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Crashes Happen and They Don't Have to Ruin Your World |
| Being a cyclist, crashes will happen and injuries often result. Crashes do not discriminate. They happen to world champions. They happen to first-time racers. They happen at the start of a promising season. They happen two days before your wedding, as I experienced. They will sideline you before a big event. They will cut your season short. Whether the injury is major or minor, the timing always seems to be catastrophic, regardless of your level of commitment to the sport. While you can't speed up the healing process and while you can't will it away - you can take the lumps and make the best of your situation. Allow yourself a short-time, I think no more than an hour, to be really sad, mad, and frustrated. Use that time to deal with and put away all thoughts of the events you won't be able to participate in, or the unplanned impact it will have on your plans (like your wedding day) while you are healing. After your hour of mourning, switch gears, think happy and seek laughter. I know, rather corny but it works and a positive attitude has been proven to speed recovery - rent a funny movie or read a fluff book. Catch up with loved ones and friends that you haven't had time to see since the start of the season. Often being sidelined by an injury you find yourself isolated from your cycling social network. Use this time to give back to your teammates and training partners by providing the best possible race support that you can. If providing race support is too much, give back to the sport by volunteering at a local race. As athletes we are so focused on our physical health, we downplay or neglect the importance of staying mentally fresh. The forced time off your bike will help you come back to training and competition with a determination that you didn't realize you had. An injury might seem catastrophic, but if put into the proper perspective you might just realize greater potential and results than you ever would have thought possible. Sharon Allpress rides for the ValueAct Capital Cycling Team. Sharon's love for bike racing developed while she was sent on a UN peace-keeping mission to the East African country of Eritrea, a former Italian colony where cycling is the national sport. Sharon is a strong climber and stage racer with several top-ten finishes in some of the toughest races on the NRC calendar. When not on her bike, she can be found skate-skiing in the mountains of Colorado and updating her 100-year old home with her husband, Jim, and two dogs, Buster and Grumpy. |