This is not a troll. I’m a longtime forum member / contributor. I’m posting under an anonymous username here to protect my sponsors and coach. I’m severely burnt-out on triathlon. I have zero motivation and virtually no interest. I’ve been chasing the Kona dragon for several years and and have come so very close. Now I don’t give a damn if I ever go. I used to never cut training sessions short or skip them, I do it frequently now. One of the first things I used to do in the morning was check-in on Slowtwitch and then again multiple times a day. Now, some days go by that I don’t even pop my head in. When I do, I find the questions, comments, and threads to be repetitive, boring, and inane. (not you or your posts, of course). I probably have five or six unwatched triathlon events on my DVR. I used to watch them as soon as they appeared. So, have you been here? Did you come back around? If so, what helped? I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks!
Take a year off and do what you want to do…gain some weight and get out of shape. Maybe mountain bike and eat some pie. Then re-assess. Fitness peaks are defined by valleys for a reason. Strikes me your mind and body are trying to tell you something.
Lots of great sports out there to try. If you’re not a pro, you have no reason to stick around if you’re not enjoying yourself. Find something fresh and new.
My friend, you need a six pack and a pizza. And two weeks off to re-focus. Take the time you’d normally spend training and do something you don’t normally. Read a book or relax outside. Do something to take your mind off training. Stay off of this website. I think this place makes people really cynical sometimes.
I got really burnt out earlier this year, and I think it was because I started taking things too seriously and lost focus on why I like doing this. I got too focused on making my body perform more and lost the drive to just do this because it love to do it. Just some advice on what I went through and how I changed it…
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2910386;search_string=tired%20physiojoe;#2910386
The above thread was me over a year ago. Hit the wall physically, mentally, everything, after only about halfway through the road racing season. For no good reason either- hadn’t gone deeper than usual on a regular basis, no extra lifestyle stress, etc.
Bounced back in a big way (for me) this season, raced March-August, won twice and several podiums then got my Cat 2 upgrade. Got a nice team lined up and finalized for next season.
I usually drink like a fish in the off season (while still keeping fit), and would get blasted drunk maybe 1-2 times/month during the season. In 2011, I haven’t tasted alcohol yet. Don’t plan to. This wasn’t the only change I made, but I think it had some impact.
-Physiojoe
I’ve been off for over a year myself and I’m actually itching to get back into the heavy training that I feel used to define me. I’ve gained about fifteen pounds (from weight lifting) and really just go run or ride when I feel like it. I get to surf about three times a week now instead of once or twice a month like I used to while in race season. I get to spend seventy-five percent of my day with my two year old son and get some much needed honey-do’s knocked out. I’m now able to really look at what I want to do in this sport in the long-term.
Take some time off, find a distraction (a new hobby) and when it’s time to come back, you’ll be the better for it!
Thanks so much for the replies and suggestions everyone. I’m gonna bump this once for the morning crowd.
I didn’t read all the replies but it sounds like there are some good suggestions and stories of overcoming burnout.
I have been a competitive athlete for 28 years now in 4 different sports. Before stopping my primary sport I reached a national ranking at the elite level and probably went through burn-out in that sport about 5 or 6 times. In the other sports I haven’t reached as high of level but have trained with the same passion and intensity and have also burned out on those. The general trend I see with burn-out is the ratio of effort put in does not match the improvement/results coming out. Working hard day in and day out with little to no gains is extremely taxing mentally and almost no one can get through it without burning out. The best remedy to overcome burn-out in my experience is to do something that gives you success. It can be anything really but an alternate sport usually works the best. Taking time off and letting your body recover is great but if you’re anything like me it will only make you depressed and frustrated. My best advice is to do some other non-triathlon related sport to increase your confidence and passion for sport.
Dude life goes on, there is more to it then triathlon. It’s just triathlon, not life support.
I’ve battled the desire to race on and off again for the last 2 years and only racing and training on and off during that time. You know what, not racing and not having to train unless I want to get out the door is quite alright for me for now.
There is a lot more to life then triathlon and triathlon, unless you are planning on giving it a shot as an elite or something, probably shouldn’t be your sole focus.
On the other side, I also deplore training in the heat of the summer. Maybe your just drained from it.
Take a few weeks off, then reassess.
One of the first things I used to do in the morning was check-in on Slowtwitch and then again multiple times a day. Now, some days go by that I don’t even pop my head in.
This is a positive change, you should embrace it.
When I do, I find the questions, comments, and threads to be repetitive, boring, and inane.
