TRIATHLON TIPS: Motivation, (an endurance athlete’s secret weapon)

“Why do you do it? Why on earth do you put your body through that? I don’t even drive my car that far. You are crazy!” In my eleven years of endurance athletics I have heard these words from countless people, and I would be a liar if I said that these thoughts didn’t go through my own mind now and then. In these situations, I usually tell the person (or myself) that there are so many good reasons it would take hours to explain. While this is absolutely true, I have learned that everyone in our crazy clan, from beginners to world champions, has reached a point where motivation is running thin and a jump start is very much needed. I hope the following thoughts on motivation will help you through the lows of our rollercoaster ride.

Go back to the beginning and think long term
One of the first things I say to my athletes when they are down is “think about where you started from.” This reminds them of just how far they have come, and puts things back into perspective. For example, an athlete may be upset because of a “slow” time in a race, but when they look back, they realize they couldn’t even run around the block when they started.
Along these same lines, I think it helps to look at the big picture as well. Maybe an athlete has a bad time trial one day but, in general his times have been progressing very well. If you look at the entire progression of training, it is a lot easier to realize this bad day is just a bump in the road.

Set Baby Goals
We all know that a large task is much easier to deal with when broken down into several smaller tasks. The same is true in endurance athletics. It’s very easy to lose motivation for that long run when you think about how big it is. If you can break it up somehow into smaller pieces it won’t be so daunting. For example, one of my good friends likes to think of every marathon as four separate 10km races, with a 2km finish. Find out what works for you and mentally break it up.

Throw out the negative and surround yourself with the positive
My basement wall is covered with symbols of everything I have accomplished so far in endurance athletics. Everything from medals, to pictures, to programs reminds me about the good times I have had in this sport. I lovingly call it my “ego wall.” Along with this, I have posters of the world’s best athlete’s, and motivational quotes. All of these things help me get out the door.
The attitudes of the people around you are also very important. If you have people in your life that are constantly negative, maybe it’s time to have a serious talk with them or separate yourself from them somehow. At the same time, try to be the positive person in the group. One of my father’s favorite sayings is “see good, say it.” It’s amazing how the atmosphere in a room can change with a compliment.

Music
In my own experience, music is the ultimate short term catalyst. A good song and an open road can be all you need to hammer through those intervals. On the flip side, many athletes find it helpful to relax as much as possible at high speeds. In this case it is extraordinary how soothing the right mellow song can be during a hard effort.

Visualization
Visualization can be an incredible motivator. If you can imagine yourself working successfully through a hard workout before you leave the house, you have a much better chance of doing just that when you get out the door. You can also use visualization during training. One of my favorite techniques is to imagine that I am in a key race and it is on T.V. I try to imagine what the commentators might be saying if the camera was on me. You can also imagine your competition. Maybe the lead pack is just in front of you and you are about to catch them. Or maybe better yet, you are just in front of them and they are trying to catch you. Find the triggers that work for you and put yourself in the moment.

Reward yourself
We all need rewards. I’m a huge believer in taking care of your subconscious self. This is the very basic part of you that can become either the devil or the angel on your shoulder. “You can skip that workout” or “come on, it’s important.” My theory is that which voice shows up depends partly on how well you have treated yourself lately. Did you allow yourself to eat that ice cream at the end of the week? Did you celebrate your last successful race with friends and family? Did you allow yourself to sleep in on your rest day? These are all examples of questions your mind is going to ask itself when you head out the door for that hard workout. If you have found ways to reward yourself, you are much more likely to be listening to the angel.

Do It For a Good Cause
Finally, I have saved the best for last. Training and racing for a good cause has to be my number one recommendation to help you with motivation. One of my best and most fun seasons was during a year when I was racing to benefit a Lupus research fund. I woke up every day knowing I was working to help others, and I was constantly reminded of how privileged I am to be able to do this sport. There are several ways you can help others with our sport. Organizations are sprouting up everywhere, and many races are put on as benefits for a good cause. If you can’t find something to join, take a leap and create your own fund raiser. I promise you it will be amazing!

Let’s face it. What we do is extraordinary. This is part of what makes our sport so wonderful. To do extraordinary things, we need extraordinary motivation. I believe that if you are reading this, you already have this motivation inside of you. Hopefully my suggestions will make it a little easier to bring it out, and the next time your sanity is in question, you will have the answers you need.

Coach Howie’s Tip of the Month
Now that the 2005 race season is just around the corner, many of us are beginning to do more difficult interval sets in the pool. As the speed ramps up, it is important to maintain the new and improved form we gained over the winter. Try putting drill sets in throughout your entire swim workout. For example, instead of only drilling at the beginning of a workout, put small drill sets in the middle of your speed work. One of my favorite sets is 10x100m hard with 50yds drill after every even 100. The more often we can reinforce good habits during the workout, the more likely these habits are to become second nature.