Great thoughts. I think anyone of us can fit anywhere along the continuum that you suggested at any time. My motives have ranged from fun/fitness to race addiction to wrapping entire self worth on outcome to hating/leaving the sport and now back to health and fitness.

Like everything else in life, your perception becomes your own reality........

Basically, it makes me surf better.

I don't have any deep psychological motivation. However, it is nice, on occasion, to have the option give yourself a good thrashing to erase the memories of a busy days work.

Keeps me from getting bored when it's flat too.

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"Language most shows a man: Speak, that I may see thee. It springs out of the most retired and inmost parts of us, and is the image of the parents of it, the mind. No glass so mirrors a man's form or likeness so true as his speech." - Ben Jonson, Timber, or Discoveries made upon Men and Matter.

I think what you said is the beauty of sports.

They can be done to zone out, to focus, to run towards a goal, and away from, a problem, the cowardice to not face one problem and the resolve to face others.

Sports means different things to different people, and even different things to the same people on different occasions.

I think that is why it has so much meaning in many of our lives, in the same way that art has a lot of meaning in many people's lives as well

.02

chasing the dream of doing an Ironman.

long freakin way 2 go...

You'll get there.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I am close with my Dad, but I'm very slow. I wonder if there is any correlation there? ;)

Seriously, I like the questions you ask, Tom. They're good food for thought.

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Jacquie Mardell

USA Triathlon certified coach
ASCA/USA Swimming certified coach
http://www.ladolcevelo.com

I see it on a couple of levels.

When using excercise as stress management... I can sort out issues, avoid them, or just get some aggression out with a good workout. Each way it is helping to clear my head and the side benefits of health and self esteem are pretty obvious.

I can think of a whole bunch of unhealthy ways to deal with - or avoid life's issues... and not very many that are more effective.

Away, always running away. I hope I will get there some day. It is hard to not get philisophical sometimes as my Doctors have given me the Kevorkian report. Always running.

Life is so short and scarry, you have to get your mind off of things or it will drive you insane.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

I started running distance in preparation for my 30th birthday (running from age?). now I feel like I'm running (and biking and swimming) to the real me that might have been afraid to try things for fear of failure when I was younger. these sports have brought me serious confidence in all aspects of my life. I'm doing things I never thought possible and learning that I used to cop-out by telling myself I just wasn't good at something.

Either way you answer I think the more immediate question is, "does it work?"

For me the answer is a resounding, "Yes".

Glad to see your posts... hope everything is going as well as it could be

I hope you don't take that doctor report too seriously until you first kick my butt at IM Lake Placid in July.

I took one of those Myers-Briggs type exams a few months ago. The results suggested that I was a 'kinesthetic' learner. Questions asked things like,

When you have an issue you're trying to resolve, do you:
a) talk it over with someone
b) write it out and examine the details
c) go for a walk

I found myself checking the 'c' style answers a lot. I would guess that a lot of us here fall into that category. Things just make more sense when you're physically moving. It's sometimes the only time when I can put problems or issues in perspective and the solutions just present themselves.

Perhaps it's meditation for those of us who can't sit still.

Hmmm. Never thought of this until you mentioned it, but my wife is definitely hooked on endurance sports, mostly due to the physical results, but she and her dad do NOT get along really well. Not estranged per se, but she's not really fond of him (nor am I, but that's another story...)

As for me - I'm running toward something. Toward getting better and better every day and just having a friggin' blast doing this. I'm in far better shape mentally and physically now at 35 than I was at 25 and I get faster and fitter every day. Too much can go bad/wrong at any moment in life: think Kelly Rees or Marc Herremans or even our own Record9Ti. Simply, you can't NOT go out and kick ass every day if you are able. Like Pre said: "To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." Amen.

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"To give less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Pre

MattMizenko.com

Tom,

Great query!

My initial motivation to get into running when I was 14 in 1975 was quite pure and simple - I could win/place in races. I had been a fairly accomplished hocky player(good Canadian kid), but was skinny and scrawny at the time and really getting beaten up. Finishing first in a cross-country race with 300 kids in it was a big thrill. That was enough for me to give up hockey completely. However, soon after the first rush of accomplishment, I started to learn and grow fond of the other benefits of running:

1. Pushing personal limits.

2. Close camraderie with other runners that I trained with.

3. Being alone

4. Being outside in a natural setting

5. Being able to run anywhere

When I jumped into triathlon in the early '80's it was like when I started running all-over again, as I was going out and winning/placing in races. That was a thrill, but soon the other motivation and challenges listed above kicked in.

I don't race that much anymore and for me I am currently in lousy shape, but it's still that list of 5 things that keep me going. I do like to push myself on my few and far bewteen training runs. I do like to hook up with new and old friends to run. I also like the time on my own. I love being outside. And I really like that you can run essentially any time any where - in a busy and hectic life, that can be key.

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

I don't try psychoanalysis anymore. If it feels good and doesn't hurt other people, why bother asking why. Just get out and do it. Just enjoy.

Yes, I believe all those issues you state can be motivators or reasons, but it just depends on the person as to which, if any apply.

Personally, I have recognized 2 things. First, 7 or so years ago, when I first started running and doing marathons, I was going through some severe issues and things in my personal life. Everything felt completely out of my control. Running became a way for me to exert "control" over a portion of my life. I needed the run, to stop me from spinning out into space -- so to speak. It was a crutch. I of course didn't realize any of this at the time, only later in retrospect. That period of time also saw my best running times ever...even to this day.

