Motivation... Why?

I've just been reading an article about Motivation, and staying motivated throughout a long race and a long training schedule to that race. One of its main points of the article was to remember why you are doing the race and the training towards it. As I read this line I instantly thought to myself, "why am I doing this?"

It's always been a question people have asked me, but I think i have always answered joking "I'm a bit mad!" or "because i can!". Which aren't real reasons!

But I must be motivated I thought, I've been training 5-6 days a week for almost 3 years now! Getting up at 5 am to run before work and training in the freezing cold, the rain and the snow are not the actions of someone who has no motivation to be a triathlete.

So whats my motivation? Some are motivated by the memory of a loved one, some to be the best they can possibly be... some to be the best in the world.

I think my motivation is that I enjoy it? (Maybe it is because I'm mad?) I enjoy the great sessions when i feel strong as well as the crap sessions where I feel like death, mainly because I know i can do better, and I want to come back and be better.

I enjoy the gradual improvement over time, and the process of gaining that improvement.

Do I want to be the best? Sure it would be nice... and maybe possible one day, but it isn't my main motivation.

Every week, usually around the middle of the week when I'm starting to feel tired and have sore muscles I think to myself "why am I putting myself through this again?", but it never lasts more than a day. Once I have had a good nights sleep, I enjoy it all again... all the motivation I need.

Maybe one day I wont enjoy it so much, this will be the time when the motivation is completely gone... a long time in the future I think.

(That was rather positive for me!)

The Weeks Progress

Bit of a difficult start to the week, after planning my usual sessions of 3 swims, 4 bikes and 4 runs. I found out the swimming pool I use will be closed all week due to a break in and glass in the pool.

Ah, back to the drawing board. So i decided to add another bike hour and another 2 strength sessions. I realised this is one of the benefits of being a triathlete, there is always some sort of training you can do. I feel sorry for the swimmers, with the pool closed they are a bit stuck.


Overall the week was very good. 8 1/2 hours on the bike including a long ride on Saturday of 3 hours 40 minutes (110km, only 70 to go!!) and 3 1/2 hours running, including 2 hours run on Sunday of 26km, which i felt strong throughout and could have ran further.

So the training still progressing well, I may do another swim next week to make up for the lost week in the pool. It shouldn't have made too much difference overall though so I'm not worried.

The Eternal Struggle!

Well, we are beginning to see the end if winter (I hope!), its staying lighter later at night and the last couple of days have certainly been warmer than the minus temperatures we were subjected to the last few weeks.

But, the eternal struggle still carries on.... picture the alarm going off on a Wednesday morning at 5am, the bedside lap being turned on, and me turning over and going back to sleep... it seems to be a common occurrence for me.

Granted I do make quite a few early morning starts, most weeks I plan 3 or 4 and make most of them... but its rare I mate all of them. This morning was a prime example. I was awake as soon as my alarm went off, but I just couldn't drag myself out of bed to get ready for my run.

Maybe I'm kidding myself that it is easier when the mornings are lighter, but I really think it is... I guess we will see in a few months, at the moment I have no idea how I can motivate myself to make every morning training session. If I did, it would make my weeks so much easier, instead I have to do two training sessions in the evening, which loses valuable recovery time.

Does the extra hour in bed in the morning make up for the lost recovery time in the evenings? Who knows, I would guess not.

It's not as if I am always still tired from the previous days exercise either, on one occasion I have just lay in bed, not going back to sleep instead of getting out. Granted that was in the colder mornings.

So that is my next task, possibly I will give up going back to sleep for lent?

Last Week

Overall, last week was a good week. Did 16 hours training overall. Including a long bike of 3 hours 30 minutes on Saturday (103km). First time I have gone over 100km on the bike... only 80km to go! ha ha!

The 10km run route i do twice a week, my average times are coming down all the time. Averaging under 41 minutes now, which was over 43 minutes back in November... so at the same time as getting stronger I seem to be getting quicker... more by accident than planned.

Hoping to get the bike out on the road again soon when it really does warm up... looking forward to it. getting a bit sick of the turbo trainer!

Progress Report: 20 weeks to go

The week before last I decided on a recovery week, so dropped the hours down to about 9 and tried to get as much rest as possible... had felt lethargic and tired the week before and i was due a rest after 5 solid weeks since Christmas.

This week just gone, i was back into it. Unfortunately, the cold weather and snow stunted my motivation slightly, so all my usual weekly early morning sessions didn't happen, not really a great idea because it meant moving them all to the evenings, meaning i was going to bed later and later and missing the next morning session, a vicious circle all week.

But i finished the week with a good weekend, a 3 hours 20 minute (97km) ride on the turbo on Saturday and a long run on Sunday on tired legs. was a struggle but managed 22km and it felt like a mental achievement more than a physical one, which will hopefully help me in the darker hours of racing. I still did 14 hours for the week, so I'm still training very well.

Also earlier in the week I upped my Tuesday swim to 3500m for the first time this season, as boring as it was in the pool, it felt like a good to almost get to race distance this early.

So... as the title suggests, 20 weeks to go! Feeling pretty good at this stage, over half way there on the bike now,way ahead on running and ticking over nicely in the pool.

I will still be putting in extra hours on the bike to get stronger in that area and still steadily increasing the hours overall.

Just praying for some warmer weather now, might be easier to get out of bed.

Just Giving Page is Live!

The Just Giving page to donate to Compton Hospice on behalf of me completing the Outlaw Ironman is now avaliable.

There is a link on the right hand side ->

Or click here to visit the page http://www.justgiving.com/tomvstheoutlaw

Or you can donate by text sending "BENO99 £1" to 70070 to donate a £1 (amount can be £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10)

Many thanks for your support!

Next stop the Insane Asylum

I started writing this post in my head while out for a quick run just after a couple of hours on the turbo trainer. It was minus something degrees, the snow was just beginning to fall and I'm looking sheepishly at a passing ambulance and Police car thinking I might get committed for being out running in this weather.

Then i start to wonder what all the people in the cars passing are thinking about me. Do they think I'm a few cans short of a 6 pack? Do they admire my commitment?

I must admit running in the cold has never bothered me. The cold doesn't really affect me too much when running so i can live with it... cycling in the cold however is another story, it seems no matter how many layers I wear it feels horrible. The pain of the cold in your hands and feet is unbearable for me. so i always look at winter cyclists with admiration. (I will freely admit i have been on the turbo trainer for ALL cycling since the end of October!)

I guess, as its the general public there is a mixture of thoughts, some think we are mental, some admire us,at the end of the day it doesn't really matter what they think... because if it did we wouldn't do it!

I will just have to go back to my mind flicking between how much stronger it is making me, and wishing i could afford a few weeks in Lanzarote at this time of the year!

Keep saying "Hi!" to the other poor cyclists and runners who are braving the cold and I'm sure spring and summer will be here before we know it!

While i have been writing this the snow has really started falling... I've become a bit excited about my off road long run tomorrow morning!.... maybe i do need to be committed?