Hey,
I was thinking the other day, what keeps you all going? Like what gets you out for your daily work outs? Is it fear of a certain race and the pain you might feel if you're not fit? Fear of gaining weight? Maybe you guys train purely for the joy of running, biking, heaven forbid swimming. No matter how much you enjoy the sport some days it's really tough to get out there. Especially if the previous days work out still lingers in those aching muscles.
The second part of my question is, what do you think about while exercising? This one's a little tougher as when people ask me this I often don't even know. A six hour ride is a really long time to be sitting on the seat you would think a lot would go over your mind no?? I'm sure we all go through the normal things like, how am I feeling today, strong, sore, how is the speed, conditions etc. Then some of us think about the upcoming race, how we'll feel on race day, how we may handle certain race conditions, mechanicals, or what pace we'll ride/run/swim. For swimming you could definatly add more thought to form, breathing, relax, relax, relax(for me) etc. Maybe some of you parents think about your kids, or the hectic days you have ahead of you and what you need to all get done?
Ok so there's a third part. This just came to me as I was writing the second part. What do you think about while racing??? It might be the same for most of you as a regular training ride. What about when it gets really tough, when the pain becomes really intense and it takes ALLLL of your will to keep going. Some may think of loved ones waiting for them, others may think to positive things like past workouts. Distractions like scenery, a joke/song or cheering someone else on who might be hurting worse then you. Or maybe you're not going as fast as you'd like, having a bad day? What motivates you to keep going when you could just quit and save yourself some recovery time??
The picture above shows Kieran Doe on his way to a big win in the Port of Tauranga Half Ironman. He rode like a machine crankin out 90km in 2:08...... WOW! His over all time was 3:56 and he beat 8 time winner Cam Brown. Maybe this guy will be the next Norman Stadler.
