Rest.

I have been resting for 2 years LOL:-)

go for the Maui trip! you deserve it.

+1 to the Maui trip. If that doesn't help, it's time to retire ;)

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

Well I am not in any shape to go to Maui, I haven't trained in 2 years. Plus time and money would be an issue. So besides the Maui trip??

I think about how I might feel if I decide not to train...if I feel like I would be upset with myself if I don't do the workout, I do the workout. If I feel like I'd be okay with not doing the workout, I take it as my body telling me I need rest. I also think about how much I love my bike and how I'll be sad if I don't go as fast as I would like to in the summer if I don't get my butt in gear now. :) Plus, I am currently in better shape than my hubby so that is something I want to maintain. Finally, I remember that my first Ironman is in 40 weeks and I really want to finish!

Do you have any goals set? Two years is less time than I was off (chronic knee problems for ~ 4 years) and when I decided that I was ready to get back into it I decided that I was just going to go for a big goal right off the bat and sign up for Ironman. I don't know if it's the right thing for me to do but it's sure been huge motivation to get my ass in gear. I think it's easier to find motivation if you have something to work toward. If it's too much to set a long-term goal, try a goal for the day or the week and give yourself small rewards along the way.

Putting on my jeans... then having to put on my FAT jeans cuz my skinny ones are too tight.

Either that or a major race-goal.

I fight with this all the time. For me, I have to give myself permission to just go out and have a fun swim/ride/run, that has NOTHING to do with training. I find a few of those sessions helps get me back on track. Since you've had a two year layoff, you may need to seek something bigger, bigger than the sport even. Think: "I want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro" or "I want to hike the Grand Canyon, rim to rim to rim".

Maybe find a new sport even?

Good luck... and nice to hear from you again!

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

I'm with Andy on the jeans thing. That and the scale. I'm up about 6 pounds from IMC and it's not where I want to be. My fat pants are still a little loose, but my skinny pant are a little snug. I want the skinny pants to fit comfortably.

Thinking of the scale # made me get on the trainer this morning for 45 minutes. I hate the trainer, but guess what? It actually felt OK and I was so glad I did it.

I took about 2 years off as well and hated how I looked and felt. It's tough to get back at it, but I love how it feels to be in shape. The "fat" feeling is still pretty fresh in my mind as well and I don't want to go back to it and that is what motivates me right now.

-Reading a good book about a character (fiction or nonfiction) who does great things (athletic or not)
-A clean, properly working bike
-New running shoes
-A deal with myself, "if you run x miles, you can buy that shirt you like"
-Tracking workouts (when you look back you can't help but be a little proud)
-Coaching/teaching beginners/children

Good luck with your return from training hiatus!

I think that motivation is all about knowing what you want and doing the things that will get you there.

For me, it's all about wanting to win. That's what I think about every single time that I get on the trainer, every interval that I'm trying to finish ...
I rarely lack for motivation ;)

I WAS really pretty bummed after this summer, though. Totally felt like I'd lost that drive. Then I did a race totally for fun. Got my a$$ kicked like you wouldn't believe but WOW! It sure reminded me of the joy that there is to be found in competing and how much I really love to be out there.

Lots of other people are more motivated to be healthy, to be involved in the social scene ... whatever. I think you have to make a plan and pick workouts that support whatever goals you have and then you'll be happy to do them.

One really good piece of advice that I read a long time ago about starting back up after a break is to "start from where you are". Aim to make tomorrow better than today. Trying to compare to where you were a month, a year, whatever ago is endlessly frustrating. By the same token, the massive, quick progress that you can make from being totally out of shape to being an athlete again is just awesome. Our bodies are amazing things!

Hope you find something that makes you happy!!

Miranda

I'm with them on the jeans. And racing and getting my ass kicked. even if it's just a 5K or 10K. When it either hurts and you're barely moving or you realize you just don't have that extra gear.

or finding a hottie to chase around the roads on a bike works well too.

• I think about how crappy I'll feel if I don't go for a run. I always get angry with myself if I don't get a workout done and so now I rarely miss one. I'll cut them short but I don't miss them altogether.
• I'll get myself a new pair of running shoes, new training clothes, something that I look forward to using.
• I will also put on my running clothes so that I feel like an idiot if I don't get up and go.
• Goals are a huge part of what keeps me long term motivated. Training to lose weight not as much. Training for a race, very much.
• I have to see a clear link between what I am doing and how it will get me where I want to go.
• Having a coach makes a huge difference for me.

