ROSSI: You win... and then the real work starts

Winning the Indianapolis 500 was one of the most incredible experiences that I've ever been a part of in my career, but it was also the most exhausting.

After the victory banquet, I was flying to New York thinking, "What the hell am I doing; I've spoken to exactly three IndyCar journalists since my debut in St Pete and now it's all this."

I was as surprised as anybody when I found myself in Victory Lane last year, which is why I wore a look of shock and awe during the celebration.

Indy is a massive event.

I think that's what the other drivers meant when they said, "You don't know what's coming."

From the milk to the wreath to the brick kissing, I was absolutely stunned. To be honest, I was looking for direction on what to do next. The whole victory celebration was an intense blur that didn't stop for the next three days.

Post-race media commitments kept me at the track until 9:15pm. While it was an exciting and highly emotional handful of hours, my mind kept wandering to how hungry I was. The post-race hours are such a rush that you just don't have time for those little things like bathroom breaks and nourishment.

For some winners, an all-night party might be in order, but I grabbed a quick bite to eat around 10 o'clock and hit the bed early: I had a feeling that the following week would be pretty crazy...

Monday morning came in the blink of an eye.

I was back at the track by 6:30 for a photo shoot—an experience that was unlike anything I've been involved with. By that I mean, I had never posed for photos for five hours before.

Soon afterwards, while being rushed to a press conference, someone shoved a sandwich at me – which was amazing.

Note to future winners...eat Jimmy Johns at a press conference and they give you a Jimmy Johns VIP card and free sandwiches for life... One of the coolest perks.

Following the photo shoot, I began a hasty packing challenge that was complicated enough for a reality show. Within only a few hours, you're packing up a bus that you've lived in for a month, then packing all of your clothes for trips to New York, Texas, and Detroit.

All the while, you're thinking about being punctual and unwrinkled for the Victory Banquet that's later that night. Oh yeah, and there's a speech...

The Victory Banquet was another very surreal experience. As each driver is recognized, you finally have the opportunity to hear about how other drivers fared during the race. That's when you realize the power of the day and the journey that everyone had on the track for 500 miles.

It was a chance to slow down, if only for moment, and reflect on the most amazing experience.

In the blink of an eye, it was already time to get on a plane to New York for a full day of media commitments: interviews, congratulations, smiles, handshakes, and hugs.

I remember texting Ryan Hunter-Reay and asked him, "How do you deal with this? How did you deal with this?"

He replied, "I didn't. You just get through it."

Honestly, New York was all a blur – and then I found myself on a plane out to Texas.

Wednesday and Thursday were packed with more media obligations. The media days are obviously important, and they reinforced what a huge event the Indy 500 is, but they were also a little daunting! Each day started at 6am and would go until about 9pm. There were interviews or appearances every 15 minutes. Most of the conversations revolved around my fuel-saving adventure or the upcoming race schedule.

In the brief spare moments, I spent my time working with the team to prepare for the next race weekend in Detroit, which was fast approaching.
With the non-stop schedule, it's unfortunate that you don't have time to train—which is a big deal for me. When you stop a training program, you can get tired and there's often a compound effect on your health.

I get much of my energy from going to the gym—and missing that time was one of the hardest parts. Ultimately, your entire routine is altered.

You wind up missing sleep, your nutrition plan goes out the window, and you can even have trouble focusing on your primary job, even though that's all you're talking about.

The interviews can also present a challenge. You find yourself answering similar questions over and over, and you want to be dynamic and engaging, by not giving the same answer. Constantly thinking of new ways to share your story starts to get tricky!

The whole thing is a physically and emotionally taxing experience, but bearing that the reason you're there in the first place is because you won the Indy 500, it's a nice problem to have.

After Texas, I flew to Detroit for more media on Thursday, and then was finally able to really switch into race preparation mode when practice started on Friday morning. Getting back into the car... I can barely explain how good that felt. I love talking about my job, but I love doing it even more.

In fact, just two days ago (on Carb Day), after working with the press in the weeks leading up to the 101st Indy 500, I got into my car early just to have a few minutes to myself.

I literally sat there for 15 minutes, in my own space, and felt calm.

It was great.

In those three days after winning the 500, I had talked about racing and what it feels like to win non-stop. But when I finally slid back into car and strapped my helmet on, that was truly the most joyful moment.