Motivation

I don’t think most tough athletes get out of bed super early to go work out because they like it. I think they would find staying in bed much more comfortable. Getting up at 4:15 to run in the cold dark rain does not sound like much fun at all.

How can anybody do that year after year and be successful at it? Would the motivation be to loose weight? That may work for a while but most attain their goal weight and back to their old habits they go. The thrill of a podium finish? Maybe, but over time that looses it’s flair, and few win forever.

I think there is one common thread I have observed that make any fitness program work, and that is other people.

I do know ironmen who train alone, which makes sense because you race alone. But, who would choose aloneness over doing it with others that have the same goal in mind?

I found myself in a similar predicament a few weeks ago. My wife “made” me get out of bed at 4:15 and go to a strength and endurance class at our local gym with some of our buddies. Then, off to the track we go to run several 800s with other people. I do not like high heart rate stuff, and on the 3rd 800, I found myself whining, grumbling and complaining. I listened to myself and said to myself “Self, it is amazing you hang out with yourself as much as you whine and complain” I was lucky my wife and buddies did not ditch me for being a complainer. After that attitude check, I found myself running the next few sets faster than the ones I had before, and suddenly it became fun!

I was rewarded with that a few weeks later while at the next race, when I was getting tired, I was able to find that extra gear to excel at the end of the race and finish strong. Probably if it were not for the high intensity workouts (which I hated) I would not have done so well

So, what did I learn?

• Successful people do what they do not like to do
• Do what you don’t like to do with others who make doing what you don’t like to do fun, much easier, better, faster and beneficial.
• Life is not all about the racing. It is about the relationships and friendly competition with others that makes the suffering joy

So, decide what sport or activity sounds like the most fun to you. Start doing it. Make someone do it with you. Make the system automatic, so at a set time each day or week, you automatically do that activity. Sign up for a race or competition. Those days make you dig a little deeper and push a little harded, but the return of rewards comes back 10x.