Boston Beginner's Mentor Group - CLOSED (Page 26)

Has it been 3 weeks already?  Nice to have you back.  No excuses for not being energized.  

Good job.  You are getting there.  73% complete.  Almost done.

Good evening.  I hope everyone had an eventful weekend.  I am back running, which I can't believe I am saying this, but I am happy to be running again.  I missed it, but don't tell anyone.  I have been swimming a lot this week and stumbled across this site, www.swimsmooth.com.  Actually it was suggested in another thread in tri talk by Kathy G.  Best swim website I have ever seen.  The site is full of videos and animation of how to swim correctly and what not to do.  I figured out what I was doing wrong in about 5 minutes.  I highly recommend it.

Why do you have to ask the hard questions? Now have to go and be a mentor

Where to start?  First, let's not call it "restarting"  Taking years off from doing this and losing all of your fitness  would be restarting.  I think this would be call getting back on track.  I think I have said this before, but I will say it again.  We are not professional triathletes.  We don't have sponsors (maybe some of you do, but not enough to pay the bills), we don't have the time to train 8 hours a day, and we have other responsibilities in our lives called work, family and friends.  And as much as we would like to ditch one or all of those other responsibilities once and a while, we can't.  We need to find balance.  What helps me with the balance is making a plan, sticking to it the best I can, and if I don't/can't, pick up where I left off.  I don't fret anymore about missing or rescheduling a workout.  

The other thing that helps, and I am sure you all know this, is having a good support system.  I am very, very lucky to have a wife who encourages me to do this.  I don't think she is too thrilled about some of the financial costs, but I think she sees that it makes me happier, healthier, and a good example for the kids.  The people I have met on this site, both virtually and in person, play an equally import role in getting by butt off the couch and into the pool or on the bike or out for a run.  No one else know what you are going through but the people who are going through the same things. 

Lastly motivation.  All these things above are good, but if you don't want to do it, everything else doesn't matter.  How do I find motivation?   I started doing triathlons because I wanted to get healthy.  I was starting to put on some weight and wanted to get in shape.  I also wanted to be a good example to my kids.  I wanted to show them that if you want to do something, work hard, stay focus, that you can accomplish anything.  As I start my third season, these things still motivate me, but there are some other things I have learned/realized as well.

 If you will indulge me for a minute, I will use this week as an example of what gets me off my butt and to the pool, or on the bike, or out for a run.  These past 10 days or so, from start to finish, has been pretty crappy personally.  First I hurt my knee 2 weeks before my half marathon.  No running for 10 days.  Then, get into a pretty big fight with my wife that lasted through V-day and into this week.  Both kids were sick, went to the doctors 2-3 times.  Because they were sick, they were up 2-3 times a night, so no sleep this week.  Friday was my review at work and even though I am thankful I have a job, I was screwed with my raise and bonus and realized that all the work I do really doesn't matter to anyone.   And the icing on the cake was yesterday going to the doctors with my father and realizing he has a pretty bad neurological disease that is going to probably change all our lives for the foreseeable future, especially if he decides not to do his exercises and his girlfriend moves out.  

But, will all that going on, I had the best week of training I have had in a long, long time.  I swam a lot and had a major break though.  I ran on the knee, and it felt better than it has in a while.  I got to the gym almost everyday and if I hadn't, I probably would have been more of a pain in the a$$ than I already was.  So what motivates me now after 3 years, is that I know as long as I keep doing it, I will get better at it.  I know that no matter what else is going on, I can still make time to go and work out.  I know that when I go workout, it not only helps me physically, but also mentally.  I know that since I have been doing this for a couple of years, other people look to me to see my progress and to get advice and I don't want to let them down.  And finally, I know that if I didn't go workout, what the hell would I talk about with you guys

This is just me.  Everyone does this for a different reason and has their own motivation.  Just make sure you are doing it because you enjoy it.  If aren't, then you need to find something else to do that makes you happy and keeps you motivated.

Did that answer your question?

It's your soapbox, I was just borrowing it.