What is it about triathlon and it's power to transform us? My life has changed in numerous ways since I began this sport back in 2008 and all because I decided to sign up for a local sprint race. Something came back to life in me when I crossed that finish line, a little spark of pride maybe? Here's what I think this sport can teach us.
Our Desires and Needs are Important
I've spent most of my life putting the needs of my family above my own. I've lived to serve for many, many years. And you know what? I became resentful and unhappy because I ignored my own needs. If there's anything I've learned through this sport it's that you must stand your ground and do what you love to do, what you need to do, to feed your soul. I love to compete and I love training. It lights me up and gives me purpose. It's a big part of who I am. When I started honoring this aspect of myself, life got so much better. At first I worried that I was being selfish and that my kids were feeling neglected if I was training instead of being available for them all the time, so I asked them how they felt about it. Did it bother them when I was gone on a Sunday for a long bike ride or took a week off to go to a training camp? Did they mind that I sometimes felt it was necessary to do an important training session over taking them to a soccer game every once in a while? All five kids told me they loved that I was a triathlete and that I deserved to have time to myself. They could see it made me happy and that it put me in a better mood so they were all for it. Wow. It's ok to honor and pursue the things you love. Got it.Time Management
Not my strong suit for many years but triathlon has helped me improve in this area of my life. Being a parent gave me a crash course in scheduling and organization but triathlon taught me how to actually manage my time. If I wanted to get my workouts done, I had to find pockets of time during the day where I could squeeze in training sessions between the kid's school, activities and my job. Hello, early morning workouts! I love being able to knock out a session before the kids get up. That was kind of life changing for me. Planning my training forced me to plan everything else which makes me feel so much more in control and relaxed. I can thank triathlon for that.Consistency
Once I applied time management to my schedule, consistency soon followed. If you plan ahead, it's hard not to show up. If I know I'm getting up for an early morning swim, I pack the night before because my early morning self is bleary-eyed and forgetful. I print and pack my workout, lay out my clothes, pack towels, prepare my nutrition and set up my coffee mug under the Keurig. I make my morning as foolproof as possible. This practice also sets an intention for the following morning so I don't have to go through a mental dialogue at 4am about whether or not I want to get up because I've already planned to do it.How to shut down Negative thinking
This is a biggie. I have always struggled with a brain that went straight for the 'glass is half empty' perspective with lots of self deprecation thrown in for good measure. Negative thinking is a habit. You don't get rid of habits by stopping them. You get rid of them by noticing when you are in the act of doing them and then replacing them with a better alternative. I've learned a lot about how to do this through racing. I use thought swaps all the time. For every negative thought I think, I immediately replace it with a positive thought.Thoughts are emotionally charged so the goal is to use thoughts that drive positive feelings. Once you start consistently replacing the negative thoughts, that very act becomes a habit. The more you think better thoughts, the more your brain tags them as important and prunes the negative thoughts because they're no longer relevant. If you think negative thoughts all the time, your brain will assume they are necessary for your survival and quickly shove them into the forefront when your body is under stress. The key to quieting your negative self-talk is to choose and think often the exact thoughts you want your brain to choose when you're under stress thereby creating a neural pathway that grows stronger the more you use it. Write down your negative thoughts and think of quick, positive retorts to practice during training. Make your thought swaps short and sweet. You don't want to engage the mind in a dialogue. Another thing, food and hydration play a role in negative thinking. If you're hungry or thirsty, your blood sugar and dopamine levels drop which lowers your ability to think rationally. So eat, drink and think merry thoughts :)
Motivation vs. Discipline
I think I could write an entire blog post on this little gem of information. In a nut shell, motivation requires an emotional state of mind so that you feel like doing something. Discipline, on the other hand, is action without emotion. You just do it. No mental debates, no waiting around to feel motivated, otherwise whatever it is you're trying to accomplish probably won't happen.I can promise you when my alarm goes off at 4am, I'm not at all motivated to get out of bed and if I wait around to feel motivated, forget about it. Instead I've learned to channel my inner Vulcan and remove emotion from the equation to get stuff done. The mantra, "don't think, just do" helps to focus my attention on action which creates momentum and then the motivation shows up.
Keep a Sense of Humor
Triathletes spend a ton of time training and sometimes we can get a little too wrapped up in results, data and our need to reach certain goals. I'm all about taking my training seriously, after all, I'm investing my time, effort and money to improve and see results as an athlete. But I'm an age-grouper, not a pro. And triathlon is a part of who I am but not all of it. I use triathlon to connect with others, to grow as a person and to feel strong and accomplished. I want to have fun with it, not make it a chore. It's a balance thing, really. There's a time to be serious and a time to just laugh at yourself and enjoy the journey.What have you learned about yourself through triathlon?
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