Suffering

[scott43]

You're not paining enough.

And I certainly ain't gaining enough!!!

 

[tball]

TL/DR
No pain no gain?

No, I don't think that's it for most folks.

It's more deciding to do something difficult, training for it, then accomplishing the goal. A difficult challenge is different for everyone. No need to judge ourselves against elite athletes.

Watch a local triathlon. A considerable percentage of the athletes don't look like triathletes, and many are doing their first race. Good for them!

 

[crgildart]

No, I don't think that's it for most folks.

It's more deciding to do something difficult, training for it, then accomplishing the goal. A difficult challenge is different for everyone. No need to judge ourselves against elite athletes.

Watch a local triathlon. A considerable percentage of the athletes don't look like triathletes, and many are doing their first race. Good for them!

Oh I have several friends who fall in to that category, cancer survivors, morbidly obese people who are making an effort to prolong their life expectancy and quality., etc. My point is that if it's only done to the level of some fun but with very little sacrifice (sweat and exhaustion) progress towards those objectives will be minimal instead of productive..

 

[Bill Talbot]

Oh I have several friends who fall in to that category, cancer survivors, morbidly obese people who are making an effort to prolong their life expectancy and quality., etc. My point is that if it's only done to the level of some fun but with very little sacrifice (sweat and exhaustion) progress towards those objectives will be minimal instead of productive..

No, if they enjoy it they might actually continue and become healthier people. That is productive.
Your comment reminds me of the classic new skier with friends that have skied all their lives. They bring them 'up top' and practically guarantee that they will never ski again.
Eight pages of the conquest of pain. That's not what I call fun or why I ride (and ski).

 

[Tom K.]

Watch a local triathlon. A considerable percentage of the athletes don't look like triathletes, and many are doing their first race. Good for them!

Every race I do has "competers" and "completers".

The older I get, the more I appreciate -- and sometimes envy -- the "completers" approach!

 

[slow-line-fast]

Who here hasn't gone out on a ride, spent all your cookies, and then had to endure the long death march home? Thats suffering.

That’s what suffering means to me. Type 2 fun (not fun at the time, but something that seems more positive in retrospect). I don’t seek out suffering, but accept that when planning a tour that is challenging and/or interesting for me, there is a modest chance of suffering. When suffering does happen, it’s good mental training

 

[crgildart]

No, if they enjoy it they might actually continue and become healthier people. That is productive.
Your comment reminds me of the classic new skier with friends that have skied all their lives. They bring them 'up top' and practically guarantee that they will never ski again.
Eight pages of the conquest of pain. That's not what I call fun or why I ride (and ski).

It is indeed like skiing.. You have to push out of your comfort zone to make significant improvements. Sure, you can just chugh along at a comfortable level for you, but the progress overall will be slower than if you push a little or a lot harder sometimes..

 

[crosscountry]

It is indeed like skiing.. You have to push out of your comfort zone to make significant improvements. Sure, you can just chugh along at a comfortable level for you, but the progress overall will be slower than if you push a little or a lot harder sometimes..

Don't get the obsession of "significant improvement". So what if "the progress overall will be slower"? It's not a job after all.

The real reason people "suffer" (apart from poor planning) is the elation of overcoming. Some people enjoy it and purposely want more. Others don't and will avoid it as much as they can. (plus every level in between)

So if you "enjoy" suffering, by all means. But those who don't will just shake their head as you flying by huffing and puffing.

 

[crgildart]

Don't get the obsession of "significant improvement". So what if "the progress overall will be slower"? It's not a job after all.

The real reason people "suffer" (apart from poor planning) is the elation of overcoming. Some people enjoy it and purposely want more. Others don't and will avoid it as much as they can. (plus every level in between)

So if you "enjoy" suffering, by all means. But those who don't will just shake their head as you flying by huffing and puffing.

Oh I'm pretty happy with my overall skill level. The endurance leaves plenty to be desired though. I'm only comfortable skiing for between 2 and 3 hours these days. Haven't been on a 10 mile hike or 20 mile ride in over 5 years. I have no misconceptions that if I were to desire improvement there it won't come with some discomfort..

And I'm definitely far from that person who's legit dysfunctional with their level of training and workouts... You know, the folks who are so afraid of being fat or even a little out of shape that they are ALWAYS working out??

Those are mixed in among the "competors" but it's definitely not all of them, only a few that really do go overboard at levels equally unhealthy to doing nothing..