Pain, Discomfort, Deal
First the story, then the list.
I had a great ride today, 3 laps at Reagan Park. However I did have some hurdles to cross.
First, it was a little bit of a rough day. I know, I know…boo-hoo…get over yourself. Anyhow, I needed to find some focus and get on with my ride and make the best of it. So that’s what I did.
Next my bag broke, take it back to the car or end the ride. The better choice, let it pull down my jersey and deal with it. Robert does it all the time, every ride. I have never seen so much stuff in a jersey. It’s like watching a magician pull things from a hat when he unloads at the bike shop. Good thing as I was waiting to cross the street I heard a hissing sound. No need to look to far, staring back at me from the tire, a great big thorn. So I could leave it and hope to get back to the car but I decided to fix it. Laughing as all the air blew through hole the thorn left when I pulled it out. As I realized that I haven’t been to focused on my training and I wasn’t sure if I had a tube, let alone the right size. Ahhh…good fortune, the right size tube, tire levers and a couple CO2 canisters. So I take may time being sure to get it right and I do. I am fortunate to have a lot of practice with my line of work at Bike Authority.
So I move along finishing up my second lap, ready to be done honestly. And who do I see sitting there holding up a fence post…that’s right…BIG MIKE! So he convinced me to go on and ride with him. Now I have heard stories from Rudy about how fast he can ride ride but you really have to see it for yourself. He takes off like his a** is on fire. Once again, I start to laugh (I tend to do that a lot), wondering how bad it will hurt when hit a tree. Reagan Park is very tight. The smile quickly fades as I need to take in as much O2 as possible, it is starting to hurt, a lot. Just as I start to think if he would notice if I just turned around he came to a stop. Some saving grace, he is breathing as hard as I am. Now my turn, I know he is getting some rest because, well, I am just not as fast going through that stuff as he is. Again he takes the lead and I’m not ready to give up just yet. I calm down, smooth things out take control of my breathing. The rest of the ride was much more enjoyable. Until…
Until we get to the most fun section of the course a nice little down hill into a rhythm section. I’m in the lead at this point and wouldn’t know a bee flies into my helmet. As I am bouncing through the bumps, all technique is lost, I can feel him scratching around not able to escape. So I attempt to take off my helmet as quickly as possible, forgot to stop. And sure enough there’s that tree I was worried about earlier. Bang, boom, sting. I’m sure it was quite funny to watch. Mike was nice enough not to laugh to hard. Though he has always liked to look at me like he’s annoyed that I am such a fool sometimes. I got that look.
We made our way back and I decided to keep riding to finish the third loop. A much more comfortable pace. I could feel the swelling settle into the left side of my face as I bounced over the roots. This brought back memories of when I used to race and how I kept a much faster more intense pace. Pain is a sensation that our body experience to warn us that something may be injuring us. Once you have determined no damage is being done it is just discomfort. Discomfort can be dealt with. The more often you deal with it the less you notice it. That my friends is how you go fast, turning pain to discomfort, and discomfort into something that doesn’t exist for you.
Strategies:
1. Stress. Breathing, meditation, and self talk exercise are all good strategies to use before a workout after a stressful day.
2. Mechanical Failure. Take your time and fix the problem right the first time. Getting back to the workout 30 seconds sooner is not going to make much of a difference in the big picture. Missing the remainder of the workout because you rushed and pinched a tube or some other mistake, you loose the day. But what the heck, rest is good too.
3. Starting or Going to Hard. Relax, breath deep and bring your heart rate down. Breathing control and relaxing body scan are good ways to bring yourself back to pace. Hyperventilate and then stop for a rest, you just put yourself into a state that could take days to recover from.
Remember these are strategies for focus and not motivation or pacing. If you have any questions about the techniques let me know.
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