The secret of any endurance sport is being comfortable with discomfort. This, of course, will come as no revelation to any serious runner or cyclist. Once the difficult ride is over and the Advil and Mineral Ice are applied, the pain usually quietly and quickly exits the legs and the warm glow of soreness is all that is left as a reminder of the day's ride. This soreness stays with the rider for the rest of the day.
This soreness feeds our soul. as the helmet is removed and turned over, the gloves and Oakleys tossed inside, and the straps hung on the drops.
The soreness lingers all day. It reminds me of today's ride as I walk through Dillon's shopping for bananas and whole grain pasta. It reminds me to stop at two handfulls of Cheezits instead of half a box. The soreness smiles as my friends complain that they don't have any time to work out. Once home, the soreness wanes as the massage stick comes out. Or the compression socks go one. Or the Advil bottle is opened.
It lingers until the next day when we don the bibs, click into the pedals, and head out on the next ride.
