WonderMonkey

The more I bike the more routes I gather. I have various forms of commutes, long (for me) rides, hour exercise ones, and a pain route.

My pain route is around 10.5 miles long and it has rolling hills that mostly decline on the way out and therefore mostly incline on the way back and at the half way point there is a significant long hill to go down followed by an immediate steep hill back up. I've started doing this route as hard as I can to push myself and see how fast I can get it done. On the way out I use the downward trending elevation to keep my speed as high as I can then when I hit the big hill I go up it as fast as my burning legs and lungs allow me to. From that the ride home is nothing more than to see how much I can stand to deal with the pain on the rolling hills.

Last night when I got home I was destroyed. It felt great.

lakkdainen

Good job! I saw this quote here somewhere: "Pain is the feeling of weakness leaving the body."

poperszky

Pain lets you know you are alive. I have an 8 miler near my house that is my pain route. 2 miles extreme down hill, followed by 4 miles of regaining that altitude plus, then a final 2 miles of rolling hills back to my house. My goal is to do it without stopping and heaving my guts out along side the road.

TrojanHorse

I accidentally found a route like that the other day... I went up this HUGE hill by my house and down the backside and wasn't ready to tackle it again to get back home, so I turned right to go the long way home and.... that hill was far worse.

I haven't done it again yet but it remains there, lurking, taunting me...

WonderMonkey

It also may leave you text messages and kick your dog when you let it out at night.

TrojanHorse

It better not kick my dog, she's only a 4 month old puppy! This was at 3 months.

WonderMonkey

Then I suggest you assert your dominance over that pain route.