Motivation, Goals and Rewards

I spent a great deal of time this past week thinking about what motivates me in this sport. I have often said that this sport brings out the best and worst in people. Finishing is never enough. Getting better is never enough. There is an endless pursuit of perfection. It ranges from the beginner all the way to the Ironman World Champion. There are so many variables in the equation to pull off a great race, training session and season. Sometimes your reward is setting a personal best in a race. But the euphoria is short lived as you begin agonizing and second guessing how you could shave a few seconds here or how next time you will get your run down an extra minute.

As I stated in a previous blog, training for my second Ironman has proven to be a difficult feat. I don't have that instinctive fear. My legs don't quiver in horror at the thought of racing 140.6 miles. I have the confidence I need. Instead, the motivation, goals and rewards are different. Last year my motivation was to overcome the adversity of training and finishing what I view was a monumental task. In that case the end (finishing) justified the means (training). As I move forward with more Ironman races, I can't help but to wonder if the opposite is true. Have the means (training) justified the end (finishing).

Training is a way of life now. Last year it was something I had to do in order to get myself to the finish line. This year, in part, it is what I love. Sure it still has meaning, but the confidence and experience play a much larger role. I know exactly what it takes to finish a race in a desired time. My goals and rewards have also significantly changed. I had a very aggressive time goal for Ironman Florida. That is no longer there but I still have an semi-aggressive approach to the race. The reward? I am not sure yet. I don't know if it will feel the same or feel different than last time. Guess I will foreshadow a blog.

All this came to head on Sunday at the Music City Triathlon. I was stoked about racing again. I popped out of the bed that morning and I was ready to get my tri-on. Excluded Belgium, I hadn't raced in over 3 months. And since I don't count Triple-T, this would really only be my second race of the year. But tri-gods had a different idea.

Hurricane Ike was sending horrible conditions our way. The tranquil nature of the lake produce white caps. Fine. So the course will be a bit more challenging. I am ready for this. A few waves go off and more chaos ensues. The buoys become unhinged and fly off course. Now you have swimmers going in three different directions. The race director had lost control of the race. Time for Plan B.

They decided to implement a duathlon style race on the bike-run course. 27.1 mile bike followed by a 6 mile run. Ummm....no thanks. Given the conditions and format, I can't see this being fun at all. Put more importantly, I don't see this being beneficial.

I agree that you learn something new every race. But there comes a point in your career where the risk outweighs the rewards. For me, there was no great reward awaiting me at the finish line. Even if I pulled off a great bike and run, it would just be another finish. And the recovery time would be a few extra days. Instead, I choose to pack my backs, head home, still score a solid workout and focus on recovery.

I don't know what the word is to describe it. Maybe confidence? Experienced? Focused? I spent some time wondering what now separates me from the numerous beginners, more experienced athletes (or the old version of me) that made the decision to stay in the race. I think what it comes down to is that I have reached a point in my triathlon career that enables me to make rational decisions and keep my vanity at bay. I didn't need that race. I didn't need another medal. I didn't need another ranking, time, number next to my name. It was just a warm-up, a tuner, in preparation for IM FL. I was standing in the water ready to race. That, quite possibly, gave me the same euphoric feeling as crossing the finish line.

Right now my focus is on IM FL. I have my motivation, I have my goal and I look forward to crossing the finish line and receiving my reward.