In my last post, I wrote about the importance of "listening". . . to yourself as opposed to others.

In addition to listening, you must learn how to "feel". Whoa Josh, are you going all sappy on us? Seriously, I am speaking about the physical implications of transforming yourself. There will be pain, there may be injury (hopefully limited to small muscle pulls) and there will be suffering. I can remember that every time I began a new "weight-loss/workout program" over the years, how I entered it dreading the first couple of weeks. I would be sore, I would be tired, and usually . . . I would give up.

After I had been cycling a few months, fall weather was rolling in quickly. It wasn't long before the morning temperatures were in the 30's, then 20's, then so cold the digits didn't even matter. Day after day, I continued to drag myself out of bed around 5AM, spend 15-minutes layering up (I can't even begin to describe how many clothes I put on prior to riding) and out into to cold darkness I rolled. Many mornings, it was so cold, that my iPod would stop working within 5-minutes.

Even with multiple layers, including two pairs of gloves, I was no match for the negative windchill . . . Following a ride, I can very distinctly recall the feeling of luke warm water stinging my body in the shower, cringing every time I closed my hands as the wounds on my knuckles (already spilt and bleeding) would open up and seep, and the constant taste of blood on my tongue from the splits in my lips. I didn't look like a cyclist, I looked like a heavyweight in training for an upcoming bout. Co-workers thought I had joined a fight club.

Instead of letting the discomfort discourage me . . . I made a conscious decision that it would drive me. The pain would be a reminder of my ultimate mission. Now, don't get me wrong, I am far from a masochist, I do not enjoy pain. But, I focused on the goal at hand and the results I was beginning to see. In a few short months, I had gone from barely having the endurance to ride for 15-minutes, to daily rides in sub-zero windchill for an hour. I was making progress, if a pain and discomfort came with it, so be it.

Today those discomforts are long gone and the wounds have healed. As I progress towards new goals, I remind myself of the pain I felt, the discomfort, and how I allowed it to fuel me. Certainly, I could have given in like many times before, but I decided to use that energy, that "feeling" in a positive way, one with purpose, one that pushed me to continue.

Am I getting sappy on you again, no . . . well maybe a little.