There is a reason for that: most of the questions, comments, and threads are repetitive, boring, and inane.
So, have you been here? Did you come back around? If so, what helped? I’d love to hear your feedback. Thanks!
You’re not alone. In fact, the “lifers” in the sport are a small minority. The rule is people that get into the sport for a few years and then slowly lose interest. Not wanting to be a triathlete is not a character flaw, if you don’t feel like doing it anymore… it’s ok.
Although I’ve never even been close to elite I’ve found myself in the same boat now and again. I think most folks have. Basically when I lose that desire I just take a year off and do other sports, perhaps racing a couple of open events is all etc. I’ve done that a couple of times (including this year but more for work reasons) and just surpassed 15 years of tri. Some years I race a lot and some not so much, sometimes lots of tri specific and others running, swimming, or mtn biking. Who cares, the point is to have fun and stay fit.
I’ve been there this year racing road. This is my second (and ‘breakout’) season, and once I started getting good results and earning upgrade points I got an unhealthy obsession. Anything under top 5 was never good enough. I raced too much and too hard and my results (and mental fortitude) started to suffer a lot. I took a couple of months off from racing to go do some fun long base rides and relax a lot with friends.
It’s helped, but it’s not enough. I have diabetes, and for me riding is part of my overall health management strategy- I can’t take too much time off without adverse consequences. Still, now that I’m done racing for the year, I plan to curtail my riding as much as possible, go do other active things (hiking, etc) and try to put away the bike. My girlfriend has put up with a lot and supported me all season when I’ve been gone almost every weekend. Now it’s my turn to support her racing, and relax and catch up on time I should have been spending more with her. Call me a sap, I know, but it’ll help your burnout 
dude - take a week/month/year off. Maybe forever.
There are plenty of ways to stay fit. Don’t get sucked into the mindset that triathlon training is the best or only way to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
It’s a great way to stay fit, have a competitive outlet, meet lots of cool people. But it also can be an incredibly selfish, expensive, time-wasting endeavor that alienates loved ones, costs inordinately large amounts of money on gear that has a negligible impact on performance and can dominate ones thinking to the exclusion of other important priorities in life.
My own experience has been on/off again. I first got involved in the sport in 1997, went at it hard for 4 years, then one day, I hung up the bike, threw the wetsuit in the corner and walked away for 6 years. Got married, started a family, worked a lot, got a little fatter, learned how to box and basically had a good life.
After my 2nd daughter was born, I got the itch, decided to start racing again, bought a new bike and started going again from 2006-2010, couple halfs a year, an Olympic race thrown in now and then. Much less racing than the first go-round, but I had a family this time.
My last triathlon was wildflower 2010. We moved, I’ve changed jobs and I’ve spent the last year or so finding other ways to stay fit. Still ride quite a bit. Also bought an indoor rower, which I love. Did a round of P90X. Basically, I run when I feel like it. I ride when I feel like it, somedays its for an hour…or if I’m feeling good and it’s a nice day, 2-3 hours. I hit the gym or row when the mood strikes. The only consistent thing is that I’m inconsistent - just living a healthy active lifestyle but with no training regimen, or structure.
Will I do another triathlon? Yeah - probably next year. Or maybe not. Either way, it’s not the end of the world.
Take a few weeks off? try mountain biking. I’m travelling atm on my way home from racing in europe. Still running everyday, the first week was such a drag to get out for a 30min jog. Now i just want to get home and start smashing it again and its been almost 3 weeks. I’m super motivated from having a few weeks of laying on a beach and partying in greece! funny how these things work
I spent 2 months travelling under less than ideal conditions this summer. Take time off tell your coach/ talk to your friends. Do what you want to do and ride what you feel like not what you’re supposed to. If you have a socaial run/ride/swim/anything that would normally not do then give it a try. Be accepting that you may lose some fitness its not the end of the world.
Find someone who is really motivated to train with.
Best of luck,
You’re definitely not the first to go through this and everything will be fine.
