If you're into endurance sports like long distance running, triathlons, biking or swimming, sooner or later you're faced with someone asking you the question; "why do you do it?".
The question will vary in its wording or in the context in which its asked but the message is the same, 'why'.
Let's begin by acknowledging the legitimacy of that question. Hell, if I wasn't into this stuff, I'd be asking the same thing. Why would someone put themselves through a grueling training schedule followed by an event that can literally bring you to your knees not to mention that the cost of these events has grown to sky high levels. Add the fact that when completed, there is no great reward or acknowledgment other than a medal, a T shirt and maybe a finishers certificate.
I've come to believe that people equate the legitimacy of any extreme endeavor with the reward. Let's say I was at a party having recently completed a marathon and I'm speaking with someone who has asked 'why'. I have two options. I can say "well, I find marathons to be a test of my commitment to push myself to the limits of my physical and mental capacities". Just try and imagine the looks I'd get after THAT spiel. My other option might be "well, I was at the reading of my uncle's will and when it came to my inheritance, my uncle's statement was 'and to my no-account nephew Jay, I establish a trust whereby a payment of $100,000 will be made to him upon the completion of any marathon he does. Maybe this will motivate him to get off his duff and actually accomplish something'. Now THAT would be an explanation someone would understand!
In actuality, it's not really an 'unanswerable' question as much as a question who's answers can't be easily understood. NOBODY is going to set a goal that requires months of training in often difficult circumstances followed by the actual event that you know will push you to your limits without reasons for doing so. Those reasons will often be the only thing that gets you out the door for a 20 mile training run in 15 degree weather knowing that if you blow it off, no body will be mad at you or find fault. It is only for those reasons that you DON'T blow it off. Being able to articulate those reasons to those that don't see things as we do is the challenge and quite possibly, no matter how well you state your reasons, they still won't understand.
Truth of the matter is that there are as many reasons for pushing ourselves in these sports as there are people doing them. We all have our own story that is unique to us and intertwined in that story are the reasons we do what we do.
I've gotten to the point where when faced with the "why would you subject yourself to that kind of commitment and pain" question, I respectfully say to that person "you wouldn't understand even if I told you".
As a footnote to this question of commitment and those that pursue it, congratulations to our own Lisa Caucino who turned in a great Boston Marathon performance. The race conditions were terrible and she had to train through one of the worst winters on record. Maybe she had a rich uncle that remembered her in his will but somehow, I doubt it.
Long ago, I came to the realization that if I was going to enjoy running and find fulfillment in it, it would have to be for reasons other than fast times. Not only would I never win a race or for that matter, win my age group, I was never going to post stats that would engender the slightest bit of awe from my running contemporaries. I was the quintessential ‘middle of the pack’ racer…at best.
This point was cruelly driven home to me years ago while living in New Hampshire. There was a 10K being held in the town in which I lived so naturally, I planned on running. There was no pre-registration so I got there about an hour before the start to sign up. I filled out the app while staring at a table full of trophies and plaques and when I handed over the form with my fee, I was told that so far, I was the only registered runner. My losing streak was soon coming to an end, thought I. Not only was I going to win this bad boy, I was going to set the course record as it was the inaugural run. The lead vehicle was going to be leading ME! Gabriel, blow your horn, this dog would have his day!
Well, as it turns out, a few others showed up and as we toed the starting line, there were 19 registered runners out for glory. Maybe I wouldn’t actually win but as the age group hardware went 3 deep, I was feelin’ good! Flying along the course, I gave it everything I had for fear that letting up even a little bit could mean the difference between first and second in my age group. There’s no ‘dog’ in this mud turtle so I kept the hammer down.
I finished 5th overall, 4th in my age group. FOURTH IN MY AGE GROUP!!! The fact that there were only 4 people in my age group also meant that I came in LAST IN MY AGE GROUP! Every single person in that race got some form of award except me. At the end of the awards ceremony, there were trophies left over yet there I stood empty handed. The organizers felt bad for me so they offered to give me the unclaimed award for ladies 50-60, 3rd place. I declined but darned if I didn’t think about it. It was at this singular moment that I knew that awards and yours truly were never destined to meet.
A couple of years ago, a fact came to mind that practically stopped me in my tracks. I determined that based on the day and year I started “jogging” (don’t you hate that term?), I have been running for more than half my life. In other words, I’ve been a runner longer than I haven’t. While never having attained any level of success based on race results, I’d excelled in perhaps the most difficult category in which to succeed, longevity. There’s irony for you; in a sport where every standard is based on how fast you can finish, I’d succeeded by NOT finishing, at least not yet.
In retrospect, after almost 39 years of being a runner, I wouldn’t trade that longevity for all the trophies in the world. Sure, it would be nice to toss out some impressive PR’s while talking about my career but right, being able to say I’ve been a runner longer than I haven’t is all the bragging I need.
Spring is here! I know this as I just saw the first Robin. He was frozen in a bird bath but nonetheless, he's here.
Spring means the end of "excuse" season. No more justifying our inactivity with reports of coming snow or record breaking low temps. That ship has sailed and with it, any reasons to remain on the couch. No sir, it's time to do an honest assessment of our fitness and what needs to be done.
To those of you who managed to work out and stay active throughout the winter, well done. By staying fit and finding activities that kept your body firing on all cylinders, you're ready to slide into the next phase of your program. When the coming warm weather invites you to shed those winter clothes, you'll be ready to proudly show off that lean physique. Life is good!
I would dare say, however, there's a fair amount of you that didn't feel compelled to get out the door this winter. The theory that if hibernation is good for bears, it has to be good for you seemed quite sensible these past few months. It would be hard to argue with the soundness of that logic but it probably means that pile of innertubes with ears staring at you in the mirror looks familiar. There's nothing left to do but brush its teeth and resolve to change things.
An honest assessment of your fitness level should be just that, honest. Just because you were cracking out 5K races throughout the summer and fall doesn't mean you're ready to hit the ground running if you haven't maintained your conditioning all winter. Coming back too quickly is recipe for injury which is hardly the way to kick off the season. If you've remained fit all winter, by all means keep it up but always remember to build your workouts gradually. Even going from a treadmill to the roads requires a bit of adaptation as the change of surface will stress our legs differently.
After assessing your conditioning, it's smart to look at the condition of your shoes. Running shoes that have a couple of hundred miles from the Fall followed by a couple of months of inactivity should probably be replaced. The foams will dry out and lose their responsiveness which means your legs will be bearing more pounding than they'd like. Unhappy legs will make the rest of your body unhappy. Who needs that?!
Above all, keep this in mind; nothing will derail or otherwise defeat a fitness plan quicker than unrealistic goals. You set yourself up for failure when you set goals that you have little or no chance of reaching. Let's face it, the vast majority of goals center around weight loss which is all well and good but when the scale is your only gauge of success or failure, you walk a slippery slope. Instead of telling yourself you want to lose X lbs per week, commit to losing a sensible amount by the start of summer. If you exercise smartly and eat right, you WILL lose the weight but as important, your commitment to doing these healthy things will improve your sense of self while benefiting things like blood pressure, cholesterol and sleep quality.
Look at Spring as a second chance for healthy resolutions. Instead of a "new year", it'll be a "new you" resolution. Even better, this resolution will take place in the warm weather instead of January and February and that's a good thing right?
-written by Jay Russell (visit Jay on the weekends at Miles Ahead!)
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