geneman

Ummm ... you live in Iowa.

geneman

Now that's what I'm talking about. Put us in the moment ... tell us what your thoughts were that kept you going. Was it that bitter breakup? Is the neighbor's dog crapping in your lawn? Or perhaps you have the ability to achieve a zen state while still turning the pedals. What's driving it?

It may not seem like you're thinking about anything in particular while your in the thick of it, but there's always something there.

-mark

bitemail

I am obsessive compulsive...I am just one not to quit. I once rode 40 miles of pure hills took me 4 hours and had to check in to a hospital after for dehydration and exhaustion. I was riding in a sub-conscious state for the last hour. It took weeks to get over it.

OneTinSloth

i would also rather ride uphill than down i think. it makes me feel alive, like i'm actually doing something. it gives me a sense of accomplishment.

i just spin the pedals and try to focus on my breathing and not passing out. and i think about how great the views are along the way. and a million other things...how great it would be if my friends from boston were there with me, how great it would be if my girlfriend was there with me, how very much i love riding my bike. the pain is what drives me. i frequently push myself to what i percieve as my breaking point and beyond. i acclimate myself to it in some instances, or learn to shut it out in others. it's a good pain. a constructive pain. legs burning, lungs burning, arms about to give out, eyes just searching for any little spot of level ground and not finding it until the end. having your mind go from thinking about all the little things in your life that upset you, to suddenly, only being able to focus on the pain, and getting rid of it, and knowing that the only way to get rid of it is to go through more, to continue. to keep turning those pedals no matter what. i've never been close to losing control of my bike because of pain. when i'm on my bike i consider it my job not to fall, not to get hit, not to let the world, and my shortcomings, win. yeah, i get passed, but it's not about that. everyone gets passed. everyone falls. i'm sure i will someday too. more pain.


on a semi-unrelated note:
i noticed the other day on the way down that if i take a few pedals then coast, as soon as i start coasting, i pull up kinda violently with both feet. just straight up, without thinking about it. wonder why that is...

geneman

That's sick ... I love it. Seriously, OCD as a competitive force is hard to beat when evaluating stength of motive. Heck, I'd be willing to bet that the upper echelon of atheletes in just about every sport are OC.

Here's my dilemma continued. I'm a "path of least resistance guy" which is not to say that I'm lazy by any stretch. My best ride is the ride that results in the fastest average speed or quickest ascent with the least amount of energy expended. It's my goal each and every time I ride. It's the primary reason why I love group rides. I certainly don't just sit in, but the whole concept of 10 guys trouncing the road versus one inefficient rider is very addicting for me. Therefore, the prospect of waking up at 6:30 tomorrow morning to do my standard 15 mile ride in 40 deg weather by myself isn't as appealing as I want it to be. I need to change it up a bit I think.

-mark

Race Condition

Yes, you are right. There are no hills in Iowa. Please come to RAGBRAI this year to experience our non-hills.

geneman

I was just being belligerent ... pay no attention to me.

Red Baron

I put Bike Pain in this perspective.
Knew a fellow Viet vet, and asked him in the hospital just after he got into an argument with a land mine (bouncing Betty). His reply: "sweetest thing I ever felt'-
I was astonished in his reply until he continued " It was Gods way of telling me I was still alive". BTW- got PO'ed if he got asked how he lost his leg, (he) said he 'didn't lose it, it got blown off'. Haven't heard from him since 69, don't know if he rides or not but highly suspect he doe's (or did).

Posted in memory of Pfc John Claggett, 101st airborne, KIA 5/20/70.

geneman

I'm bumping this old thread because I want to hear from others ... bring on the pain stories!

-mark

no3puttchad

"pain is just fear leaving your body"....if it doesn't hurt, your not trying hard enough!

duracann

I rode solo for 127 miles last saturday after having ridden only 200 miles the whole year (I am 20) I rode out with a tailwind and back the whole way with a headwind(still averaged 18.5). About 10 miles from home(still riding into headwind) I bonked hardcore. I was swerving around like a drunken sailor all the way home. That is what I call pain! I also live in wyoming which is the hardest place I have ever lived for riding. Oh, about ragbrai having hills, hahahhahahha. Try riding looong rolling hills(by yourself) at 8000 feet above see level and then finishing it off with a 3 or 4 thousand foot climb in 95 degree heat. You guys have it easy.

Laggard

I used to be on a team with a guy who was much more talented than I was. He could always outclimb me and when sprinting he'd pass me and look like he was barely working. But he was lazy. Always complaining about how sore his legs were and though he had the ability to drop almost everyone on a climb, he was never the first over the top.

