Happy place, or grit your teeth?

[slidey]

How do you endure pain -
1. go to a happy place, or
2. combination of HTFU/Shut Up Legs/throw down mini challenges enroute
3. a combination of the two above?

I ask since I frequently find my gf telling me that she goes to her happy place when she's suffering (swimming/intense core exercises). On the other hand for the life of me, I can't even begin to fathom how she does it! I frequently opt for #2, and as a result the routine becomes just that, a routine, bereft of all fun.

What do you do, and how do you keep fun alive whilst riding?

[markie]

Ride with people faster than me and try and keep up. It is a real distraction from the pain focussing on keeping up.

[CaptStash]

A long time ago a coach told me that he likes to call it "discomfort" as opposed to "pain" because he felt it more accurately described the situation. I agree that it is a much better description. As a (now retired) rower, I spent a lot of time in my boat riding the edge between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which led to a lot of discomfort. I learned to listen to that, concentrate on it and pay attention to it. For me, the key was learining what I could tolerate without letting my form deteriorate, or my power diminish before the end of the piece (rowing lingo for the duration of the set, course what have you). The key for me was the change in attitude that came with conceptualizing discomfort over pain.

In cycling, I often train alone and follow the same formula of easing up to the limit and listening to my body. This has been particularly true while climbing, and has helped me become a (not great) but better than average climber, especially for a slightly chubby 52 yo dude. One of the keys for me has been the self knowledge of what certain levels of effort and discomfort feel like and that I was fine then, and will be fine now.

But that's just me. Hope that helps.

CaptStash....

[HenryA]

A long time ago a coach told me that he likes to call it "discomfort" as opposed to "pain" because he felt it more accurately described the situation. I agree that it is a much better description. As a (now retired) rower, I spent a lot of time in my boat riding the edge between aerobic and anaerobic exercise, which led to a lot of discomfort. I learned to listen to that, concentrate on it and pay attention to it. For me, the key was learining what I could tolerate without letting my form deteriorate, or my power diminish before the end of the piece (rowing lingo for the duration of the set, course what have you). The key for me was the change in attitude that came with conceptualizing discomfort over pain.

In cycling, I often train alone and follow the same formula of easing up to the limit and listening to my body. This has been particularly true while climbing, and has helped me become a (not great) but better than average climber, especially for a slightly chubby 52 yo dude. One of the keys for me has been the self knowledge of what certain levels of effort and discomfort feel like and that I was fine then, and will be fine now.

But that's just me. Hope that helps.

CaptStash....

I mostly avoid even discomfort now-a-days, but the above is pretty much how it works for me. And a lot of discomfort means you're trying hard. And that's good.

[aramis]

I got a power meter, it tells me when I need to htfu. I find if I concentrate on something- like spinning my legs and how they feel at certain power it lets me keep going. If I drift off in thought or think about my breathing, I slow down. I can't imagine happy place at truly hard effort.

[firerescuefin]

Is an aquired taste....and it has to be learned. I was an early adopter of Crossfit in the early 2000s...and the "real" positive affect it had on my cycling was to push my boundaries of suffering and discomfort...basically pushing that boundry further than I ever had before....so, for me, it wasn't going to a different place it was being in a place that seemed recognizable and therefore much less shocking/comfortable to deal with.

[KidWok]

I start breaking things down to see how much more I can get out of myself. Am I breathing well? Am I pedaling smoothly? Am I engaging my core? Etc...that usually keeps me distracted enough to not think about the pain.

Tai

[soulspinner]

Im a winced face tooth grinder:p

[witcombusa]

How do you endure pain -
1. go to a happy place, or
2. combination of HTFU/Shut Up Legs/throw down mini challenges enroute
3. a combination of the two above?

I ask since I frequently find my gf telling me that she goes to her happy place when she's suffering (swimming/intense core exercises). On the other hand for the life of me, I can't even begin to fathom how she does it! I frequently opt for #2, and as a result the routine becomes just that, a routine, bereft of all fun.

What do you do, and how do you keep fun alive whilst riding?

Seriously?

Why do you WANT to suffer at all?

Downshift a gear or two and enjoy the ride. Works every time.

[redir]

A long time ago a coach told me that he likes to call it "discomfort" as opposed to "pain" because he felt it more accurately described the situation. I agree that it is a much better description.

I have always thought this my self and am glad to see that it''s not just me. I never understood why people call it pain. Now having said that a muscle cramp is certainly painful but riding on the rivet trying to brake away or crest the top of a climb and not get dropped is not really painful just a form of suffering.

For me, on topic, going to a happy place would be really bad. I'd probably rather be in the happy place and just slow down. Instead I want to see the fires of hell! It also helps to see the suffering faces of your competitors so that you know you are really doling it out :)

[josephr]

if I'm riding with a group, I do the keep up thing too.....if I'm riding solo that day, the mini-challenges thing really helps especially if I'm on a short climb at the end of a long-flat...In my head, I'll count off strokes on the left side, on the right...etc....eventually they'll quiet down.
Joe

[SpeedyChix]

Focusing on breathing, form, relaxing (as possible) help to take the focus elsewhere. Being present is really key for me to get into/through the hard patches.

[bambam]

3=2+1

Start with aughh!!!
Then calm down in an internal cadence chant. My faves are: Willis-Burger, Cheese-Burger, Milk-Shake ,Ice-Cream, D-Q, Cold-Beer. But there are others.

I have use one or a combination of chants for at least 3 miles.

[jmoore]

On a hard climb, I focus on getting the next few pedals strokes turned over and on very deep breaths. It will be over soon enough.

Sometimes I stick my tongue out a la Voeckler.

[christian]

I can't disassociate from the discomfort. Just doesn't work; I just start losing pace immediately.

I have to bathe in it. Doesn't mean I like it. But if I'm "going" I need to be there all in.

[MattTuck]

Well, when I do 30 second max efforts, there's not enough time to worry about such things... all of your focus is about achieving maximum exertion.

On long hills, it is more of an evolution... some of the phases are: "I am doing this willingly??", "this is supposed to be fun??" "I paid how much for my bike in order to do this?"... but at some point this kind of rational thought goes out the window and you just HTFU, focus and get through it.

Not sure what a happy place is, but when riding on public roads or with other cyclists, I try to be as aware of my surroundings as possible even at the limit.

[MadRocketSci]

take a childbirth class

hee-hee-hoo.....hee-hee-hoo....