Care to Share Personal Motivations?
Hi JOSers!
We're over 1/2 way done with the OS and wanted to break up my own perceived monoteny a little in our discussion forum. I was thinking about my own motivations and what I would say to someone if they asked me why I train so darn hard and how I stay motivated to work out and eat healthy. It's not like I make any money doing this or anything. I guess it's kind of like my hobby and a chosen way of life.
There are many reasons why I do what I do. For example, I love to race and compete. I love to push my body physically. This is a big one for me because I wasn't always able to do this due to chronic pain problems in my 20's & 30's. Overcoming that and then becoming a recreational triathlete is a huge accomplishment and I believe it helps when I counsel other people with chronic pain.
I love the feeling of being really fit and able to do all sorts of active things, not just swim/bike/run, but tri training helps to keep me strong overall. I like to think that my "hobby" sets a great example for my 3 little boys so that idea motivates me. Actually, when I need to reach deep for motivation my thoughts almost always go to my kids and wife and that seems to pull me through.
SO anyone care to share motivations?
Enrique
Comments
And there are some personal reasons, too. I won't bore you with the long list of people that I think of when I'm dragging or hurtin'. At least, not now, maybe sooner, maybe later.
But, bottom line...because today I can sweat, let's just see what happens!
The short answer is that my motivation results from two things:
1. Big goals
2. Being the kind of guy who's either "all in" or "not in".
Most people around here know my general story. I'm 5'5" and two and a half years ago weighed in at 205 lb. Not a good situation. So I got serious about eating better and started to take off some weight. About the same time my wife decided to take up running and do the Chicago Marathon. I did a bit of running and after seeing her get in shape for the marathon, I decided that the next summer I'd do the Chicago tri. For a guy in my shape at the time, this was a Big Goal.
In the spirit of being "all in", I decided to train hard and really try to perform at a high level. By the time the tri happened this story had been going on for 18 months and I was <150lb and finished in sub 2:30. So I was pretty psyched and decided to do an HIM the next year (last year, 2011). <br />
So, not surprisingly, I want "all in". I signed up for EN, set myself a stretch goal of sub-5:00 assuming reasonable conditions, and did the OS then the HIM plan. On race day I was 137 lb and ended up getting a 4:48.
This theme explains why I haven't done a marathon or put a full ironman on my list of stuff to do. The past two years I've signed up for the Chicago Marathon but have never been able to be "all in" on the training to make it a 'best possible performance'. And when I do an ironman someday, I want to crush it...and really don't have the time to be "all in" on the training that would require.
And few of you will now be surprised that being "all in" on managing my diet involves logging absolutely everything, and even traveling with a small digital scale to weigh things I can't estimate properly.
There are some other factors behind motvation, for example wanting to make sure I don't gain back lots of the weight I lost. Or the fact that the races are really, really fun. But the reality is that it is the goals and need to be all-in on what I'm doing that gets me out the door for those workouts.
Cheers,
Matt
@Chris - I like what you said
"There's no guarantee. So better get it done today. It will stop and come to an end one day, but, in the meantime, I'll forge on."
Thanks for sharing. Oh, and regarding your question about my chronic pain, I heard about Dr John Sarno at NY Rusk Institute who treated chronic pain patients differently. His approach is a little complex, but basically, if there's no serious condition (i.e. cancer, fracture, infection) then he says the pain is caused by repressed rage or other strong emotions. After years of trying all kinds of things including surgery, I drank the koolaid and recovered pretty quickly (< 1 month). I've been taking advantage of my pain-free body since. Hard to believe, but that's my story. And now via volunteerism/activism I help other people discover this for themselves, too.
@Matt - A VERY neat story! Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed learning a little more about you two!
Enrique
Awesome string, thanks!
I'm kind of in Chris' boat. My favorite quote is "Someday you may not be able to do this. Today is not that day." I guess I've overcome a few biggish (to me) things and seen a few lives lost too early or squandered and have simply made a decision to make the most out of mine.
Keep 'em coming OS peeps!
@Jenn - You're right. We only live once. Might as well make the most of it!!
Thanks for sharing!
For me, there's a whole lot of things at play.
1) I was a competitive lightweight rower in college. Have a 4th place finish at Nationals to my name. I did well. But, I was the guy who was cut multiple times my freshman year, I was always the shortest guy on the team, with the highest BF% (back when 9% was really high!), and basically a scrappy underdog. After college, I took 5 years to myself of total inactivity except for taking up karate, and got pretty out of shape (+35 pounds). Running got me back, but it was tri where I got to scratch my competitive itch again for the first time. I still feel like, athletically, I've got something to prove, though I crossed a big hurdle last year at AG Nationals.
2) the 'fix'. I do think I'm wired to need my fix of exercise endorphins daily. I get particularly grumpy when I haven't run/biked for a few days. My wife tells me I'm an easier person to be around when I've been working out.
3) the puzzle. Figuring out how to get the most out of myself has been a problem I haven't solved yet. Best race performance to date was in June 2009, HIM where I went sub-5 (first race inside EN). Since then, I've had a mix of some good/very good, some lackluster, and some WTF performances. Just when I think I might have this thing figured out, I realize I've still got a lot to learn. I like that.
4) my kids. I grew up and my dad was a jogger, intermittently. My whole life, one of our go-to conversations was about weight loss, as both of us have spent a good chunk of time in the BMI >25 space. I don't want that to be what I talk about with my kids. I want them to see that it can be really fun to live an active, healthy lifestyle, and I'd prefer if they didn't really know any other way. I was the kid who got up from the dinner table, and went to the cabinet for a package of Ring Dings! Love to change the tone of conversation.
@ Mike, great comments and I can relate to several of yours, particularly 2 through 4.
As for me, started swimming as an AGer, probably went year-round around 12 or 13. 11 workouts a week from them through end of college. Blessed to have had a successful swimming career @ NCAA Div I level. Decided to stop just swimming when the black line started to talk back to me during long sets. Did 3-4 races during summers in 88-89 (anyone else here old enough to remember the Bud Light USTS series ?!). That got me more or less hooked ... but several twists and turns along the way. Raced road races and crits in grad school, then had mixed levels of training, mostly weights and running from 93 until about 98. Form '98- '00 I had a job that ate my life with a a bad commute and 2 kids < 3, which ended up with a big loss of fitness and bog gain of weight ... major wakeup call.
Moved to a new state in '01, started a new job and went to work on S/B/R ... dropped about 35 lbs and have been more or less (=/- 10 lbs) in the same range since. 3x IM, 8 x 1/2IM, and countless other races later, still in the sport.
I do this because I love the endorphin rush, because I am trying to be an example to my kids of a fitness lifestyle (vs my dad who dropped dead of heart attack @ 60) and also because I like the feeling of being able to do most anything. The older I get (45 now), the more I see the value of sport over the long haul. Many of my contemporaries who don't make time for exercise (let alone pinning on a number and racing) are aging a lot faster than I want to.
Do what others wont, so that tomorrow you'll be able to do what others cannot, basically. If you want to have an active decade in your 60s, then keep moving in your 40s. As Al Truscott and some of the other super-vets here can attest, it seems to pay huge divideds.
Not sure that I'll always race tris. It might be more cycling or rock climbing or surfing or something new ... but I'm dedicated to at least keeping moving.
Love your story! I especially relate to the above quote. I just turned 43 and although I don't get carded anymore (haha) people still think I'm in my 30's. Living a super active and healthy lifestyle has its benefits doesn't it? Thanks for sharing.