For as long as I can remember, running has been my sole passion. It's never easy summoning up the motivation to get back into shape, and for the first month, it can sometimes feel like absolute hell. That's usually the point when most people give up. They never push through the intimidating pain barrier and instead quit when the going gets tough. I'm not sure why, but people seem to be only interested in venturing down the easy path to success. It sounds good in theory, but in reality, there is no easy path. What many fail to realize is the athletes that excel in their particular sport didn't rise to the top overnight. It took years of hitting the gym until the staff kicked them out, sweating through 3 pairs of workout clothes in a single day, and making daily sacrifices to accommodate their workout routine. Case and point - All serious athletes are misunderstood, because they put themselves through things that normal people can never comprehend.
If you have ever followed through with a fitness goal and committed yourself fully to something for the sole purpose of self-improvement, then you are well aware of the many benefits it can bring. Exercise is such an odd activity because it separates people into two distinct categories: Those that love working out and do so habitually and those that hate it. Some of you may think to yourselves, "What about the people that hate it but choose to do it anyway?" I don't believe any such person exists. The human mind is reward-seeking, which causes us to participate in things that bring us the most satisfaction. If someone exercises despite harboring feelings of distaste and resentment toward it, they will not be able to maintain that sort of lifestyle for long, because eventually they will fall back into their lethargic habits. Maybe some of you haven't figured out exactly what it is about exercise that keeps you hooked, but believe me, you have some underlying desire to push on that you may or may not be aware of. I have an extensive running background, and I remained satisfied up until my Senior year of High school. After 3.5 years of running in High school, I opted to skip my final track season because I was so burnt out. For a short period of time, I wanted nothing to do with running. The thing that had once been the center of my universe was diminished to a thing I only spoke of in past tense. I honestly had no interest in ever running again; however, three months later, I found myself lying awake in bed staring at the ceiling with a feeling of nothingness that can only be described as a peeling artwork with little hope of restoration. I'm not sure how I came to this rationalization, but I finally decided to lace up the old running shoes against my better judgment and go for a run. I believe it was about two in the morning. I stepped out onto the track and started moving my legs. There were no people in visible sight and it was so dark that I could hardly see 5 feet in front of me. It was exciting not knowing whether my next step would be one of progress or one of a tragic and untimely demise. After about six miles, I was panting like someone suffering from an asthma attack, and my entire body was covered in a cool sweat that provided me with a refreshing chill during what was an uncharacteristically warm night. It was then that I realized exercise was what kept everything in my life balanced. It improved my mood, gave me limitless feelings of self worth, made me feel like I was living a healthy life, and reminded me that the human body can achieve great things with a little hard work and persistence.
Coming back wasn't all fun and games. Over the next few years, I dealt with a series of injuries that set me back quite a bit. One ankle injury in particular took me out of the game for 8 months, so I pursued other avenues of exercise during that time to fulfill my need for blood pumping ecstacy. That was when I discovered cycling. I started off with virtual stationary bikes that had just been put into my school gym, but after achieving rapid success, I took my talents to the road. Surprisingly, I have found cycling to be a sport that almost gives me levels of satisfaction comparable to running....ALMOST. In a short amount of time, I managed to do a 1,000 mile ride in 14 days, then a 253 mile single day ride, and this summer I completed a 328 mile single day ride across New York.
Being fluid in running and biking usually leads to triathlon aspirations. The only problem was I loathed the thought of strapping on a pair of geeky goggles and swimming in a freezing cold pool. It wasn't until I met a few exercise junkies like myself that I really gave swimming a legitimate chance. The workout partners I had recently found were not only dedicated, but ORGANIZED! They had a facebook group where members would post their daily diets and workouts for everyone else to scrutinize, praise, etc. Given my competitive nature, I saw this as a time to kick my training up a notch. I began to throw swimming into the mix, and more often than not, I was swimming with other people which made it that much more bearable. Before long, I found myself swimming 4 - 5 miles/week in addition to all of the running and biking I was already doing.
Competing it a triathlon began to seem like a realistic goal once I started swimming regularly. My main concern was the thought of doing the swim, bike, and run all in succession with virtually no break in between each. This led to the start of weekly triathlon style workouts where myself and a few others would meet at the gym to do all three forms of exercise in a row to simulate a real triathlon. Our plan was to start out by doing them at the gym in a controlled environment and eventually bringing them outside to the ocean and open road where the conditions would be more grueling and uncontrollable. I remember the first time doing it was the most exciting thing I had done in weeks.
I've gotten to the point now where I actually enjoy incorporating all three sports into my training regimen at once. To do this, I can not fully commit to running, but despite reducing my mileage, I have actually been getting faster! Imagine that! By running less, I reduce the chance of injury as well. With swimming, I get additional cardio that will increase my lung capacity, and I receive a full body workout. With biking, I am able to go on regular 3 - 4 hour rides that help keep my endurance at a high level.
Here was my latest triathlon workout this past weekend: 3/4 mile swim in 20:59, 25.2 mile bike in 61:00 (on a spin bike), 6.2 mile run in 37:47. I have much room for improvement in swimming, but my biking is strong, and I think my running is good enough to pick off opponents in a triathlon. Some may even say I'm quicker than a group of homeless people jumping on a quarter, but that's beside the point. I have set my sights on a triathlon race that takes place at the end of August. I will keep you posted on that.
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