reality for me.
Oh I'll miss racing. I know it. I already miss it, watching Youtube videos and reading race reports. Promoting races sounds fun. Promoting anything. I've often thought promoting parties/events would be fun. It's not my style, that kind of stuff does not come natural to me. I'd be terrible at it. Singular focus type stuff is what I'm best at. Oh well.
Originally Posted by
Doge
Have a kid and get him/her to race - live through their experiences. It is a lot more enjoyable and I think actually good for them. They take crashes better too.
It is very easy to get into things done a lot, and later wonder why you were so into them. I tend to think, like so many USAC racers - if you quit after a year or so, you won't be back. That is more a comment on stat, not you, not an opinion, just most don't come back. As you found there are other things.
Hahahahahahaha!
Probably not having kids.
It's been several years for me, but still. Maybe I won't be back. There's so much more out there, or so I hear!
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So many guys telling me to step back, surprising. Honestly I wasn’t looking for someone to tell me that, I just really honestly don’t know what I want. Perhaps I want to talk it out. Problem is, if I don’t choose, my choice is made automatically. And when I realize that, I realize I WILL choose one way or the other. I’m often pretty good about being in control, but sometimes I just want things to be decided for me.
Many of you are suggesting maybe a different discipline. I’m pretty sure that’s not what I’m after. I raced track for a year, and I wasn’t really cut out for competing in the evenings, and wasn’t really that into it. No, if I stick with racing (or come back) it will be road. I do love racing (when I feel somewhat fit compared to the pack). But the work and losing all the time was getting to me.
@
gsteinb it isn’t the crashing that makes me reconsider (oddly), just the crash brought on a few months off and time to re-evaluate some stuff (with no answers of course).
On one hand, I feel like I NEED to pull back just to escape the black hole of a singular focus forever. But on the other hand, bike racing was supposed to be My One Thing. I graduated Stanford, was too old for gymnastics, tried some endurance stuff and cycling hooked me. The perfect time to figure out my perfect competitive outlet. I put more into cycling that anything else in my life, including grad school. I just didn’t think that it could go on and on forever and that might not be all I want to do forever. Also, bike racing IS fun. It CAN be rewarding. There's always that inkling... maybe THIS year, this new approach will work.
Thanks for all the replies guys, and for seemingly not thinking I'm totally bonkers for considering quitting (while you go to the other thread and complain about everyone quitting, lol).