It took me a while to realize that he just didn't like pain. Simple as that. I on the other hand was stubborn enough in my desire not to be dropped or to be last that I'd suffer like a dog at every sprint and on every climb. At the risk of sounding egotistical, if someone with his physical talent had my drive, he'd be tough to beat.

SchreiberBike

Pain: When the other knee starts to go bad too.

Pain: Not being able to ride for over a month.

Pain: Not sure you'll ever be able to ride seriously again.

Pain: Seeing more orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists than cyclists.

Pain: Hating to see this board on my list of favorites because it reminds me of cycling.

2Rodies

Pain is crashing in the middle of Mullholland by yourself, with no cell reception on 100+ degree day and having to ride home, bruised, battered and bleeding. That's pain.

Overcoming your screaming lungs, your heavy legs and your 190+ heart rate to sprint to the top of the climb in first place is pure heaven. Maybe not at the time but later when you relive that moment it will motivate you and make you feel like you can beat anyone.

VeganRider

Go for the burn and just keep hammering right through it. It has to hurt to be good!

Hitchy

g'day mark,

pain is pain is pain. You can train to produce a better 'outcome' before the pain sets in, you can train at your pain 'threshold' so that you can tolerate 'pain' for longer periods....but the pain is still there, its how you cope with it......personally, If i've prepared properly, (& i'm talking racing here), I'm mentally positive, that everyone else is hurting more than me......so i push harder, to soften up their will & their phsical ability to beat me when we get down to the wire. It probaly helps if you have a lot of self belief & arrogance about your ability to be better than those you are competing against, (look at lance)...pain will always be there my friend, its how you mentally deal with it...personally, pain is my friend (guess that makes me a wacko!),

cheers,

Hitchy

hlweyl

5 miles and an average of 10%?..... WOW Where is this hill?

I saw a 24 endurance motocross rider on tv one time say something to the affect that taking time out of your schedule to suffer makes you enjoy the rest of life that much more. True True

Zin

Pain? How do I cope? How do I push through it?

For me it is purely selfish. I think back on the 340lb guy that could barely walk up a flight of stairs. I think of that guy whos kids could not get their arms around him. That pain was far worse than any I have had to endure on the bike. When the pain gets bad, I just think about that 340lb guy and how I never want to see him in the mirror again.

Now, my kids can get their arms all the way around me and close their hands. Now, I can ride a century. Now, I'm living a better life. The pain has been worth it!

countryrider

Pain lets you know you're alive. Pain is what pushes you to be better. Some people talk about your lactic threshold, or training to push it farther. Some of us just know that pain is what drives us. Pain is a good thing. Pain is crashing at 30 m/h and getting back on the bike to complete a task because you gave your word you would. Some of us love pain. I learned to love pain through cycling and football.
Pain: competing despite injuries
Pain: rehabing torn cartilage and strained knee ligaments on Saturday morning to be ready for next Friday night.
Pain: a 300 lb lineman rolling into the side of your knee and playing on it for the next 45 minutes.
Everyone of us who loves pain, knows that when you look back on what you've done, when you see your accomplishment or your victory, all that pain goes away for the moment. No matter what you have to do to come back from the injuries, you go back for more because you have a passion for it. Pure desire is what pushes you through pain. There isn't any preparation you can do. It's the mental toughness that defines an athlete. When the pressure's on, or your body says it won't go, your mind has to take over and tell it to push. Your ability to focus will allow you to push that extra mile, or get up that steep hill. You have to have it in your mind that no boundary can hold you, nothing can beat you. When you do that, you realize how much pain is your ally.

outashape

This is a very interesting thread. It has made me want to experience pain again. Last year, I had pain with riding with a club and trying to keep up with the guys. This year, I have been lazy. Got a little glimpse of pain on this year's RAGBRAI. I raced a couple of guys on different hills. You are all correct, you must embrace pain. It is easy to get into a routine where even the slightest inconvenience seems like an obstacle. Too often on this board, people are trying to make cycling a sofa sport. It is gonna hurt and hurt really does feel good. Pain is weakness leaving the body.

jukt

I read some where on this board that " Pain is weakness leaving your body".

Go Pain !!

zensuit

I can't say I "like" pain, but I love to struggle up a long climb and then realize that I earned the downhill...and the more it hurts, the more I deserve...

OldsCOOL

Pain. Yes, the steady pain that bids for your falling short of expected goals. Pain speaks a language that is always heard but best ignored.


Oh, I love the posts about getting mad at the wind. I rode in 14mph-gusting 20 mostly in the face up hills. Mad?!?! And when you come back on the return trip it would be nice to have it reversed. NOT.



Olds