Why?

I have a friend who is struggling to find his "why should I keep doing this" answer about triathlon (and going for Ironman, but even less than that).  I can't tell someone else their why, but I can talk about mine. The why morphs periodically, but ultimately, I find deep satisfaction in training and racing.  Since I will be turning 58 next week, here's a list of 58 of my whys.  If you are reading this from Facebook, please comment with any of your own.

1.      I went to Kona every year (twice a few times) on vacation from 1994-1999, and thought that I wanted to actually swim in Kailua Bay (had snorkeled but not very far out) confidently.

2.      Someone told me I should do triathlons (and even Ironman) when I was in Kona training for my first marathon in 1999.

3.      My Mom basically died from complications of unmanaged (her fault) Type II diabetes. I do not want that to happen to me.

4.      It makes me feel younger than I am.

5.      It makes me look younger than I am.

6.      I like spending time with positive people.  Most triathletes are positive people.

7.      I have always liked riding bikes, from the time I got my first one (OF MY OWN) in 5^th grade, to the time I bought my first one with my own earnings in high school (a 10-speed!) until now.

8.      I like to cook, and I am able to indulge in more of the things I enjoy cooking (pasta sauces for one) when I have a need for lots of calories.

9.      Did I mention I really like biking?

10.   I enjoy the process of selecting races and then planning training around it.

11.   I enjoy being outside! It’s relatively easy to run and bike from home where I live.

12.   I only live .6 miles from a pool, so it’s not that difficult or time consuming for me to swim regularly.

13.   I like looking at stuff while running and biking. I notice things that I wouldn’t notice in a car, and walking is just TOO slow to cover much ground without spending a whole lot of time at it.

14.   Exercise keeps my brain happy.

15.   I work from home, and the break I take in the middle of the day for a training session provides a much needed mental break.

16.   Struggling during training and racing makes many of my other life struggles feel easier.

17.   Pushing my body to its limits makes me feel more alive.

18.   I can always get better at something. I might not be getting faster, but there’s always room for improvement either in my nutrition, training, racing skills, self-care, etc.

19.   Every time I swim in open water, I am overcoming a fundamental fear of open water and “what’s down there.”

20.   I enjoy all the hoopla surrounding an Ironman or longer.

21.   I enjoy observing how excited the newbies are at a race and feeding off their excitement.

22.   Tapering: I am allowed to be somewhat crazy, but it’s expected!

23.   That feeling of being at the start line waiting for that gun/cannon/horn to go off! 

24.   The finish line!

25.   Did I mention I LOVE riding bikes?

26.   I like being able to run someplace for transportation, like to the doctor or auto mechanic.

27.   I like the feeling of exhaustion after a long training day or during a high volume build cycle.

28.   I love how much better I take care of myself when I know it impacts my ability to train and race effectively.

29.   I like accomplishing a new training or racing objective knowing I was well prepared for it.

30.   I like that all the training helps me keep perspective on other things in life that really just aren’t that important (to me, anyway).

31.   I enjoy being thought of as an athlete instead of a nerd (which I am). Just yesterday, someone told me I looked like a runner!  What the hell!

32.   I enjoy having a decent physique and others’ appreciation of it.

33.   I enjoy studying all the science behind training, racing and nutrition, and sharing what I know about it with others.

34.   I like racing against people younger than me and beating them sometimes!

35.   I enjoy how much better ANY food tastes when I’m training regularly.

36.   I like being with friends at their key races and encouraging them to give a great performance.

37.   I enjoy making all sorts of friends all over the world.

38.   I enjoy being an example to less active people of what’s possible.

39.   I enjoy finding out what races others are doing and checking on their results on race day.

40.   I enjoy wearing flashy training and racing clothes that make other people smile (or sometimes cringe).

41.   I enjoy inventing things to do as training events that nobody has thought of and then doing them just because I can.

42.   Life is short and I never know what might happen where I might not be able to do this, so I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it while I can.

43.   I enjoy that this is really an obsessive hobby that attracts a lot of other people who are very much like me.

44.   I like receiving things from other athletes that I can use in training or racing—hats, clothes, good luck charms (touch wood!), etc.

45.   I like giving away some of my training and racing things to other athletes to motivate them.

46.   I really like Iron Man.

47.   I like that other athletes try to twist my arm as much as I do theirs to do training events and races.

48.   I guess I like being called crazy, because I know why people say it. Even though I might prefer a different term such as dedicated or focused.

49.   I don’t really enjoy watching or playing team sports (although I’ve captained volleyball, stair climbing and softball teams) as much as I enjoy watching and participating in individual effort sports.

50.   I like that people volunteer to take care of me while I’m doing something I love doing!

51.   I love all the energy that is present at races.

52.   I love helping other athletes figure out what’s wrong with them when something hurts.

53.   I love having interesting tan lines.

54.   I love having my doctor telling me to “keep doing what you’re doing” because my basic measurements are excellent (BP, routine blood work, cholesterol)

55.   I like seeing how differently the passage of time can feel depending on whether I’m training super hard or just going in circles putting in time.

56.   I like how I really don’t mind shoveling snow or raking leaves because “it’s like another workout.”

57.   I like the person I’ve become since I began doing this.

58.   I like that I’m thinking about another Ultraman at the ripe age of 60!