Lost interest and motivation

Triathlon Forum
1

:frowning: I can’t put my finger on why my love for triathlon has suddenly gone up in smoke, I was obsessed, now I can’t be arsed.
The problem is, I like the fact that I’m fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my entire life, so I want to keep that up, I don’t want to be fat and unfit again.
Triathlon, exercise, health and fitness, Its become a chore rather than fun.
Work doesn’t help, the office is 40 miles away (motorway) and isn’t really commutable by bike, certainly not in a safe way.
2 hrs of boring commuting, busy at work and lacking the motivation to exercise.

stuck

I know I should just slap myself in the face and just go and do it
I know I should maybe look at another sport

I’m guessing some of you have been though this kind of thing and I would welcome any tips and advice

2

Get injured lots 😉
.

3

:frowning: I can’t put my finger on why my love for triathlon has suddenly gone up in smoke, I was obsessed, now I can’t be arsed.
The problem is, I like the fact that I’m fitter and healthier than I have ever been in my entire life, so I want to keep that up, I don’t want to be fat and unfit again.
Triathlon, exercise, health and fitness, Its become a chore rather than fun.
Work doesn’t help, the office is 40 miles away (motorway) and isn’t really commutable by bike, certainly not in a safe way.
2 hrs of boring commuting, busy at work and lacking the motivation to exercise.

stuck

I know I should just slap myself in the face and just go and do it
I know I should maybe look at another sport

I’m guessing some of you have been though this kind of thing and I would welcome any tips and advice

Move onto something else that keeps you motivated to exercise. One sure does not want to wait to have to exercise until some major medical issues comes up.

4

Start trail or ultrarunning. Or go for a big swim like 25k or more as a new goal.

5

Start trail or ultrarunning. Or go for a big swim like 25k or more as a new goal.
A really good idea.
The other option is to focus on your weakest discipline and try and do something really tangible with that. Increase FTP by 20 watts, take xx minutes off a 1 mile swim. Get a HM pb etc.

6

I have another challenge. One week ago operation torn and detached retina. The big A race planned next week first full ironman Roth. I hope I can start training within 2 weeks, probably low/medium intensity and no swimming. Frustration as this moment is that I have so much energy build up in my body for which I have no way out at this moment.

7

When was your last race? I’ve found if I go for long stretches between races I start to lose my motivation. Racing helps me stay interested since I’ll always find something to work on and improve after a race,

8

Maybe make it social - find a workout buddy for at least one discipline.

I also like the idea of a single sport goal. The Training Bible Podcast dudes have done goal mile and goal FTP in the past. Pick something - lower 100 time in the pool, etc.

9

I say forget about racing, train when you have time (for the release), and don’t let it be an additional stressor in your life. This is supposed to be fun.

10

I think every triathlete friend I know, including myself, has gone through what you are experiencing.
I usually mix it up… try doing something different in training, plan for a different race and/or distance… get out of the routine of just training and back to the healthy, positive lifestyle of enjoying it.
I have also just gone away from the sport for awhile too… I got into Stand Up Paddle boarding and racing for a few years as well as doing some more mountain biking.
I always find my way back to Triathlon… and when I do it is just as exciting as it was the first time!

11

Another question: how long has this gone on? If youve trained hard for a few months, you might just need a week off, to regain some snap.

12

I went through something similar earlier this year. Got to the point where I had zero desire to race or train or even run; really just wanted to sit on the couch and eat ice cream. Tried to keep running but every day was mentally a struggle to get out the door. Finally decided my body was telling me to take a break so I did. Stopped running for a month and only did stuff that sounded like fun. Then one day I felt like running again and started back up and now am training at full volume and as engaged and excited about running as ever.

Maybe you just need a few weeks off to let your body and mind rest and reset. Do stuff that’s fun and makes you laugh.

13

If you just came off a big block of training, give yourself 7-10 days off. Do some active but easy stuff like doing for a walk, going to a rock climbing gym, trying a yoga class.

