Ross,
Wow. Iām glad to be here in Sufferlandria with folks like you.
HOOYAH to you Sir!!
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Thanks for your kind words. One of my surgical complications meant running was not an option for me. The muscles supplying one of my vocal cords had its nerve supply damaged, it meant being breathless and upright it obstructed my airway a bit. I could run, but not fast. I wasnāt content with being a āplodderā and fortunately the bent head position in cycling meant it wasnāt an issue. This is why I became a cyclist.
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When I remember why I suffer, the way it feels to nail a hard workout should be included. Winning a race no doubt is even better but, as Iām not a racer, the reward of a PR in a Suf workout or on a climb outside feels pretty damn good. TBTITW really felt like that today. Thereās still life in this almost 74 year old body!
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John,
Iām sure thereās plenty left in that tank!!!
Hooyah!!!
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I suffer for fitness, mainly. Also to try to and keep up with my older brother (who introduced me to Sufferlandria). We were supposed to āraceā against each other this year at an IM but the event was cancelled (lucky for me, I think) - next year it will all go down!
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Suffer for fitness, self-improvement, and the eternal question: How good can I be?
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Kelly as Great as you Want!
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Embo I was thinking that today when I got on the bike to do AVDP this morning. I went and nailed it, now the possibilities in my mind are endless.
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I mostly suffer to beat my ass today and kick yours tomorrow 
As Daft Punk said, I do it to become Harder Better Faster Stronger (Official Video) - YouTube
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAjR4_CbPpQ)
And sometimes only to see our favorite yoga teacher Abi (
)
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StƩphane,
Abiās Yoga is the secret of my recovery during my ToS Challenge, not to mention keeping this Old KoS Rocken! 
Keep Suffering!!!
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Nice, I was asking myself this questions.
Why do others suffer? What is their true Mt. Sufferlandria?
I got a some answers here. Thanks
For me, itās self-improvement (health, physically and mentally) and push my limits and have fun doing it.
And yes the yoga with Abi 
and strength make it a great addition to the fun experience to keep me far away of Couchlandria
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I began suffering 3 weeks ago with my sights set on doing a single day 140 mile endurance ride in late June 2021.
This became became my personal
Mount Sufferlandria ā¦
While Iāve done a fair amount of centuries in the past Iāve discovered that afterwards I struggle with a strange emptiness when the challenge has passed and the excitement has faded. So this time around Iāve decided to switch gears pardon the pun. While I still have the big ride in my plans, my objective now is to see how good of a cyclist I can become so thereās more rewards other than than single day of glory. Cheers to cycling
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Staying healthy and my Mt. Sufferlandria is Paris-Brest-Paris in 2023 
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As a kid I liked riding my bike and watching the TDF, but we lived in a hilly area and I only had a fixie, so it was hard to ride anywhere except for the one block I lived on. So instead I played sports and in high school I became a runner. After spending my early adult life being unhealthy and overweight, I tore a disc in my back and itās plagued me ever since. And after that I slid into being overweight and was diagnosed with sleep apnea. And it was while I was a couple years into my back treatments that my doctor warned me that I was only a couple pounds away from being labeled as obese.
At first I started to walk and lost a little weight. A couple years later my wife and I started to lose more weight and I started to run again. I fell back in love with running and got into what was then the best shape of my adult life. However, if I run, but donāt do enough core exercises, my back will go out and Iāll end up lying around for 2-3 weeks. I tend to be very unmotivated to do those exercises. After the birth of my second child I was tired and unmotivated and quit racing and largely quit running and allowed myself to slip back into being out of shape.
Around that time my dad began becoming noticeably old even tho he was in great physical shape from riding his bike and running. He was eventually diagnosed with PSP - one of many untreatable and incurable Atypical Parkinsonism syndromes - which is a neurodegenerative disease similar to Parkinsonās Disease and ALS. In just 2 years he went from running a half marathon and riding 3-4 hours in the mountains to using a walker or a cane and losing his balance and falling at least once a month. He was only 2-3 years into his retirement. He had bought his dream titanium bike that he used to do long mountain rides. Once it was clear he would never be able to ride it again, he gave it to me.
