I know this is kind of tricky to answer, but I'm having trouble differentiating between the normal burn caused from cycling and training vs a sign that I'm negatively hurting myself on the bike. I'm following a training plan for my first century and by the end of my long ride every week the tops and insides of one or both knees will really be aching and sometimes tingling a bit too as I make the last climbs.

This pain has occured in the past, particularly during the early season when I'm ramping things up. I've had IT band problems, but was able to resolve them, so I know it's not that. The guys I ride with tell me to push myself more on the hills, but I know that my time is limited until I feel this aching, so I try to ride up hills very conservatively. Other people tell me that it's just a matter of training enough so that my body gets used to the exertion. When I was having IT band problems last year, I had a professional bike fit done. Any thoughts/reactions? When the pros are wincing up the epic climbs, is this the kind of pain they're feeling??