Originally Posted by
jwalther
I find it difficult to ride at anything less than maximum effort. More often than not, that involves discomfort, if not pain.
How can you do this unless you only ride a couple of times a week. I assume you are over 50. I've seen young racer burn out riding hard most all the time. If not physical injury there is usually mental burn out and often real physical "over training" that requires long periods off the bike or just tooling around to recover from. I'm 68 and riding still means "suffering" a couple of times a week to be fun and have meaning and always the hope of getting better or at least slowing down getting worse! But if I'm hammering every time on the bike I will spiral downward. BTW I think there is "good suffering" when you are fit and riding well and "bad suffering" when you are not. In both cases you are hurting but one is controlled and satisfied with the results and the other you feel like the victim of others efforts-"sometimes you are the hammer and sometime the nail"
