Getting Back the Motivation To Tri

Looking out on race day, it's very easy for me to notice all those people I call the "Hardcore" triathletes, with the envy-inducing tri-bling in the form of $10K bikes, aero-helmets, and shaved legs.

These people are amazing athletes, who have discipline, and determination for the sport that I can only dream of one day possessing.  And at first glance, while they may be the nicest people in the world, they are intimidating as hell.  It is not reassuring to see them racking their bike next to me.  No my sigh of relief comes when I strike up conversations with the guy who is asking me which is the front of his wetsuit.  And that's the beauty of triathlon.  There is something for everyone to prove on race day, and while 99% of us line up at the swim with no chance of seeing the winner, we still line up none the less.  Most of us, whether we consciously admit it or not, are doing this for a higher pursuit than how fast we can go.  We're racing to prove to ourselves how far we can push our bodies, to make ourselves disciplined with the months of training leading up to the race, and maybe even for a cause, like I did when I signed up for The Nation's Triathlon with Team In Training which got me hooked on the sport. And let's face it doesn't hurt that we slim down thanks to two-a-day training sessions either.

Now if you saw me walking down the street I know for a fact your first assumption of me would not be "Oh, he must race triathlons!", because I'll be brutally honest here, I do not have what you call a "triathlete physique".  Not that I'm not trying; trust me I'm working towards it.  However things pop up, life happens, laziness REALLY happens, delicious fatty foods always happen, and then all of a sudden training has become a chore instead of something to look forward to, and before I know it I'm not looking so good in the spandex again.

This has happened to me, and I know it's happened to a lot of my fellow triathlete friends over the course of their endurance life, but we always bounce back.  It's incredible because it could be so easy to fall off and stay off the training wagon, but then you come to and realize that this is the easy way out, and you started triathlons because you wanted to do it the difficult way in the first place.

That's when you lace up those over six month old running shoes the guy at the store told you needed to  replace right now, and try to run those 5 miles that were so easy before.  When you realize it's not so easy to run five anymore, you again find the motivation to work back to it, and feel that good again; a muscle memory of sorts.  And then you're back, you're training, you're motivated, and you are looking forward to getting racing again.  No, we may not be 6-pack magee that runs 6 minute splits on their rest day, but we still get out there, still prove that something to ourselves, still pushing our own limits, and having the time of our lives.

My triathlete friends and I showing off our muscles & arm warmers at the Mussleman Tri

By: BA Simeon Teopaco

Finishing his first triathlon, The Nation's Triathlon 2008, with Team In Training