Tired

 

Finish most of your rides feeling like you could still keep going. I remember this advice from one of the first cycling training books that I read close to 25 years ago. It made an impression on me mostly because I always rode as hard and as long as I could every single time I went out. Yes, I was young and naïve. But also, growing up, I learned that I should always try my best. And if I still had something left when I finished, to me it meant that I hadn’t tried my best. Today, even if I don’t train anymore, I still often have a hard time knowing when to say when. I often have a tendency to overdo it. Part of it is fear of missing out, not wanting to waste an opportunity to ride. Mostly though, I just get caught up in the moment. I get carried away. I’m just enjoying it too much. Foolishly in love with riding bikes. Lingering fatigue. Waking up tired and sore day after day. Modern society has a very dysfunctional relationship with fatigue. It doesn’t have much patience for it. It’s always trying to find a quick fix. Coffee. Sugary snacks. Energy drinks. Commonly accepted artificial ways of dealing with our chronic lethargy. Tricks to enable our bodies to keep going and going. Fatigue is often synonymous with weakness. Our bodies communicate with us constantly. Taught to focus on the external, we ignore it. Meditation is slowly teaching me to honor my lack of energy and stop fighting it. But for some reason, this lesson is such a very hard one for me to learn. How healthy is your relationship with fatigue?