ADDICTED TO PAIN?

LATELY I'VE NOTICED A NEW HABIT OR TENDENCY IN MY APPROACH TO THINGS.  If there's a way to make it more uncomfortable I'll do it.  And, it feels great.  For example, I've been rolling out very underdressed lately...

... just a jersey and bibs in the 40s.

Or, walking barefoot across very sharp rocks vs the smooth path.

I wasn't really conscious of this until yesterday.  After an extremely hot bath, akin to a smoking hot sauna, I rose and turned the shower on pure cold...

... it took my breath away, WimHoff style...

... deep, rapid breathing went on for at least 2 minutes.

Truth be told, I think we can get too comfortable.  Overbundled in the cold, overairconditioned in the heat.

It's not good.

Racing can go sideway real fast.  At altitude, the weather can dramatically shift in minutes.  We can travel to an unfamiliar locale and bring all the wrong gear.  And so on...

... the point being we need to train for the bad situations.  We don't want them, but we want to be ready for them... knowing most of our competitors won't be prepared, we can thrive when the situation becomes misearable.

Riding through that cold on 1/1 in just my jersey while my pals were bundled up I wasn't concerned.  I knew in an hour it'd be warmer.  Instead I concentrated on feeling heat in my hands and feet.  It's weird, but with practice I seem to be getting better at it.

What does walking on sharp rocks have to do with bike racing?  Not much, except gaining confidence at handling adversity.  

But, the hothot bath to chilly shower tied it all together...

... I felt damn alive!

It was invigorating to say the least.

After I went to work on my latest creation which should be ready for primetime in a few more days.

In the meantime, if you're inspired at all to start or finish in the cold and dark...

 https://pedalindustries.com/collections/all-lights

Use promo code: LIGHTS

 https://pedalindustries.com/collections/all-lights

---

165
Stretch HyperVolt
7.5 hrs
https://www.strava.com/activities/4562945088