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 2010-01-22 8:06 PM in reply to: #2626042 |
Pro  4360    Baton Rouge area |  Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard...triarcher - 2010-01-21 9:12 AM I think the most demoralizing thing that has ever happened in sports was my first open water swim. I had been swimming alot and was pretty confident in my ability to cover the 400m.....actually very confident. I got in the middle of the pack, felt great. We start and I barely made it 50m before I hit panic mode. I have never been a person to panic or freak out. Not being able to see (it was in a brackish lake) plus a good little chop killed me. It took me 16 minutes to cover the 400m. I could not make myself put my face in the water. At that moment I just about gave up the sport......but I got out the water and put down a good ride and run. I have had two more OWS since then and each one was better than the next. So at least I was able to confront this fear that I never knew I had and move on! Same thing on my first 800m OWS in a very choppy lake, last person out of the water with a line of kayaks escorting me in. Felt like cr@p. Almost just quit. Rode very hard (for me), passed a bunch of people was just about feeling good about Tri's again, get to T2 and come to find idiot had parked his bike in my spot on top of my stuff. It actually took me about 15 seconds to talk myself out of throwing his bike in the lake. Might have been worth the DQ. |
| 2010-01-22 8:18 PM in reply to: #2629491 |
Champion 7595  Columbia, South Carolina | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Brownie28 - 2010-01-22 3:52 PM One of my buddies: 'We reach our physical peak at 25, it's all downhill from there'. When I was 25, my only chance at a 6 minute mile would have been in a motor vehicle. I ran three sub-6 minutes miles today, back to back to back, and I'm 41. I blame my poor condition at 25 (and 35) on myself, but I had plenty of help along the way -- I was pigeonholed as unathletic from a very young age because I was small and preferred piano to hockey, and the moniker stuck for a long time. I guess that was 'demotivational', though I didn't realize it at the time. |
| 2010-01-22 9:00 PM in reply to: #2627781 |
Master 1348 Gurnee, IL | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Aneides - 2010-01-21 7:42 PM There's an older (like 70) guy in my area that runs road races while dribbling 3 basketballs at once. He starts way, way back so he's not in traffic bumping into people and then works his way through the race. When I was first getting into running he'd pass me. You could hear him coming for some time before he even pulled even with you, "THUMP, THUMP, THUMP", next thing you know an old guy dribbling three basketballs passes you and slowly makes his way out of your sight. After a couple times you hear that thumping and think "oh crap". Through the years I got to know him and actually he's a really cool guy. Love this! LMAO! |
| 2010-01-22 9:06 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Veteran 190 Delaware, OH | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... My father, when I got serious about triathlons, started sending be newspaper clippings about all the people that DIE every year in the OWS, and doing triathlons in general. Last year, I think there was about 3 clippings that came in the mail. He lives in WI, people must not know how to swim there..... |
| 2010-01-23 10:21 AM in reply to: #2629580 |
| New Haven, CT | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Scout7 - 2010-01-22 4:30 PM Hmmm.... If anything, it sounds to me like most of what people are relating were not demotivating at all. Quite the opposite, because it pushed them to strive even harder. True... In today's world motivation seems to be viewed as "you're the best... you're wonderful", even if it isn't true. Telling people they are underperforming when they are capable of more is not necessarily demotivating, but appropriate criticism. The trick is giving the criticism with strategies to improve. That is the difference between a good coach/manager and a . |
| 2010-01-23 11:08 AM in reply to: #2629629 |
Master 4119 Toronto Bronze member | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Scout7 - 2010-01-22 4:56 PM Brownie28 - 2010-01-22 4:51 PM Scout7 - 2010-01-22 3:30 PM Hmmm.... If anything, it sounds to me like most of what people are relating were not demotivating at all. Quite the opposite, because it pushed them to strive even harder. There are people that, because of a hidden (or not-so-hidden) selfishness and insecurity, will justify their not doing things like triathlons, exercising, etc, by tearing you down a notch. Whether or not you take those comments and let it feed your drive to succeed doesn't make the comments any less idiotic and self-serving. My comment was more based on the fact that people hear something, and instead of quitting, they push even harder. For those of us here - it's a little one-sided. The people who quit or never tried based on some feedback just aren't here. We're the stubborn ones.  |
