5 Things Racing Has Taught Me

Looking back over the past 12 years of competing in triathlon, road racing, running, and duathlon it has been AMAZING to say the least. I am not even counting the 5K's and 10K's I did in my teens and 20's because that was before I became a more serious athlete. I want to share with you some common themes that come to mind when I think about the many events I have competed in over the years. I think you will find that some of these match how you feel about your own racing.

1. You are STRONG. I mean in every sense of the word. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. It takes both inner and outer strength to be a competitive athlete. You've taken your body to it's limits with hours of hard training. Your mind is sound and you've trained it to adapt to the toughest conditions. You've learned to tell yourself "I can do this," and you can overcome anything.

2. You can ENDURE. Endurance defined means "the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way." Endurance requires great physical stamina and each week we go out and test our bodies to see what they can accomplish. I look at endurance as GRIT which is defined as "courage and resolve, strength and character."

3. You are a GOOD SPORT. Sportsmanship is defined as "fair and generous treatment of others especially in a sports contest." Almost all competitions, races, or events require athletes to be a good sport. Learning this starts for most of us at an early age. We grow up learning sportsmanship and it doesn't happen overnight. When you congratulate the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place finishers after you take 4th place in a race, then YOU are a good sport.

4. You have COURAGE. That's right, it takes a huge amount of courage to wake up at 4:30am, put on a wetsuit and swim 2.1 or 4.2 miles in the ocean. It takes courage to leave your comfort zone because you want to do something AWESOME. It takes courage to take on a 112 mile bike ride in the heat, a 5K run in the pouring rain, or a a 750 yard swim in a murky pond.

5. You are COMMITTED TO A PROCESS. The best way to get really good at something is to TRACK YOUR PROGRESS. That means starting out with a plan that is going to set you up for success. I highly doubt that some of the greatest triathletes that walk the planet are just "winging' it" when it comes to their training. Getting to a race goal is a process and when you follow a well thought out plan, you will have success.

Which brings me to this: Have you thought about hiring a triathlon coach? Click HERE to message me!