Bring the Pain

Why is it that we voluntarily inflict pain upon ourselves?

The cycling time trial is one of those events that makes you ask that question. There you are, riding beyond the point of comfort, trying to cover a specified distance in the shortest amount of time possible. I would say that it's more about how much pain you can swallow than how fast you are. And apparently I think this kind of thing to be fun. I don't know what it is but there's something about pushing the pain threshold of your lungs and legs to point of complete exhaustion.