I Survived My First “Paincation.” Here’s How.

What Happened on My First “Paincation” Jason Speakman, Men's Health Illustration "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links. " “GET IT TO 100,” Coach says, as factually as if he were saying “we're parked in row B-11. ” I was on my bike, he was riding next to me, and that part of the workout involved doing the next 3 miles at 100 RPMs.

I was at 97. “Get it to 100. ” No yelling, no cajoling.

Just a fact: Get it there. Also a fact: I was far out of my comfort zone—usually a tougher gear at a slower (and less efficient) cadence—and was secretly hating every RPM. So went day 5 of my 5-day Paincation, AKA triathlon camp in Clermont, FL, with coach Robert Peninno, who runs Terrier Fitness and Roads Less Cycled .

It was a kind of warmup to the “real” Paincation—an Ironman 70. 3 triathlon in Maryland this summer—that my best friends and training buddies had FOMO’d me into. Warmup or not, I’d still bought into the trend of spending a bunch of money to spend a bunch of days to suffer with a bunch of people who’d done the same thing.