Late Fall and Winter tend to kick the general pain and discomfort up a notch. There is something noticeably different about this year, I'm not really bothered by it. If I pause and think about it, yeah, I hurt. But where in the past it was at the front of my mind and I had to actively work past it, right now its in the background.
I've been thinking about what has changed. It might be an unforeseen side effect of my crazy bike rides? I willingly put myself through some physically and mentally hellish rides this past year...I think they helped. To get through some of the rides I had to put the pain and fatigue in the back of my mind and focus on pedaling forward. At the time I questioned why I was doing this to myself. It certainly was risky to push my body to that extreme, but it seems to have helped me learn how to better deal with my chronic pain and fatigue. I asked my doctor about doing rides like the Crusher and whether they were bad for me. I probably should've asked beforehand, but I was afraid he might say yes they were bad. He just told me to listen to my body, it'll let me know if I'm overdoing it.
I've made plans for an even more challenging year in 2012. A 50+ mile snow bike ride, the Iron Horse Classic, Crusher in the Tushar, LOTOJA if I can get in again, and all the training rides in between. Hopefully I don't find my physical limit any time soon.
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