| 2010-01-23 11:26 AM in reply to: #2625490 |
Extreme Veteran 552 Wesley Chapel, Florida | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... And I haven't personally overheard this one directed at me (I think), but there's always that classic from the bystanders - "Well, if THAT guy can do it, maybe I can do it too!" I wouldn't take this as too much of an insult. And I hope my girlfriends who inspired me to try this don't take it as an insult. It took seeing someone who looked like me -- an overweight Mom who had never been athletic in her life -- finishing a triathlon to make me think I could (a) lose weight and (b) have this much fun doing it. My first girlfriend who did one, I didn't get that feeling. I had excuses "well, she's a stay at home mom, so she has time to work out. And she was a swimmer in high school, so she is athletic." It was the others that followed her example -- the gal who was as heavy as I was, and who had never been athletic either -- to inspire me to do this. And now we are all going to do a sprint together, because they want to be there for me for my first. All because I said "if they can do it, so can I!" Since I started this journey, 4 people I know started couch-2-5K because "if Dineen can do it, so can I." I may be the slowest runner out there, but I take their pride in me, and the inspiration it gave them, as the highest compliment there is! |
| 2010-01-23 11:30 AM in reply to: #2624922 |
Expert 683 | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... A classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. |
| 2010-01-23 1:11 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Champion 6742 The Green Between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... When I was about 10, I went out for baseball. Coach's style of coaching was to tell everyone they sucked and explain that they should try to be more like his son. His son was a very good ball player, and I knew I would never measure up. I quit baseball at the end of that year and never played again. I had the same experience with a football coach in High School. You know how every coach finds one guy to make an example of? Yeah, well, that was me, for whatever reason. He rode me from the second I got to practice until well after it was over. Kept me late, so I missed the bus and had to walk/run home. That lasted about a month and I quit and joined the soccer team. That was really the start of my first run as an athlete, when the soccer coach saw how fast I was. He recommended I go out for track and I excelled there, eventually qualifying for regionals. It's funny, though, because I play softball, baseball and even football in pickup games with kids half my age. I found I have some natural athletic ability, quick feet, sure hands, that sort of thing. I wonder, often, what would have happened had I been around more coaches who believed in me and fostered that talent. |
| 2010-01-23 2:59 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Champion 7704 Williamston, Michigan | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... When I was getting ready to do my first HIM someone here on BT also getting ready for his first HIM posted that you have no business doing a HIM if you can't do it in under ____ time.........a time there is no way on God's green earth I had any chance of attaining. It made me feel really really bad about myself and something I had been looking forward to and trained hard for. Mr. blowhard know it all I'm so great ended up not doing his HIM in _____ time. Heh. People who lives in glass houses and all that |
| 2010-01-23 4:00 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Master 1531 TORONTO | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... I recently watched that movie called Invincible - talk about demotivators!! His wife leaves him a note which he reads every day: "Vince, you'll never go anywhere. You'll never make any money and you'll never make a name for yourself." Then she cleaned out the house and left him forever! Every other line is demotivating - a hugely inspirational movie. |
| 2010-01-23 5:46 PM in reply to: #2630414 |
Veteran 129 Chicago | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... And I haven't personally overheard this one directed at me (I think), but there's always that classic from the bystanders - "Well, if THAT guy can do it, maybe I can do it too!" I don't view this as such a bad thing. I haven't done an IM yet or even a HIM, and when I first started getting into tris, I kept telling myself I would just do olys and would never do an IM. But for every human interest piece they do at Kona every year, like the old nun or the double-below-the-knee amputee (Rudy?), I find myself saying, "if they can do it, I can F@*#ing do it!" And I plan to. I have my sights set on a HIM in 2011 and a full IM in 2012 - I am big guy and with running being by far my worst discipline, I'm giving myself plenty of time to build a solid base. Also, it didn't happen to me, but I was a witness. One of my buddies did his first marathon this year, and at the gym, one of the guys he works out with asked him his time and was a dbag about it, but my friend had a quick, effective retort: DBag: "What was your time in the marathon?" Friend: "About 5.5 hours" Dbag: "Oh, that's slow" Friend: "What's your marathon time?" Dbag: "I haven't done one" Friend: "Exactly" |