As you can see, it isn't one thing that does it every time but the above list is what gets me out the door.

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

Obsessive compulsion.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

Thanks for all the responses. I realize that starting where I am at is the key. It is however pretty hard!!!!

Yes, the "start from where you are" concept is a hard one to wrap your mind around when you've been in great shape in the past. I'm coming off of a badly broken leg and am frustrated because my running was the best it had ever been right before I broke it. Now I'm happy if I can run 15 minutes without it hurting enough to make me stop. So setting goals has helped immensely but I realize I'm not a point where I can go out and set Ironman goals. So it's smaller stuff that I can achieve and be proud of - things like getting up and running with my husband in the morning even if it means I get "dropped" after 15 minutes. Just getting up and out there for 15 minutes is something I should be proud of now.

And since I'm in crappy tri shape right now I'm trying to set some other goals that aren't tri related. Like learning how to do kipping pullups and managing to bang out 10 of them in a row. Or doing 100+ situps a day. Or knitting a hat a week. ;)

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http://smallfoodbiz.com
</blatent self-marketing>

Already been said, but having a goal is key (for me at least), so ENTERING A RACE NOW will help drive you to at least think about getting in shape.

Or a coach, since you are paying them and the guilt of wasting money and not meeting his demands can weigh enough to get you moving.

Good luck.

Sue, currently wallowing fin my post IMAZ completely unmotivated, lets get drunk - eat cookies and cheese like a pig - party til January 1 cause I really (think I) need a break and I can't fathom doing anything else until then!

+1 on thanks for all the responses. Also "starting where I am" is a great help to me too!

After all the studying I did in university my fitness had really gone down hill, and I didn't realize then that "starting where I am" was easier after graduation because I moved to take a job - which meant nobody in my new town knew how "good" I used to be! :-)

The thing about starting where you are, is in a couple weeks you'll have a breakthrough workout where you amaze yourself at how far you've come. That should motivate you.

I know this last year i wasn't very motivated. Going into a couple races under trained. That will definitely help motivate me this year. Those races sucked, and it's because I skipped a few too many workouts or half assed them.

Counting the number of weeks until the next race which isn't that many. It doesn't have to be a triathlon either, sign up for a 5k, 10k- something to be accountable to! :)

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Twitter: @jayasports
Web: http://www.jayasports.com

Yeah that's a great idea. I went from one opposite of the spectrum to the other. The ones that know me exactly know what i am talking about.

Picture me, running faster than you... :p

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<If you're gonna be dumb, you gotta be tough>
Get Fitter!
Proud member of the Smartasscrew, MONSTER CLUB
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oh Khai, I am 100% positive you ARE running faster than me right now:-)

Well that, in itself, should do it. Right? :)

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

ah ah you are MEAN!!!!!!

Oh man do you have a point there. I can't even think of showing up at my old gym. That scares me. I am contemplating driving 25 minutes to go workout where no one knows me or can judge me. Wheter we like it or not, people DO judge.

It depends on the crowd. Runmomrun used to dominate the women's field here, then took a few years off to have some kids. I know she was super nervous to show up at her first race coming back; fear of being slower, less fits etc. But you know what? Everyone was just so happy to see her they didn't care if she won OA, her AG or came in last. She was greeted with hugs and open arms.It was great to get her back into our local tri scene. I took two years off, came back fat and slow and got the same welcome. We're really lucky to have such a great group of people in our area!

If people judge, ignore them.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

I know it can be hard and scary to get past the fear of judgement (especially when we are the worse offenders towards ourselves) but the bottom line is life is way to short to be worried about the 'what if's'. What if you are judged, what if you never get your speed back (something I still face today after being in top shape then having my babies)? Does it really mean anything if you LOVE what you are doing? Honestly no, and I've had to live through it to 'get' that lesson.

Make a plan, stick to it, don't think of yesterday or even tomorrow but right now; in the moment. And never let fear stop you from pursuing that which you love.

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Life is Short...Run Long

so true. You can't change people like that...I try to just pity them because you know they have to be unhappy with themselves if they project that kind of negativity.

ok perhaps it's more "me" that feels uncomfortable, I just know how people talk and everything. it's appealing to go somewhere and just "be" and be the "unknown" one... I don't even know how to explain how this feels... Not trying to make excuses.

