Do they sell Motivation?

I'll trade you some motivation for some insight....

Insight into what, pray tell? You seem to know everything worth knowing.

I don't know about Motivation, but Motivated can be had for a price...

Bite me! 



Other than my own self, Madkat, I know nothing.  Now, if you want me to pontificate on Welshy, well, I will oblige, even with the most unwilling audience.  But I think I will leave that to Thursday night ramblings and spare you despite your mocking jibes.   The rest of creation is as inscruitable to me as as the bottom of the ocean and just as unfathomable....

I'm not mocking you Welshy. Really. Maybe a couple of glasses of wine on a lazy Saturday night have made me unclear, but I respect you and the rest of the BT folks and wouldn't want to come across as cross or confrontational. If I did so, I apologize.

Of couse, the said same glasses of wine may be influencing my reading of your "bite me". In which case... well, I'll leave that alone for now.

Honestly, I'm in a bad bad training place right now and am hoping to get my motivation back.

I have a lot of stresses in my life right now, but I can't continue to let that keep me from at least getting out there for a run once or twice a week.

Karen,

Go buy yourself some expensive new training toy. Knowing that you blew a wad of cash might guilt you in to getting out there. Thats been helping me *grin*

Kristen

Yeah, I went and test rode some road bikes last weekend and that was good to at least get me to dust off my running shoes.

Sadly, part of that being home three days a week has to do with being unemployed. But I have a feeling that Santa will be bringing me a new-to-me bike.

Darlin, I was having fun with you. It seems I missread your post as teasing, sorry. I certainly wasn't looking to bring the smack-down.... If anyone needs to be mocked, it's me.... Sorry you're not in a good place. It sucks that sometimes stress can sap motivation, and lacking motivation, you slide, then feel worse for not working out and getting that natural high and get down on yourself, which can drag you down even further.

Maybe you can jump into something completely different, like rollerblading or hiking, rock-climbing, sailing, whatever. Something to get athletic but not the same thing to get you back into the mode, the habit of it, so to speak. Just a thought.

Just let me know when you want to talk about biting me....


Edited by tmwelshy 2004-11-13 11:36 PM

Karen, I'm all about stress.  But, aside from removing it, strenuous exercise is the most powerful weapon you have for dealing with stress.  Welshy had some good advice, find something else to do, but something that will tap you and get your heart rate up for an extended period.  Or, if you prefer, just lace up the shoes.  I also liked the previous post, about getting a new toy.  For me, that's a new pair of running shoes (and, if the number of shoes I have is any indication, I do have a very stressful life).  What I love about the running is that with each step, it just feels like the world gets lifted off my shoulders.  Plus, that sense of accomplishment at the end is a great salve for all the other crap that gets thrown our way during the day.

Make an appointment with yourself on your calendar.  Carve out some time, put it on your daily schedule, and make that time for you to get out and enjoy a good workout, tennis match, etc.  Have fun with it and good luck.

And, I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but maybe sinking your teeth into Welshy could release some tension for you.

Edited by Motivated 2004-11-14 7:08 AM

Try doing some other activity for a while. If you aren't into running right now focus on biking or swimming. If the whole tri thing is just a bummer right now then try something else..I took a Jazz class (dancing...did a lot of that a long time ago) last week and it was a great crosstraining experience. LOTS of stretching, plus it made me feel good that I could keep up with the teenagers and 20 somethings in the class. Did you used to play tennis or something? GO try that. You can always use the 15 minute rule....start what ever is is with the thought that if you are still not wanting to run, swim , bike, whatever after 15 minutes you are allowed to stop. Good luck and Take care

Motivation can be elusive - I lack it all the time. Usually I find it about half way through the run I didn't want to go out on but forced myself out the door. Sometimes it is in the first leg of my bike ride or just before I bite into a piece of apple pie and push back from the table.

Sometimes it doesn't come at all but I have pushed through the run or bike ride anyway and even though I didn't feel like doing it, it got done.

This sport is a hard task master. You can't be up for it all the time - some days it is just going to be a chore and that's the way you have to take it.

Just my two cents.

I don't know but I think your motivation and mine both decided to take a holiday.  I haven't had any motivation either.  If you find yours, can you let mine know that I want it to come home?  RIGHT NOW!

The calendar thing usually helps. And while I've got the calendar out, I'll be putting in my training stuff too!

My motivation has been deminishing(sic!) as a result of work....

Now I just run... I think to myself that every extra minute I do makes me a better person than those that drag you down. I visualise the 'dislike' for the people around me, and use it for motivation... The pain just ebbs away...

I feel like Forrest Gumps sargeant... screaming out to "Bring It" during the storm...

"Yeah!" It always feels good... There also seems to be less pain afterwards!!!

