Tell me… what is the ONE thing that gets you going when you need to get motivated to train? Send me your positive energy:-) Is it a goal? Music? Special someone? What are you thinking about?..
Trying to impress my wife. Even though I don’t have to.
It depends what i am doing, but usually the Walter Mitty syndrome…also known as the Snoopy syndrome (here’s the WWI flying ace…) Running I tend to think of myself in the Olympics. On the bike I am in the Tour or one of the Classics. I have no idea in the pool…probably just trying to keep my technique together! I started this when i was a high school runner and worked pretty well for me!
Looking at all those Lard Asses who don’t train.
I don’t train seriously at all any more, but when I did this is what got me out the door:
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Wanting to be better. To be the best that I could be.
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Knowing that the guys that I competed against, where probably out training to.
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I loved being outdoors.
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I enjoyed the both solitude and/or the social aspect of training immensly.
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A great opportunity to sweep the days problems away, at least for a few hours.
Fleck
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Fear of what would happen if I didn’t;
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Desire, for the first time in my life, to be good at something athletically.
IMWIS is now under 2 months away!!!
-Colin
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To stay fit and in shape, make the most of life (sorry sounds a little cliche…ish)
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Food, I’m 5’10 148 to 155 lbs depending on the time of year. When I was 21 years old I tipped the scales at 190 lbs, and I eat more than I used to.
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Competition - I’m a very competitive person, and I love racing and competing against others
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It’s kind of a cool to be associated with a non-traditional sport, most people are in amazement of what we accomplish.
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Chicks dig it
That there is some guy lucky enough to live somewhere it never rains or snows or has bad weather. I know if we do the same ride, and get the same physiological benefit, I’ll be harder for having done it in the cold, or in the rain, or on a shitty road, or with too many cars, etc.
That the worse day training is still better than what 99% of the world calls “a good day.”
That I could be behind a desk at that very moment
The people that have helped me or believed in me and how would I feel if I said, “sorry, I just didn’t feel like it today.”
And of course, there is that pinch of OC behavior that says “igottatrainigottatrainigottatrainigottatrainigottatrain”
I think of making the break and not getting shelled off the back. I also think of bunch sprints and attacking in the hills. That is what keeps me going during intervals when I have to ride them inside.
The need to escape from all my internal demons. Training is like permission to think about nothing else but whatever activity I’m involved in at the moment. Running works the best for me, as it is the hardest, and it requires my full attention. My mind tends to wander in both swimming and cycling.
I don’t know if that answers the question, but if it doesn’t, than music is my primary training motivator.
No… this is all good. i too, think that being out there is so much better than being on the couch. When i was training to qualify, i kept thinking about the girl who got the spot i didn’t get… i thought she’d be out there training… i also think I’ll be so much tougher when i am trainig in the rain or snow, or sleet… training with people really motivates me. No doubt. Now music… that keeps me going… I need a new tape though. same old songs. what do you listen to?
The novelty of being able to come back at age 46 and be semi-competetive after a 20 yr layoff. I really enjoy smoking young punks (anybody under 40) at the gym on the treadmill or eliptical. Feeling like your are getting strong and fit when others your age have thrown in the towel is most enjoyable.
Music: Blink 182 is probably one of my favorite workout bands.
The feeling I get imagining what it WILL be like to finish my IM.
Positive thoughts…positive thoughts.
Well, girlfriend, I’m an old and mixed up music lover, so…U2, Coldplay, Rolling Stones, R.E.M, Steely Dan, Sting, Earth, Wind and Fire, Matchbox 20, Prince, Clapton, Beyonce, Black-eyed Peas, The Kinks, John Mayer, Evanescence, B-52s, Roxy Music, Tom Petty, Kenny Loggins, Robert Palmer, George Michael, Phil Collins…etc. I love old school, funk, disco, classic rock, whatever “starts me up”!
The ONE thing that motivates me above everything else is racing. When my motivation starts to wain, I’ll participate in a fun race (nothing too serious, and certainly not for a PR) to simply enjoy the atmosphere and the company of other athletes. Works everytime for me.
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That I’ve yet to live up to my potential in any of the three disciplines individually.
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I always think I can do better than my existing PR. Different for me to Number 1 in that I think of this point as the whole race.
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It beats the heck out of spectating,almost any other activity. except maybe ice hockey.
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I feel better for it,maybe not for a few days but it will come. Nothing feels better than being fit.
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I may meet a hot tri-chick like you on my next long ride.
The one thing that motivates me?
Winning races.
Why else would I suffer this much.
for music, i’m sort of an old schooler. Chicago (for running), old Van Halen, old AC/DC, Talking Heads, J. Geils Band, The Kinks, Aerosmith, some of the cd’s from The Woodstock Collection, The Who, Stevie Ray Vahn, Tina Turner, and for long sets in the pool, or any other time in life, The Grateful Dead.
what used to motivate me was the distance…knowing I’d have to run 26.2 miles. you can’t fool around in training and make it on race day with that kind of distance before you.
what motivates me now is speed. getting faster and beating time–be it in the time trial or a race. it’s also been really motivating to train with the cincy peeps–all of which are more experienced and stronger than me. this in and of itself is good influence and motivating.
it’s motivating to imagine how fast i could go in any given race if i really did the work and had the committment.
I get motivated by playing pretend. When I am pounding up a killer set of hills, I imagine that I’m Lance, Peter, or Hunter cycling up a mountain somewhere.
I don’t know exactly. It’s actually something I am kind of good at and I keep getting better all the time, compared to my former self. Very few people over 30 can say that they are getting better and better at some sports-related activity. Yeah, its the competition I’m into. That may be my main motivator. I’m competitive with myself … Its cool to think some 4-hour ride I did or some track workout I did or some morning I woke up at 5 a.m. for a workout 3 months ago translates into a PR in a race today.