I got really burnt out earlier this year, and I think it was because I started taking things too seriously and lost focus on why I like doing this
This is spot on. I too hit a major bump in the road this year - right after a podium spot at the 70.3 WC in Clearwater no less. I started obsessing about how to get my swim faster and then started thinking about hitting new marks on the bike and run so I could move from 5th to top 3 - with a full-time job, a great hubby and 2 amazing young children. Then we took on a huge home rehab project and bam I was a mess. I kept pushing myself and ended up having a horrible result instead of a PR at a half marathon in late March - raced it with a fever - go figure. I found myself in this horrendous state of overtraining even though my volume seemed light - because I was so mentally stretched with life. In the 3 weeks before the race I didn’t want to do any of my runs - it all seemed dreadful. So after the race I said enough of this - deferred from the race I was signed up to race in late April and said it’s time to just do what I want to do - run the pace I want to run, stop going to Masters worrying about hitting the wall at a certain clock time but instead go to the pool and try finding freestyle and relearn my stroke and only ride my bike when I wanted to…
I’d like to tell you that as others suggest that 2 weeks later I was all ready to go - instead I will be honest - about 2 months of this went on - and yes I kept doing 5-7 workouts a week, because I still do like being fit and love the endorphins I get - and then I went to cheer and support some friends in a 70.3 - the one I had nailed the prior year and won my division (I’m no rockstar - I just ran better in the heat than the others) and I said this is it - I’m inspired, I want to race again. So I signed up for a fall 70.3 (my favorite distance) and thought it was all cured. But alas, I started dreading the upcoming training schedule, worrying about not being faster, not having a good race, getting race day jitters - it was absurd. So again, I let myself off the hook - said okay let’s change it up - get out of dodge for a month with the kids (I work remotely) and put my focus in the proper place - first and foremost my kids - not trying to squeeze it all in - gave myself no other choice because I left hubby at home so I would have no help or way to squeeze in a training session when I should be with my kids. The first 2 weeks were a wake-up call - between work and the kids I barely had enough time to run them to their respective camps/daycare let alone get in 3 bikes and 3 swims in a week - but it was so refreshing because it wasn’t my lack of motivation that caused the missed workouts - it was life - the one that I needed to put back into perspective. Then the best part came - we went to the CO mountains for what ended up being 3 amazing weeks. I fell in love with it all over again - I couldn’t get enough biking - I would get up and start working as early as 4:30am so that I would be in a position to go ride my favorite mountain passes as soon as I got the kids dropped off and have all of my work done - there were days I’d ride 2 times in a day. By this time I had let go of the obsession of 3 swims 3 bikes and 3 runs/week - it’s engrained in my head now so it didn’t completely go away, but I did what I wanted to do which was enjoy the mountains with my kids and myself - I sucked everything out of if I could - and the best part was watching my kids fall in love with a place I fell in love with 10 years ago. And in the end I fell in love with it all over again. I didn’t swim 4 of the 5 weeks I was gone and by the end I didn’t care. I came home and made a deal with myself - I’d give myself 3 weeks of “training” with a formal plan but remove all speed measuring devices and instead go back to effort and see how I faired. I told myself that if it felt like I was being consumed by the training again I’d defer from the race.
Well I’m 4 weeks into it and I’m happy to report I’ve got my mojo back - in fact I ventured back into the pool with masters this morning for the first time since May and actually had fun. I’ve done tempo runs, speed runs, hill runs, long runs, long hilly rides, fast rides, even 2 hrs on the trainer and I’m happy with it all again - even though I haven’t subjected myself to the reality of the garmin or my bike computer (other than when I did some speed sets on the bike), I think I might actually have gotten faster. But you know what - I really don’t care. I’ve read a few blogs this week of athletes that were amateurs last year but have gone pro and there is a very consistent theme - the minute you move from doing this sport to see how far your body will go, measuring how you feel vs your actual speed, taking pride in the progress you make and being proud of yourself for simply putting out the best effort you can TO focusing on strict time goals and constant improvements and structuring your daily workouts accordingly - beating yourself up when you are 10 sec/mi slower than your goal on a daily basis or when you miss a workout, take a day off, have a bad race, or force yourself to race so often you can’t have an A race even if you want to…it appears you lose your mojo, get burnt out and many times - injured.
I know this is a super long response but I really wanted to share this because I’ve put alot of energy into this topic and it feels very selfish - so if this can somehow help someone else - I’d be thrilled. Last year I learned I could actually race and what it felt like to win, but this year I learned the long-term fallout of that success - this sport is quite a JOURNEY as well know…
This is a thread very close to my heart, because in 2009, despite never even coming close to knocking on the door for a Kona slot (hell, I couldn’t even find the damned house), I felt very much the same way. The races were getting bigger, and I felt too much like I was just, “going through the motions” of being a triathlete, and that wouldn’t do at all.
If you’ve read my race reports, you know that to race without passion is to basically race as a Dead Man Walking. There’s no point in lighting the fires if there’s no fuel to run them, so I walked away. I didn’t run away (that would have looked silly), but I raced the 2009 Philadelphia Triathlon in a Luau Shirt and flower Leis (even had a Tiki Goblet for the run), and let it go.