I totally know how you feel (I live in a small, everyone knows everyone, city) and got a membership at a gym that no one local goes to so I can just go and do my thing without having to deal with any outside interference.

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I know I'm promiscuous, but in a classy way

ahhh thanks! I have a hard time living with what others expect of me. I want to be ok with my own expectations but it's hard. Some people expect me to be what I used be with fitness and I don't even know if I will ever be there or even want to. I want to be fit but I don't know if I want to race. I can't stand the pressure. It's really easy to say to not worry about others think or say but then again it's something else when you are deeply in this.

I also worry about what others think about what I post, and the comments I will get behind the scene. Thus I have stayed quiet. But this week, I decided that "me" was going to post and $%^& the ones that think this or that.

I really like the women forum, it's different in here. Maybe I just need to bitch or complain but I don't think so. Sometimes you look for support wherever you can get it. I appreciate all the positive comments:-) Hopefully I don't sound like a complainer.

Oh I *totally* get that feeling, which is why there was no way in hell I was going to do IMC as my first IM - too many people, too many possible comparisons, etc. I loved being one of the few Canucks at IMWA, I had so much fun that day, no pressure.

This is part of why I train alone a lot... then I can do my own thing without comparison.

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS

:-)

Have an affair: Do something completely different than you are used to doing, like tennis or dance.
Therapy: pick one of the 3 sports and focus on only one. Or maybe take them off-road (trail run, mountain bike) and hang out with the people who do it for "recreational" fun.
Rekindle the fire: Sounds like you lost the fun in the sport, with all that pressure. We can't control what people say, we can only control what we say (and sometimes thats hard for me ;) Go back to why you fell in love with the sport.

Might help to find a demotivated friend to start back training with - even dragging them into signing up for a race with you. I would also second trying something completely different since that's what has helped me. This wasn't entirely voluntary since I was a long-time runner/triathlete and had to give up running last year after my 4th knee surgery. I took up bike racing this year and really liked it so that's motivated me to keep training. It's also helped in the sense that my days of running PRs were long gone (I'm 45) and this gives me something entirely new to compete in. You just need to find a way to get back into it - once you've started working out for a while, I think the motivation will come back.

Have an affair

Being the selfless man that I am, I'm willing to volunteer for this assignment. :)

>>It's really easy to say to not worry about others think or say but then again it's something else when you are deeply in this.

I also worry about what others think about what I post, and the comments I will get behind the scene. <<

Been there, done that.

Question to think about: Why do you want them to have that much power of how you feel?

Once you figure that out, the rest falls into place pretty quick.

But yes, the reason you like it here is why Trailbait asked slowman to start the Womens.

clm

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

Fearing what people think is totally normal, IMO. One reason we do this is that we're constantly judging others by similar criteria for different things. That's one reason we know what they're thinking. Also, in my experience (co-workers, etc.) the people who run around telling everyone else they don't care what others think are the same people who care the most.

Ok Tiger, I'll keep that in mind.

Ok Tiger....


How did she know it was me?!

come to Austin and go for a trail run with me! we can go however fast/slow and long/short you want!

One of the many things I have learned on this forum is that unless I have respect for someone, their opinion doesn't matter, AT ALL.

I have been shredded on here, and I'm sure it will happen again, but really, I don't respect their opinions on anything else, why should I give their opinion of me any weight? (har har)

I still get incomfortable about how I look in my race photos but I remind myself that I'm out there so who cares? Really think about it. Does somone you don't know's opinion of you and your body really really matter?

Get to the gym. Go for a run. Get in the bike. Whatever you want. They just don't matter!

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Jen

"In order to keep a true perspective on one's importance, everyone should have a dog that worships him and a cat that will ignore him." - Dereke Bruce

So make the decision not to race. Those decisions can always be changed later. I did this a couple years ago and now working out can be a lot more relaxing and fun - get to do what I want, when I want (or when work / family allows). Beach Volleyball, racketball, etc are now just as much in the mix as swimming, cycling or running. If you're competitive, there's lots of other goals in life that you can chase - i.e. work or family.

In terms of others expectations, from a guy's perspective, I sense that I'm more accepted now at the gym (or other facilities) now that I'm just an average "joe". When training seriously, it seems people were more judgmental (probably a jealousy thing). Now the goal is the same as the other 90% of people - just trying to stay ( or get into) in shape.

Dan