It got to a point when I was in college when I just wanted to stop since the pain was so bad, I saw all the doctors I could see, had all the tests done and still everything came back normal. I was either recovering and working on my base again or jumping back into racing way too soon and struggling to keep up. Needless to say, it was pretty hard to train around those breaks. Initially they lasted for about 14 days, but each episode got a little longer and more painful so they lasted for 21-30 days and occurred about every 6-8 weeks. The muscle pains would only occur in my quads and my glutes and only after intense training and a travel or rest day. That itself is pretty good motivation to keep trying. I definitely went through some ups and downs and wanted to quit a few times, but I kept wanting to race my bike and also be a healthy person who wasn’t in pain. I spent almost 20 years trying to figure out why my legs hurt and what was abnormal about my body. Luckily, it’s not in my character to give up, and I am super stubborn when it comes to pushing through something (to a fault) which has helped me get to the place I am right now. This was something I have trained around since I was 18 and have learned to cope with emotionally, but it still isn’t easy. Disappointed doesn’t begin to describe how much that hurt emotionally. It’s soul crushing to work super hard for something, do all the training and prep and to be riding better than I ever have to then arrive at the venue after international travel barely being able to walk. One of them was a season I was racing great and winning a lot, and it was a race I had a real chance of winning. It hasn’t been easy, and I still remember a couple World Championships where I couldn’t race and had to sit by the sidelines and watch as someone else won. Some people who have followed my race career or know me well know how hard it has been through the years and how many times I’ve had to opt out of racing due to my leg pains. What kept me going for so many years was trying to solve the problem and figure out the why, so I could continue to race my bike and do something I truly loved doing. The only thing I wish I didn’t have to deal with was debilitating muscle pains I started to suffer from when I was 18.

I had a great time riding with friends, learning new things, and exploring new places all while racing my bike.

I look back and think that maybe 20-25 hour weeks over the summers when I was a junior was a bit much, but I wouldn’t change those experiences for anything. I spent a lot of hours as a junior riding my bike and really enjoying racing and training, sometimes a little too much, but it was mainly because I had the energy and was having fun. I think one of the most challenging obstacles I’ve dealt with as an athlete is a variety of health issues I’ve encountered since I was a teenager. ***This is one individual's experience and not meant to represent a broader population***

Katie compton