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.




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