If you have fallen into a Not Exercising trap, go do 10 minutes of s, b, or run. If you want to keep going after 10 min, that’s fine, but if you want to stop at 10 min that’s okay.

It sounds like you need to give yourself permission to try something else - it doesn’t have to be sbr. Go for a hike. Try to pick up a weight :slight_smile:

A friend of mine, a runner who also goes through motivated/not motivated periods like you’re describing, thinks of it as ‘everyone needs to exercise to be healthy’ so if she doesn’t want to run, she walks. You could try yoga or whatever.

Hope that helps. Let us know how you are.

14

I was at a similar place in life when I had a long commute in terms of time

The easiest fix IMHO is to solve the hours/week spent commuting somehow. Soul-sucking

New job/move/both, something

15

To answer some of the replies: -

I’m tired of swim bike run, so ultra running, long biking etc doesn’t really appeal.

I have a friend who is now obsessed with triathlon, to the point where I’m getting tired of seeing constant tweets etc. Thinking about it, maybe I feel he has pissed on my bonfire, taken my hobby away from me, a little selfish I know, but I do kind of feel that way.

I’m not racing as much this year, it gets expensive and I’m struggling to justify the costs.

I’m far from over trained at the moment, under trained if anything.

Don’t get me wrong, its not that I have a hard life, I feel like I’m complaining about a pathetic tiny little thing when there are far worse things to worry about in the world.

I need something I can do on my own in my own time, I agree that having someone to train with helps with motivation, but past experience shows that its also a pain in the arse to have to rely on someone else too. I feel I haven’t really got the time to mess about. maybe my impatience is an issue.

I enjoy my job and its quite specialised, so difficult to change, also, its financially near impossible to move closer to work at the moment. I would love to move closer.

getting my blood work done next week, maybe its hormones, maybe its what I eat, maybe I’m looking for excuses

16

How about switch to mountain climbing, a martial art, basketball, xfit, etc

You’re not married to this, life isn’t meant to be spent doing something you find miserable
.

17

I’m in the same boat. Last year was my first IM and I was obsessed, as I tend to be when I’m excited about things. I signed up for MT on the way home from Louisville and am now completely burned out with 50 days to go until IM 2. At this point I’m doing what I can but I’ve found that moving most of my runs to the trails has really helped. I plan on taking a couple of weeks off after MT and then I want to explore the world of trail running. My wife is a big supporter of this change as trail running is much cheaper than Ironman training… maybe we can even go on a vacation not planned around a race next year! I would definitely recommend checking out the trail running scene

18

it happens to almost everyone. end of 2015 season i “retired” after probably my worst race ever, at worlds, no less. was completely smoked from 10 years of year-round, training-is-a-job activities (rowing + tri). last year, i traveled a lot, bought a home, drank and ate too much, and found a cool gym to workout at, because i enjoyed the workouts they offered.

eventually i started to get the bug to get back into cardio training (gaining a ton of fat and muscle weight helped encourage this change, as well). decided i liked biking, so just did that. decided that road riding and/or zwift wasn’t enough, so bought a gravel bike, and joined a mtb team. between those 4 options, it’s helped me get back into it. there has been a correlation between regaining fitness and regaining the enjoyment of exercise.

fighting it will very likely not stop you from “quitting” at some point, it will just delay the time until you get back into the sport. if you want a break, take it.

19

Interests change. No big deal. Since 1985 i’ve been obsessed by triathlon 5 separate times, each lasting 3-4yrs. Just keep doing enough running, cycling, and swimming, that it keeps you entertained, w/o becoming a chore. World’s full of fun hobbies. Pick an expensive new hobby so your recollection of triathlon will quickly gain great charm. Try car racing, sailing, or aviation.

20

You may want to mention all of these things to your Dr. From the sound of it you may be dealing with depression. The symptoms are sometimes hard to see from your perspective but a quality MD should make a diagnosis easily enough. It happens and when it does a lot of the things that made you happy go into decline. This disinterest don’t have to last forever. Talk to your Doc.