Suffering
This past week was physically intense. I pedaled more than 175 miles in conformance with
a training regime sufficiently rigorous (supposedly) to enable someone (like me) to
complete a cycling “Century.” OK. Maybe.
Hope so.
I’m feeling kinda beat up right about now.
And there were the Olympics.
Say what you will, at some point, in some event, some human being is
gonna blow your mind.
Grooving on Wheaties and Olympics programming, I cycled
quite a bit this week. Enough, actually,
to suffer saddle sores. I had hit the
end stage of an 8-week training program to prepare for a “Century” (a 100-mile
bicycle excursion). According to this
plan, I was ready to complete a Century when I completed my 74-mile romp. I have my doubts.
Given that I started cycling so early this season (early
March), I’ve actually got the time to embark on a second training cycle! I intend to peak with an 85-mile romp at the
end of the two-month plan. But, truth be
told, the long rides don’t interest me as much anymore. I already know I can survive them. I’m gonna focus my attention on
suffering.
That sounds strange, I know.
But that’s exactly what I wanna do.
Folks who’ve trained to run marathons, triathlons or
centuries can attest to the importance of raising one’s “lactate threshold” and
VO2 max. This is where the suffering
comes in. If one is to become faster,
stronger and fierce, then one must suffer.
One must suffer through lung-bursting “intervals” that take your heart
rate to its maximum.
It’s a weird/scary feeling...to hit your maximum heart rate...to float
there...only to collapse physically moments later.
There are the “tempo” runs/rides that keep the heart pumping
near the level at which muscle cells and mitochondria scream “No mas!” and
self-destruct by drowning in lactic acid.
If you want to improve as an endurance athlete, you must
suffer.
I contend that the very best endurance athletes endure
suffering better than most. True
champions can “out suffer’ their competition. It’s the suffering that leads to perfection.
I can riff on this metaphor...
A whole lot.
* * *
posted by Jonas | 8/13/2012 12:20:00 AM
6 Comments:
Jonas,I think you can do it, you've got guts and grit. I suggest you get the July 23 New Yorker magazine which has an article about marathon runners, especially Alberto Salazar written by Malcolm Gladwell. It's about training and pushing past your threshhold. It sounds much like what you're doing and offers different perspectives.
I'm impressed Jonas. Suffer on my man. Suffer on! For the love of it, yes? So much better than the alternative.
Thank you, June, for your support! Actually, I'm pretty sure I can do a Century. I've long contended that, despite all the physiological mumbo-jumbo, the core training goal for a Century revolves around toughening up the butt. My butt's getting pretty tough.
I loved that Gladwell piece! I've been a runner pretty much my whole adult life and, as a consequence, am well aware of the personal stories of the icons of the sport. Alberto Salazar was a hero of mine.
There's a whole lot more to this "pain=pleasure" meme. I can't even begin to wrap my mind around all the thoughts swirling inside this skull of mine. I've got more to say but, right now, I got too many words.
Yes, indeed, Annie. We choose to suffer for the love of it.
Life is suffering. And I do believe, for me at least, that pain is (or at least can be) pleasure.
Wishing you lots of glorious suffering. :)
Thanks, Anna! "Glorious Suffering" is a good term. As I mentioned in my comment above, my mind has been all over a myriad of variations on the meaning of pain. Pain, as in an injury, is abject suffering. Pain endured, embraced in the pursuit of some greater meaning/experience can, indeed, be rightfully deemed "glorious suffering."
You can definitely do it. You certainly have the wherewithall. Peddle on!
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