Pain

Remember the old saying, " No Pain No Gain." Or "Pain is Great!" While coaches these days argue that there is no good pain, I do feel the meaning in those expressions. For example, today while running my 9th hill repeat at a faster pace than the first 8, I had some discomfort that one might call pain. It was mostly just a kick ass workout that hurt. But pain is the word that has been used over time to describe the feeling at these moments. I think we triathletes, all athletes for that matter enjoy this feeling. In part, it was why we do it. At least, it is why I do it. I love that feeling you get towards the end of a workout when the muscles are aching and the heart is beating hard. You have to reach down deep and push yourself past the desire to stop. You "die another day" as Madonna sings to me on my MP3. I love that rush. That "pain."

But "bad pain," now, that is not so fun. I don't get any satisfaction from working through that. You see, today wasn't quite as glorious on my new ride. ( sorry...she's still waiting for a name) Don't get me wrong, I love my zippy little lady and she's going to help me achieve my goals this season. Buy Oh MY God, there has to be an answer to this saddle issue!!! Ladies help me! It just flat out hurts to sit on something that hard and in that position for that long! I find myself sitting up and standing up just to get a small dose of relief. Is there some magic bike seat out there that allows those ladies to ride for 6 hrs in an Ironman without permanently destroying critical soft tissue? This I feel, is Not good pain!