Originally Posted by
Walter S
Isn't it odd? I get these looks too, like they don't believe that I actually enjoy it. I must be lying when I say that riding in the rain is not that bad. The assumption seems to be that I have some kind of love for self torture that I won't admit to. They're not about to fall for my line of bull about how I'm having fun.
Well the difference between a person that makes that assumption (masochism), and yourself (and me), is that presumably you enjoy physical challenges. And they do not.
When I first started biking 2 years ago, I was 30-40 lbs. overweight, mostly sedentary, with some atrophy in my legs (type 2 Diabetic.. which really hurts when you need carbs for intense biking). My commute was 120+ mins. over some big hills. It was extremely grueling. So I was suffering far more than anyone could observe or assume. But I enjoy physical challenges so I had no psychological resistance to commuting by bike.. regardless of weather or other conditions. One of the obstacles that people don't realize in biking, or any physical exercising/training, is the effect of the subconscious. For example, I could do crunches or weightlift easier just by closing my eyes. The same with biking uphill (although not a good idea with a lot of traffic lol). Instead of the subconscious telling you that you're biking up that entire hill "at once", you can just focus on each push of your legs and exist in the moment; present time.