On a day to day basis, I always fantasize about winning some race..marathon, Ironman, Olympics, etc... while running or biking. Hehe, the bigger the better, more glory !!. It really motivates me in "real-time", and helps me whittle away the hours. I always have my best training efforts when I do this. Sounds completely stupid and embarrassing, but hey, I have an active imagination -- I also know lots of people do it, but we never admit it -- its nice to play the little kid and let you imagination work for you.

"I always fantasize about winning some race..Hehe, the bigger the better....,. Sounds completely stupid and embarrassing-- I also know lots of people do it, but we never admit it -- its nice to play the little kid and let you imagination work for you."




They used to call it the "Walter Mitty" sydrome. Hey, there is a little bit of Walter Mitty in each of us. No need to be embarrassed, you're not alone.

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There was a post last week in very similar vein, and I suggested that to some extent all those great reasons we give: health, friends, outdoors, competition, personel challenge, etc. are all relatively superficial. I am sure you have all done one of those maze puzzles, well its like cheating by going from inside out. In some way all these reasons, good though they are, are the best we can come up with someone ask us why we train. There maybe be an underlying, possibly a combination of genetics and nurturing, that drives us to train.

I am by most estimates at best a midpack on a good day, but I have participated (competed at all levels) in rugby, tennis, field hockey, squash, tennis, and badminton before I found myself at Ironman's door. I have practised and trained for as long as I can recall, in fact earliest memory was waiting for my Dad to get back from work to play soccer and badminton in the back yard. But this is not the case for my sisters.I cannot imagine not doing some type of sport.

Another option is simply as, I believe PNF, said "Sports is the toy department of life" I think she said that, I actually have that quote on my cell phone. Its play and we dont want to grow up!

BTW I am racing IMNZ with the Wife in a few weeks, this one is a race for family bragging rights until IMC when we do it all over again. She has great relationship with her Dad, maybe se is training to run away from me! There is a thought.

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

there is a wide variety of motives for running/tri-ing. I think of John Campbell who broke a 16-year old master's marathon record (2:11:04 at Boston 1990) - his business and his marriage had failed in New Zealand, so he came to USA and raced like a maniac all year long. Definitely running away. On the other hand, Jack Foster, whose record Campbell broke (by 7 seconds), seemed a calm and happy type from the interviews I read.

Personally I'm just running - it's one of the few things that places me entirely in the moment, free of regrets for the past and fears of the future. I run for my mind, not for my body. There is a lot of research and anecdote indicating that endurance exercise is a significant anti-depressant and mood enhancer. I'm addicted, but I like to think of it as a positive addiction.. of course, training through injury into a crippled state, or training until marriage and career fall apart, could easily turn it negative.

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"It is a good feeling for old men who have begun to fear failure, any sort of failure, to set a schedule for exercise and stick to it. If an aging man can run a distance of three miles, for instance, he knows that whatever his other failures may be, he is not completely wasted away." Romain Gary, SI interview

Youth runs toward fate, Wisdom runs away. Half-way between youth and Wisdom is a point called - Crisis. It is a point where fight or flight becomes less defined. It is where motive and motivation in (and of) itself IS something.

Hmmm... Sounds a lot like the phases of any endurance event sport...only on a different scale. So, I guess you are always running toward and away from something... The wise know WHEN to do which. That determines victory at any level.

Good Question.

FWIW Joe Moya

I started distance running when I was 11 years old and grew up with it. I was pretty good at it and it just became something that I do every day like eating and sleeping. Twenty-five years later I still love it (although I've added cycling and swimming to the mix). I don't think that I have any strange issues that motivate me, just a love of the lifestyle and of competition. As a teen I was asked constantly "Does your dad make you run?" (my dad was a phys ed teacher and track coach) and I'd just laugh and shake my head. No one can "make" you do endurance sports.... you just have to love pushing yourself and find your own reasons.

And where do Goals go into all this? I was relatively happy with long slow runs and those 6 hour bike rides to help my ironman buddies train. Then I won my age group in my first du. The next season I was 3 out of 4, local events, and this thing took on a life of its own. It has cycled around now to where I'm dialing back the racing to try some other experiences, like music. I'm wondering if I have the nerve to get in a race and enjoy the participation and the other people, as opposed to beating myself to a pulp for a 75 cent medal, sneaking a glance at others to see how close they are to my age, and how fast they are.

Not to mention wondering if my bike truly fits.

Life on the dark side of the force........

My main motivation started in 8th grade when a girl rejected me. Not giving me a simple no, she explained in great detail why. Although this really sucked for self-esteem it did show me that I needed to improve. At the top of her list was that I needed to work on my body, at the time I was basically a stick, 5'8' and just over 110 pounds. She ended up becoming a 15 year old mother.

Over the last few years it has always been a girl that has kept me motivated, Either by her telling me I'm not good enough of me just thinking it. Negative reinforcement. I'm now phsically about where I want to be. 40" Chest, 28" waist and weighing 132 pounds. And my self esteem is all good at this point, I dont need some chick to tell me I'm hot, I know I am.

That was my initiating motivation. Finding motivation now is just a matter of improvement with artificial goals such as running a marathon in under 3 hours and being able to maintain 16MPH for 26 miles on a bike, and benching my body weight 10x.

I'm running from who I used to be to who I'm gonna be.