A Strange Soreness

Sometimes the best training comes unexpected. I've struggled all week with leg soreness. This despite a training regemine that included only endurance and tempo riding. This type of riding should NOT leave me sore.

It's been a strange soreness. Not the usual achy soreness one gets when overreaching in the gym or on on the bike. It ONLY occurred during riding, starting out very intense and slowly lessening as the ride went on. Ten minutes after riding all the pain was gone.

This was the ultimate in frustration. The pain made me want to tank my rides. How could I meow out of tempo ride? That's just weak. When doing heavy training you expect - and are prepared - to put aside that "quit" emotion. I was not prepared for that this week.

Quitting wasn't going to happen. I showed no symptoms of overtaining or muscle damage, so I trained right through it. Even though it hurt. It worked out OK.

Today, it came together. The legs were snappy and sore-free. Better. I felt stronger today than I have in a long time, too. Haven't done any thing to mitigate the soreness, but it's gone. And I'm happy about that!

Tomorrow it's a road trip up north to the hill country for some hill repeat intervals. Now that, I expect, will leave me with some pain!