The Mental Stages of Racing


This weekend while I was at the Nordhessen Cup Race in Breuna, I discovered that there are three main mental stages to racing. These stages are nicely depicted in the photos above.

Stage 1: Confusion. The moment when you realize how beautiful the area is and that you'd quite like to explore all of the trails instead of puking a lung. What on earth am I doing?

Stage 2: Despite growing dehydration, enough blood has circulated throughout the brain to bring about the realization that there is soon beer at the finish line. Aha! That is what I am doing here.

Stage 3: The isotonic beverage consumption of Hütt Alkoholfrei beer. The line painted across the approximate 10km mark is but a superficial finish line. This bottle of bubbly goodness is the real goal.

Prost!

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