| 2010-01-23 6:30 PM in reply to: #2630420 |
| Veteran 250 | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... wrkinprogress - 2010-01-23 11:30 AMA classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Both of our moms must be related... mine told me that before I did the Chicago Triathlon. And I then end up getting 2nd in my age group.Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. |
| 2010-01-23 10:39 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Veteran 732 Pittsburgh, PA | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... One thing that frustrates me (even though I know it shouldn't) is when acquaintances will hear about my tri and say, "Oh, I could do that" or "Maybe I'll do it" when it's like 2 weeks away. Of course they could do it if they trained but I hate how they make it sound like it's easy. And once I did a race near my parents' house so my parents and my sister-in-law were spectators. My mom and SIL both said separately, "Why would anyone want to do this?" Not so much demotivational, just funny! |
| 2010-01-24 7:47 AM in reply to: #2631193 |
Pro 6767 the Alabama part of Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... chayes - 2010-01-23 11:39 PM And once I did a race near my parents' house so my parents and my sister-in-law were spectators. My mom and SIL both said separately, "Why would anyone want to do this?" Not so much demotivational, just funny! Not so much something said, but something done, that this reminded me of. Many many years ago, I was doing the Bud Light race in Norflok (kids, when we were young, Bud Light used to sponser a series of oly races all over the country and....). The run was very close to my mother's house - so close, that I rode my bike to the staging area the morning of the race. The run literally went one block away from her house. My kids were 2 and 5 at the time, and I asked my mother to bring them over to the end of the block between 9 and 9:15 (or whatever the time was that I estimated I would be running past there). At 9:10, as I got to that block, I was eagerly hoping to see the kids for some inspiration for the last couple of miles. Instead, I see the backs of my kids being led by my mother almost at the house. When I asked what happened when I got back to the house, my MOTHER decided she was tired of waiting. Ahh, nothing like the unconditional love and support of a mother! Seriously, it was nothing like that. |
| 2010-01-24 3:52 PM in reply to: #2630901 |
Champion 7704 Williamston, Michigan | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Kickback - 2010-01-23 7:30 PM wrkinprogress - 2010-01-23 11:30 AMA classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Both of our moms must be related... mine told me that before I did the Chicago Triathlon. And I then end up getting 2nd in my age group.Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. Mine must be from the same litter Then at a HIM |
| 2010-01-24 4:04 PM in reply to: #2630901 |
Expert 683 | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Kickback - 2010-01-23 6:30 PM wrkinprogress - 2010-01-23 11:30 AMA classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Both of our moms must be related... mine told me that before I did the Chicago Triathlon. And I then end up getting 2nd in my age group.Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. *grin* That's just awesome! Congratulations! I'll be doing Chicago this year, too...maybe even as an Oly to give me something new to shoot for! How about you? |
| 2010-01-24 4:07 PM in reply to: #2631923 |
Expert 683 | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... Socks - 2010-01-24 3:52 PM Kickback - 2010-01-23 7:30 PM wrkinprogress - 2010-01-23 11:30 AMA classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Both of our moms must be related... mine told me that before I did the Chicago Triathlon. And I then end up getting 2nd in my age group.Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. Mine must be from the same litter Then at a HIM *bursts out laughing* Amazing how moms come up with these things, isn't it? Clearly, you ROCK. Go you in your races this year! |