I didnāt know what to do with it, but I accepted it very gratefully. It was amazing compared to the heavy steel/aluminum bikes I rode as a kid. It sat in my garage for a year. But, I after that year I felt horrible that my dad had given me his dream bike and it was just collecting dust in my garage. I felt I needed to really do something with this bike. So, with my dadās health continuing to decline I decided I needed to figure out what to do with it. Being a runner, I decided to look for some duathlons to participate in. I didnāt find any good ones, but I did find a number of local triathlons. And so a dream was born. A dream to honor my dad with the bike that he gave me.
My wife had purchased a second-hand bike trainer for $20 5 years before when she competed in a single recreational triathlon. So, I began using that during the week and then riding outside on the weekends. I went to the gym and began to swim 2 and then 3 days a week. I found that the additional core and upper body exercise I got from the swimming and the low-impact workouts I got from cycling were a perfect complement to my running which I could then do less often. This helped improve the condition of my back immeasurably. I havenāt had any major back issues since starting triathlon, and I have been in the best shape of my life.
So, I joined the local triathlon club and I competed in 5 sprint triathlons in 2019. I ran my 13th half marathon in Nov of 2019. I completed my first ever marathon in March of this year with the plan to do my first Olympic Triathlon in May and another marathon in Nov. This was all on a progression to eventually complete a 70.3 tri with a full Ironman being my Mt Sufferlandria. The rest of those plans, however, were completely derailed because of Covid.
I had seen The Sufferfest in a number of GCN videos over the past couple years, so in April with the lockdowns I decided to give it a try. Iāve since fallen in love with the SUF style of suffering. I was in reasonable bicycle shape since I had been riding for the previous 2 years, however I was mostly a long-distance time trialist because as a novice rider I was planning my own workouts. The Sufferfest has increased my bicycle fitness immensely. Iāve completed a metric century and a full 100 mile century ride on my bike trainer while riding along to SUF videos.
So why do I suffer? I suffer for my dad. My dad is suffering day-in and day-out from PSP whether he wants to or not. He is no longer able to do the things he loved. Through him Iāve re-discovered my own love of riding. When I ran I ran to live a longer and healthier life for me, my wife, and kids. When I suffer on my bike I also ride for my dad. Because Iām riding his bike. And because of his suffering. For my Knighthood attempt next month I am fundraising for Cure PSP. Even tho it is likely too late for and fundraising to help him, at least the money raised in his name can help future sufferers suffer less. Because while suffering on a bicycle is a choice, suffering from incurable diseases isnāt.
I didnāt intend to write this much, but too often, as I write, the words and details just pour out of me. Anyway, this is why I suffer.
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Those are AMaSUFFERING Views
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Evan,
HOOYAH!!! to your Father and You!!! This is why Suferlandria is so AMaSUFFERING. Your passage is inspirational and your Father must be overjoyed with his titanium bike being part of your Quest and Life. You will do Great on your Knighthood Quest!!!
Salute!
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@SirShrek Thank you!
Today I did Blender as part of the KOS training plan. A week or so ago I was looking for the workout that ended with the video clip from the Davis Phinney Foundation, but could never find it. Well, Blender is it. It may be about Parkinsonās Disease proper which is similar, but not the same as what my dad has, but most PD foundations cover Atypical Parkinsonism syndromes, as well.
The first time I rode Blender Iām pretty sure I bawled thru most of that video as I thought of my dad. Although, Iām sure having just finished Blender may have had almost as much to do with it, but anywayā¦ So, how appropriate was it that today as I rode 5 workouts as part of the KOS training plan that Iām doing to honor my dad, this workout was the second one on the list? Total coincidence, but oh so appropriate. I would include it in my KOS playlist except that itās 1:42 long, and the most appropriate place to put it in my playlist would be last. If I even survived it as my last workout, I would be a sobbing puddle of pain shake on the floor afterward. But, at least I got to āenjoyā it as part of the KOS training plan just two weeks before my KOS attempt. 
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Because Iām now in my 50s and wish to enjoy the next few decades as actively as possible. Too many people seem to just give up their fitness in middle age and accept the inevitable consequences. But several oldies I know (70s and even 80s) are actually still fitter and stronger than an average 30 or 40 year old. Itās not about living forever, itās about maintaining your quality of life for as long as possible. Suffering on the trainer is nothing compared to real suffering later on if you donāt. Plus I want to kick my friends asses on the bike
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I suffer today to make my future self happy.
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