Ok, well I was talking to a dear friend of mine, Jeff Buhr, who trains in Kentucky and is himself, in his own right, a very talented athlete. He is also a very hard working guy, putting in an honest 40-45 hours a week of work, on top of living life like any normal single guy would- expecting to have some semblance of a social life amongst his hours of training. It is not quite Summer yet, and so to get in workouts sometimes, he needs to get up at 5 AM, or perhaps, wait until after work, to get a ride or run or swim in. Whether or not he is actually training for any race right now, he was asking me why he puts so much pressure on himself to get up early or go out into 0 degree weather to train, 12-15 hours a week, and he isn't even a "pro." I thought about it, and I started asking myself the same question. Why do we do this? Why do we train so hard as triathletes? What do we get if we train that extra hour, or wake up early, or sacrifice a night out with friends so that we can get a long weekend ride in? WHY? If we are not "pros"?
Because...
1. We are driven
2. We love to push our bodies to the limit
3. We are our own best coaches
4. We expect nothing less than our best
5. We are insane
6. We are successful people in our everyday lives
7. We have expectations
8. We love to feel strong, fit, and happy
9. We are good examples to our friends and family
10. We enjoy doing well at races
11. We are not drunks
12. We love spending money on things that make us more fit
13. We have friends that do the same things as we do
14. We love to sweat
15. We enjoy pain
16. We enjoy massages
17. We can't control our Type-A personalities
18. We want everyone to feel as good as we do
19. We think triathlon is a lifestyle
20. We love our lives
Get out there, be thankful that you have your health, and enjoy your next workout. You don't need to be Pro and workout as much as you do as any kind of athlete. If you enjoy being fit, be fit- and keep it up. You are a better friend, husband, wife, lover, co-worker, and/or person for it. Most of all, have fun. We only live once.
1 comment:
WOW, what was I doing all week? I should have read this on Monday and maybe I would have gotten out of bed two more days this week. I am inspired by my own ineptitude. You remain a true inspiration to me to get out and train and make this my lifestyle. I appreciate the compliments about my abilities. Let's remember that you are the true star.
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