Finding motivation

Hey green team,

Well, it’s official: another year come and gone. If your holidays were anything like mine, they included at least one person who posed the innocent question, “Why do you do triathlons?” This is typically accompanied by expressions ranging from awe to sheer terror. But the inquiry is one I’ve been thinking a lot about during the first days of 2018. So I sought to answer it.

In the quest to identify my personal reasons for participating in triathlon, I decided to list all possible reasons someone might love the sport. Here’s what I brainstormed.

1. Winning. Getting on the podium, or literally winning a triathlon.
2. Competing. Giving yourself something to work toward; the excitement of race day.
3. Friendship. Meeting new people, and/or spending time with those you already adore.
4. Strength. Physical - muscle toning, weight loss (aka “holiday cookie reversal”), making your body stronger.
5. Strength. Mental - training your mind to learn something new, improve on something you already know, providing a sense of focus.
6. Relaxation. Using workouts and training to push work/life out of your mind and de-stress.
7. Pride. Hey, it’s a real thing. You worked hard for that medal.
8. Joy. The moment during a workout when you feel release; when your body, mind, and heart all meld together (aka, you’re smiling like a weirdo running down Mass Ave in -8 degree weather).
9. Food. “I eat a lot of cheese, and I’m not 20 anymore.”
10. Selfies. Just kidding.

While this is not an exhaustive list, it felt like a good start. From there, I wondered: which ones actually speak to me? I wasn’t sure how to go about this, so I engaged in a little exercise that I highly recommend before you answer the question. Ready? Take out your cell phone, open your Photos app, and look at your training and/or race photos. Really. Do it! I’ll wait. *pause*

Ok, now that you reviewed your photos and reminisced about warmer weather, reflect on the items above. Here’s where I landed.

1. Winning. Getting on the podium, or literally winning a triathlon. HAHAHA. No. Leave that to the pros, JV.
2. Competing. Giving yourself something to work toward; the excitement of race day. Maybe.
3. Friendship. Meeting new people, and/or spending time with those you already adore. Asterisk times five. I love the team.
4. Strength. Physical - muscle toning, weight loss (aka “holiday cookie reversal”), making your body stronger. Yes.
5. Strength. Mental - training your mind to learn something new, improve on something you already know, or simply providing a sense of focus. Double yes.
6. Relaxation. Using workouts and training to push work/life out of your mind and de-stress. Triple yes.
7. Pride. Hey, it’s a real thing. You worked hard for that medal. I do enjoy a medal...
8. Joy. The moment during a workout when you feel release; when your body, mind, and heart all meld together (aka, you’re smiling like a weirdo while running down Mass Ave in -8 degree weather). The moments are rare for me, but when they are there, they are amazing.
9. Food. “I eat a lot of cheese, and I’m not 20 anymore.” ALL THE YESES.
10. Selfies. Just kidding.#wwmsselfiecompetition2018

What did I learn? For me, triathlon is primarily about the people, the de-stressing element of training, and possibly eating. I may not be in “it to win it,” but I’m glad we are all in it together.

No matter your motivation - the podium, the joy, the strength, the race - remember that as long as you love something about triathlon, triathlon will love you back. And that you’ll always have something on the list to fuel -8 degree runs, likely with a pack of neon-green-wearing weirdos right beside you.

Here’s to another amazing year, and #gogreen!

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