Maybe it's just me... Must remeber to book in for a session on the couch... Anger Management issues!!!!

Karen,

I can attest to the same thing happening after our Wildflower Training Weekend...

I cannot TELL you how PUMPED I was driving home from that weekend...Poor Shellee couldn't shut me UP....I was talking about this race and that race and how freakin' GOOOOOD IT FELT TO SPEND THE WEEKEND OUTSIDE DOING WHAT WE DID!!!!

got home...pumped, motivated, ready to CONQUER THE WORLD!!!!

and have done just about squat ever since....

I had lunch with Lisa and Jenny on Thursday (think you met them at a tri or two this summer) and they're in the same boat. The three of us committed to just starting out slow...at least getting out 2-3 times a week and holding each other accountable...peer pressure always seems to help me out...that and the fact I just plunked down $190 for the 1/2 vineman in July....eeee GADS!

Hang in there, my friend...don't beat yourself up....one day at a time, okay? If you want something to shoot for how about for that next Wildflower Training weekend we're planning in February?????

I'm in the same boat as well. Is it just me or do you find that when 1 part of your life goes 'off' a little, then the rest seem to follow? I've had a bad few weeks trying to keep motivated at work (bizarre even as things are going well???) and have had a few colds and aches that have broken my training cycle and my diet has gone way off as I gorge junk food to try and feel better.......even my financials have got worse and I am not doing lots of the things I used to love doing????? I even bought some Spinerval DVDs on a recent trip to the US and haven't even played any of them yet......

Whats that all about???? I think it must be a 'flimsy' self esteem thing...

But this morning I switched on the tv and saw a piece about obesity and getting fit etc and I just thought, "GET OUT FOR A RUN"- so I did and I feel 100 times better for it. I'm not sure its the final solution but just taking that first step again has made me feel much better and I really enjoyed the cold run so I know I'll be back out again! I have the 2004 Olympic mens tri coverage on video and will watch that tonight after setting up my indoor cycle trainer and Totalgym in the spare room and may even try a short session with the Recovery/technique Spinerval.

So, to bring my rambling to a close, just take that first step and I think you'll find the rest just slots into place for itself. I'll let you know tomorrow how I get on with a hard days work, a healthy days eating and getting my kit sorted to make sure I get training again. After all, the London triathlon seems a VERY long event from where I'm sat right now.

I don't know if weather has hampered your ability to get out and train, but don't you miss not doing a little bit of running, biking or swimming?

I find training for races to get old, but I really like to just run and bike with no time/mileage goals. Swimming is a bit more work, but if I do it early, I'm done with my workout before I can talk myself out of it.

But, I do understand burn out. I was a DNS at my last planned tri in September. I was done with the racing aspect of tris after being focused on it since January. I guess my advice would be to get off the treadmill and trainer (if possible) and get out there to just enjoy being alive. Lose the pace charts and HRMs. Just try to reconnect with the joy.

And, hey, if you are sick, sick, sick of working out, that isn't going to happen, so take a break and commit to resuming in January. Nothing wrong with that either.

I think I've come up with a plan that will work, at least for this week. I know it's not a lot for many triathletes, but I have set a goal of working out for 5+ hours this week. I put in my first 45 minutes in the pool tonight. I can't say it was a great workout. But, I got wet and I went across and back several times. I didn't count my laps partly because I don't want to stress myself out -- I figure showing up for class is doing the "bare minimum". Plus, as always happens in class, I lose count. I can't keep up with the class workout, and usually just do freestyle no matter what everyone else is doing anyway.

I figure I did somewhere in the neighborhood of 1400 yards. Nothing to be impressed over. But SOMETHING nonetheless.

Tomorrow is a long slow cardio run for about 45 minutes and maybe some bike trainer stuff. I have a paper due on Wednesday, so I may actually workout as a procrastination technique for that!

I want to thank you all for answering my call for help. I was feeling pretty low when I first posted this thread. I'm feeling a bit better now. At least I'm feeling more hopeful. I have a vague plan and as I fill in the blanks, I think I'll find my motivation again.

The Strugglers
By Tom Demerly.


The weather report said the sun would go down today at 7:49 pm. And it did.

Now it is dark.

In the street there is a sporadic, somber procession. It is a black and white picture. There is no color, no pageantry, and no grandeur. The grace is gone and now and it is down to gritty reality.

It is the time of The Strugglers. 11:18 pm, Taupo, New Zealand- the 20th Anniversary Bonita Banana Ironman Triathlon.

The Pros are asleep. Their stomachs are full, their muscles are massaged. Their performances are a matter of record now. They are done. Have been for quite some time. They finished in the sunlight in the front of cameras and microphones racing for paychecks and trophies.