| 2010-01-24 4:07 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Veteran 471 Alpharetta | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... What is it with parents? Mine constantly tell me I'm wearing out my body and I'll regret when I'm old. I resist the urge to reply back "so how's that laying around on the couch plan working out for you?" Anybody else would get that comment and end it with "..you and your large a$$". But for my parents I just smile. |
| 2010-01-24 4:38 PM in reply to: #2631944 |
Champion 7704 Williamston, Michigan | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... wrkinprogress - 2010-01-24 5:07 PM Socks - 2010-01-24 3:52 PM Kickback - 2010-01-23 7:30 PM wrkinprogress - 2010-01-23 11:30 AMA classic: two days before my first tri last fall, my mom (who is a wonderful person whom I adore) calls me and says, "Well, don't feel bad if you can't finish." Probably the most backwards way of saying "good luck" I've ever heard! Both of our moms must be related... mine told me that before I did the Chicago Triathlon. And I then end up getting 2nd in my age group.Needless to say, I finished that sprint just fine and am back for more this year. Mine must be from the same litter Then at a HIM *bursts out laughing* Amazing how moms come up with these things, isn't it? Clearly, you ROCK. Go you in your races this year! Thanks.....on the up side I think she has given up trying to talk me out of ironmans after my third....and has stopped trying to make my dad talk me out of them. |
| 2010-01-24 10:53 PM in reply to: #2624922 |
Master 2855 Kailua, Hawaii | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... |
| 2010-01-25 3:43 AM in reply to: #2624922 |
| Veteran 261 Townsville, Australia | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... yep.. it happened on saturday. I headed out for a 5km run.. and felt alright.. Yes, I am big and slow, but I love it.. I went out with a goal to crack 40 minutes for the 5km (give me a break,Im 135kg) and at around 4km I run past a bottle shop and this guy is ahead of me carrying a case of beer, I slowly catch up to him and pass him.. then I hear him speed up his walk and he catches up to me.. looks over.. and says 'are you running or walking' yep.. I stopped and walked the rest.. i was gutted.. demoralized.. crushed.. |
| 2010-01-25 3:46 AM in reply to: #2630414 |
Extreme Veteran 1175 Langley, BC, 'Wet Coast' Canada | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... dinabean - 2010-01-23 9:26 AM And I haven't personally overheard this one directed at me (I think), but there's always that classic from the bystanders - "Well, if THAT guy can do it, maybe I can do it too!" I wouldn't take this as too much of an insult. And I hope my girlfriends who inspired me to try this don't take it as an insult. It took seeing someone who looked like me -- an overweight Mom who had never been athletic in her life -- finishing a triathlon to make me think I could (a) lose weight and (b) have this much fun doing it. My first girlfriend who did one, I didn't get that feeling. I had excuses "well, she's a stay at home mom, so she has time to work out. And she was a swimmer in high school, so she is athletic." It was the others that followed her example -- the gal who was as heavy as I was, and who had never been athletic either -- to inspire me to do this. And now we are all going to do a sprint together, because they want to be there for me for my first. All because I said "if they can do it, so can I!" Since I started this journey, 4 people I know started couch-2-5K because "if Dineen can do it, so can I." I may be the slowest runner out there, but I take their pride in me, and the inspiration it gave them, as the highest compliment there is! Dineen I really enjoyed reading this post, and the highlighted part, for me, was one of the more inspirational sentiments I have read on BT. You rock! |
| 2010-01-25 6:20 AM in reply to: #2624922 |
Extreme Veteran 439 | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... when i found out last year that i had thyroid cancer, some one saying its only thyroid cancer think yourself lucky.. |
| 2010-01-25 8:01 AM in reply to: #2624922 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Name The Most Demotivational Thing You Have Ever Heard... In 1991, I was hit head-on by a drunk driver. He was going the wrong way on I95 near Norwood, MA so we both were going 60 at the time. Speed is estimated for his car since there were no skid marks to measure (nobody had time to brake first). I was in traction for 4 days before they put a steel rod in my right femur. The entire time, I had no feeling in my right leg. I told the doctor this and he said, "well yeah, you may never get that back." In his broken english, that is all he said before leaving. It was rather demotivating and scary. I did eventually get feeling back but it took about a month and a half. You know how you gradually get feeling back in your arm when it is completely numb after sleeping on it all night? Imagine that recovery taking 6 months. That's sort of how it went. |
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