[jusflo]

Here's a paragraph by Lou Mazzante from an 08 issue of BIKE magazine.

Pain, then, is fundamental. No matter what bike you own, what style of trail you prefer, pain is always tagging along. It's woven into the fabric of every ride. And if pain is elemental, we cannot consider it an enemy-something that can be defeated or overcome. It must be accepted, even embraced.

I think of these words everytime I'm slumped over my bike with my lungs and legs on fire or I Ieave some skin on the trail. Somehow It make the pain less painfull.

 

[Ridnparadise]

I find mixing the pain of riding witht he pain of trail building and the pain of all my previous screw-ups helps dissipate the pain of work.

Correct. Pain is not the enemy. It is just another sensation same as heat, cold, stretch etc. It is all about how your mind interprets the information. Not being able to cope with pain is a problem though.

 

[exomatt]

Pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is very true. It also helps to think of the descent that will await you at some point of your ride :cornut:

 

[Gasp4Air]

When I first glanced at this thread, I read it as "Palin Passion" and thought "this will get interesting".

 

[MendonCycleSmith]

Not a huge Lance groupie or anything, and this is probably a tad paraphrased, but I love the essence of his meaning. Question from a newb rider, "when does it stop hurting"?

"It never stops hurting, you just get faster"

Just about an absolute truth. :thumbsup:

 

[Wishful Tomcat]

Not a huge Lance groupie or anything, and this is probably a tad paraphrased, but I love the essence of his meaning. Question from a newb rider, "when does it stop hurting"?

"It never stops hurting, you just get faster"

Just about an absolute truth. :thumbsup:

Lemond said the same thing: "It never gets easier, you just go faster." Although for me it never seems like I go any faster.

 

[FloridaFish]

i explained that philosophy on pain to a co-worker..... .her response...."how is that any different than a cutter?"

my response.... i don't seek attention/sympathy for my pain, i simply deal with it and enjoy.

 

[screampint]

More than that, a cutter is self destructive, a mountainbiker would probably be categorized as an adrenaline junkie. Also, there's a payoff for a cyclists, or any athlete for that matter, of better fitness.

 

[picassomoon]

As my stamina has gotten better I don't even think about it as painful anymore. Strenuous is maybe the best word that comes to mind, but it is still more enjoyable than torturous. Earlier when I was weak and would get winded and bonk faster it was more painful, but now I struggle up a hill I didn't used to be able to climb and I feel great for getting through it. Or if I must get off and hike I'm not focused on feeling pain but thinking that if I work hard enough I'll be bigger than that climb someday.

 

[stubecontinued]

I'm a strong rider and I still curse and swear to myself as I slog up hill sometimes. On really grueling rides I'll even think things like "why do I do this to myself?" Invariably I end up stoked on the downhill and ready to ride again. We must just be masochists.

 

[palerider]

I learned to love the pain, and I did a lot of loving!

 

[papanoel]

First thing that came to my mind when reading the first post.

 

[All_talk]

I once met a mountain biker that summed it up this way…

Explaining to a non-rider, “cycling is about suffering”. The non-rider responds “then why do you do it?” Rider responds “Because it feels so good when you stop”

For me it’s more of the work and reward thing, I tell myself as I slog up that gravity don’t come cheap! I also motivate myself by rationalizing that the dinner I’m going to eat later is free.

Gary

 

[redwarrior]

On really grueling rides I'll even think things like "why do I do this to myself?"

Ha! This is me, too. That's how you know you're having a good ride or riding with the right people.

 

[ssinglesspeed]

You have to make pain your friend.

 

[thefriar]

"Pain is the body's way of ridding itself of weakness." Dean Karnazes

Fo real. You hit the wall, and you keep going, then you hit bliss, like on 5+ hour sufferfest rides, hour 4-5 sucks, but when you break 5 you're in bliss because the pain does become like hot or cold, its just there and you've put it in its place.

 

[KRob]

Good topic.

MIke Ferrentino wrote an editorial in Bike several years ago entitled "This Ain't No Picnic" that really puts this truth into words well.

I can't find the article right now but he said something to this effect: "Racing is about pain. How fast you go is determined by how much you want to hurt."

The article was about bike racing but I think it applies to mtbing in general too. You really have to embrace/endure/enjoy a certain amount of pain if you want to be a mountain biker.

My wife does not like pain. Therefore it is really hard for me to get her on a mountain bike very often.

I'll put up with quite a bit of it to do the rides I want to do and get to the goods I want to ride.

 

[DaGoat]

There's good pain and not so good...

And there's training and there's racing...

While training it's one of the first things you mentally make note of; is this pain going to damage something. Lactic burn is one thing, trying to power through a cramp is another.

Yep, gotta constantly work to raise the threshold of that Pain Closet... Make it bigger and be able to sit in it in the darkest point... "Embrace" as I think someone said! As you work up the "stairs" I like to call them, you get tougher and tougher. If you don't embrace the only alternative is to revolt. That doesn't mean at times you don't need to back down and open the door of the closet just a crack and let in some light, but you have to be careful about letting your mind say you can't do it....

As Ken Chlober would say; "You're better than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can!"

That's a mantra I ride with in my head and I keep my eyes focused on my front tire during the darkest moments! :madman:

Then come race day it all becomes a blur.... pain, what pain? :thumbsup:

 

[Sarguy]

I think the adrenalin thing is right on. When I get back to my vehicle, load my bike, and drive home, that is when I feel the best. Before I picked up biking again, I was popping Motrin for every little ache and pain I had. I took it like it was vitamin M. I used to get headaches often, not anymore. Yes, the pain is there (mostly legs), but it feels more like - no pain, no gain.