It’s easy to understand why they race. They should race. They look like they should. Lithe and toned and buff and tan and serious, the Pros and the other talented athletes reap the generous gift of genetic athletic abundance, meticulous preparation and clear-cut motivation. They are here to kick ass. It doesn’t take a psychologist to decode their motives. They’re athletes, and this is the big show. It’s what they do.

The pros’ time is over. Now it is time for The Strugglers.

There are no levels of performance for The Strugglers. You either are or you aren’t one. If you haven’t finished by now and you’re still out under the lights you are a member of this vaunted fraternity, The Strugglers. Just as the stark street lights leave either harsh illumination or black despair for The Strugglers this is a matter of finish or not finish, victory or defeat, do or die, pride or humiliation, success or failure. It is all the chips on one square, all the cards face up on the table, and all the aces have already been dealt today. The Strugglers play high stakes with a bad hand.

It may never have been pretty for The Strugglers. Most of them may not be athletes in the sense that they spend hours and hours every week training, but they line up nonetheless to do this race. The downtrodden, the meek, the ones with something to prove or something to defeat. Whatever it is they bring it here and beat it into ugly submission over 140.6 miles, each one a full 5,280 feet. The Strugglers earn every inch of every foot of every mile.

In a day so daunting and fearful they line up on the beach as if bravely facing the gallows. A cannon sounds the beginning of their trial and there is little known at the onset about how matters will be resolved, except to say it will be hard and uncomfortable and then downright painful. That may be the most frightening part: The not knowing. Some will find absolution, some will teeter and wobble and fall. There will be polite acknowledgement of their ambition, but ultimately, for The Strugglers the only thing that matters is Finishing. It’s what they’re here for.

So for The Strugglers, this is a huge gamble. Hero or failure. No in between.

And struggle they might, against awful odds and distance and poor conditioning and genetic poverty, but in bravery they are absolutely peerless. Without equal.

The Strugglers know it will not be pretty. They know it is not a sure thing. They do not have the luxury of prediction or past performances or experience. This is not their aptitude. But this is their choice and their bold dream.

Imagine being sent to do something, something beastly difficult. You know in your heart of hearts you are not prepared, maybe not even suited for this. You know the stares of others less brave and more envious fall heavily on your effort. They want The Strugglers to fail. For every Struggler who crosses the finish line it is a failure for those who never dared try. For every Struggler who sadly and reluctantly succumbs to the distance before the finish line and is carried off the course it is a victory for those who never started. They take sick pleasure in that. Shame on them.

Those who never had the courage to try have no right to cast judgment on The Strugglers.

The Pros are comfortable and resting. But the Strugglers have not left their sacred vigil. They soldier on, unswerving in their oath to finish, No Matter What. People marvel at the Pros performance, but I say The Strugglers are the real athletes. Explorers on the terrible frontier of self-doubt, fear and potential embarrassment on a grand scale. They bring less to the start line and they do more. Longer, harder, more painful: It is a different race for The Strugglers.

It is a parade really. A parade of people so brave and tough and fearless that they don’t care if it might not work. They bank on the fact that it could. They don’t back away from the possibility of failure. Imagine their performance as set against the backdrop of the very best in the world and they are not self-conscious about their version of the very same dance. Ask yourself, would you take the stage at the Kennedy Center after Barishnikov or Pavoratti? Are you that brave?

The Strugglers are.

Their performance is tedious and grinding. It is utterly relentless in its duration. The distance, the time, the struggle cannot be compromised. The Strugglers know this, they accept it- embrace it even. And they never succumb. Under the street lights, through the cool air, in filthy clothes streaked with their own discharge of minerals and fluids and sometimes even tears and blood.

The Strugglers do a different kind of race. A harder one. And they are Elite. It takes longer. It is less practiced. It seems to never end, and it does more damage.

Decode their motives if you will. But I decode yours as trying to explain more why you didn’t try than why they are. Instead, I respectfully suggest, salute them. Unless you have walked with The Strugglers until midnight on the Ironman course they stand above you in the athletic arena. Struggle as they may, they mustered the courage to try.

Mary
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I may never finish 1st or make it to Kona, but I’m proud of the fact that I had the courage to begin my journey.


Edited by twinstrimom 2004-11-16 12:16 PM

Mary,

Thank you for that. I have often felt that the true athletes are the people who don't look like athletes... you know us... we're at the back of the pack, breathing hard, red-faced and "struggling."

I do feel a bit more inspired after that.

Karen

Glad is helped. I always pull this out when I'm feeling less than a "triathlete".


Here's to a great off season

M
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I may never finish 1st or make it to Kona, but I’m proud of the fact that I had the courage to begin my journey.

I posted a few days ago about Winter Traing Blues. I was told by one post to "suck it up." It worked for me and I am back in the groove.

My advice? Suck it up!

:-)

John