At the time I’d been paddling in several Dragon Boat races for years; some community events, and I’d started practicing with the Philadelphia Dragon Boat Association in 2008. They were serious; several of them had made Team USA for Worlds in 2009, so I went through the Time Trials that summer to get a feeling for what it was like. The practices worked with my schedule (5:45AM, five days per week - I was back home by 8:00AM), and it was easy to just add running and weights to the program.
I had more family time to watch Katie grow (she’ll be six next month!), and more importantly, I had that feeling again - that same feeling I hadn’t had since 1996 as a Triathlon Rookie: Butterflies. I could feel that incredible balance of joy, panic, fear, hope, and desire - that wonderful rookie alchemy that only comes around once.
I stuck with it. I went to US Nationals with the Philadelphia team in 2010 and won 4 Golds. I made the pool of candidates for Team USA this year when they were announced in January, and went to my first Team USA Training Camp in March. In May, after 4 rounds of Individual Time Trials, I was selected to Team USA for the first time.
I went to World Championships wearing the Stars and Stripes. Me. That isn’t something I ever thought I could do, but I never would have known such a thing was possible if I didn’t listen to what my desire was telling me back in 2009. I had to walk away from the sport that defined me to see what else was out there.
It’s still very strange to me; triathlon, and Ironman, really, defined who I was for nearly 14 years. When people come up to me and say, “You’re a triathlete, right…?” I have to pause, because I’m not so sure what I am. I think I can say I’m an athlete, or just Bob, and triathlon was something I did - it’s not who I was, who I am, or who I will be if/when I go back.
At the end of the day, sport is just a vehicle to discover what you’re made of. It will give you the paths to explore yourself.
Sounds like it’s time for you to just back away, and see something else. You’ll be back, or you won’t - don’t worry about it so much.
Just go and be yourself for a bit. Breathe, and reset. You will probably be very pleasantly surprised at what happens.
Good Luck!
Hurricane Bob
- Live a life that people want to drink a toast to… *
The posts you normally see are folks on the “up” side of the sport. Those that burn out or move on either don’t want to post (shame) or just don’t bother.
I’m not a triathlete. I do TT’s and some road racing. I came to slowtwitch to learn what I could before I bought a TT bike 5 years ago. It was my foray back into racing at age 47 (now 52) after stopping racing from burnout (and 2 deaths of close friends on my cycling team) in 1981.
This last road season is my last one. Training requires constant focus/attention. If I’m competing, I want to do my best which means a complete approach (diet, sleep, weight, workouts etc). Unfortunately, that can get very OCD and downright paranoid feeling at times. I wa constantly fearful that missing workouts would trainwreck my races. It really was wearing on me, to the point that I had to ask myself what I’m trying to achieve.
Most endurance athletes are Type A’s,including me, and with that comes the “never back down” mentality. Taking time off and doing something else for a while isn’t quitting. It’s maintaining a more healthy balance in life.
Take a break as others have mentioned and you’ll be the better for it.
to protect my sponsors and coach.
For many, including myself, this is probably the crux of the issue. Disappointing people who are ‘depending’ on you sucks and keeps us moving even if we don’t want to anymore.
If your coach is worth anything he/she will understand this feeling and help coach you through it: by giving you time off, cross training, structured play, etc.
Your sponsors want you to get their name out there no matter what. This does not mean triathlon is the only way. I spent 5 weeks in the ‘build’ phase of IM training this year on a mountain, snow, ice, -30dg F temps and climbing every day - still using some sponsor gear and posted about it. It was great mental training - granted, not the best for pure IM speed (no bike or swim on the mountain!), but I finished and was still top 20% in my first IM.
As everyone has said, take some time off. But have fun! No matter where you are there are many ways to get out there and enjoy the sights around you. Even just taking off the Garmin/Sunto, etc and going for a jog, bike, etc.
Good luck! Thanks for letting us know that no matter what our level, we are not alone in getting sick of this sometimes!
BTW - for me: forced time off - shoulder reconstruction next week - can’t run for 8 weeks, can’t cycle with my hands on the bars for 3 months!
For starters, triathlon-specific training during the winter will lead to burn out. I like to go one sport specific during the winter (running), and then go into triathlon training late spring to mid-fall. Heck, this year my first swim was after memorial day. This way I’ve actually excited about swimming instead of dreading it.