Quotes To Get You Through

There are times when lacing up your shoes, putting on your helmet, or packing your towel for swim practice seem like monumental tasks. The sheer weight of the world -- your triathlon world -- seems to hinge upon the little moments that precede epic workouts and gestures of dedication.

We are type-A athletes. We expect the best of ourselves. But, admittedly, sometimes, we need a boost. And when our own voices fail us, we turn to the motivation words of others.

Quotes to get you through your training...

"What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?" Jonathan Fields
Many a time, my resistance of workouts is because I don't believe I can't do it well enough. As if a run - regardless of time - defines my self worth. It's a bad habit I'm committed to breaking. I aim to channel the words of my friend, Mike: Run, no judgements.


There is more to us than we know. If we can be made to see it, perhaps for the rest of our lives we will be unwilling to settle for less. - Kurt Hahn
Potential is a tricky thing - great to have, but a burden nonetheless. When you stretch your limits and hit those outer-most boundaries of what you think you are capable of ... your perspective changes. In 2008, I broke the 4-hr marathon barrier for the first time. It was life-changing ... and yet, I will not settle for 'less' anymore. An achievement - yes! A cross to carry into future races - surely.

A life isn’t significant except for its impact on other lives. – Jackie Robinson
At Ironman CDA in '10, there was a first-time participant, a woman in her 60's, who was so inspired by the athletes each year that she decided to sign up for the race herself. You never know who is watching. You never know who is inspired by your actions. The greatest impact you can have on others, I think, is to spur them on to fulfill their own potential. Sounds hokey, but I believe it.

It was a harder day's journey than yesterday's, for there were long and weary hills to climb; and in journeys, as in life, it is a great deal easier to go down hill than up. However, they kept on, with unabated perseverance, and the hill has not yet lifted its face to heaven that perseverance will not gain the summit of at last. –Charles Dickens
Somehow CD knew what its like to climb Latigo Canyon, Mandeville, Rockstore or other SoCal inclines. But his words are true ... not mountain ever outlasted one's perseverance. Just keep going.

It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” A.A. Milne
Sometimes ... when it comes to endurance training ... your closest friends are forged over a cup of soup, or giant plate of scrambled eggs, or a burger. Little things in life, which can be big things, happen over a drink water.

It was at this point that Bilbo stopped. Going on from there was the bravest thing he ever did. The tremendous things that happened afterward were as nothing compared to it. He fought the real battle in the tunnel alone, before he ever saw the vast danger that lay in wait. J R R Tolkien
Facing your biggest fear - be it distance, pace, mileage or your own doubts, can be scary - back to that whole 'failure' complex. Sometimes fighting the battle alone happens before the workout starts - the voices in your head that try to talk you out of challenging yourself. But you face it anyway. And the rewards of facing it worth the price.

And ultimately, my FAVORITE sentiment:
"You saved me once, and what is given is always returned. We are in this world to help one another." Chris Collodi
So greatly sums up my time with Team in Training. I exist as a coach, a friend and a guide, to help others find their purpose and potential. And in doing so, I find my own. We are in this world the HELP one another.

Riding (and Running) Solo

If you want something bad enough, you’ll find a way.

This is the mentality I took to my last Ironman training season. 5am swims followed by dreadmill runs in the less-than-ideal Glendale 24 fitness. Almost completely solo (sans the occasional @Run2SaveLives -joined) bike rides around the SFV, PCH and Palos Verde. And numerous miles tread on my sneakers through my former Toluca Lake neighborhood.

Nothing would stop me. And nothing did. Finish line crossed, dream realized.

Victory Pose
Fast-forward three years, and here I am four weeks into a great TNT Ironman season. Still so early on, but so much support from teammates, staff, my donors, friends and family. As an athlete I still maintain – I’ll find a way to get my hours in. As an assistant coach I’ll admit – gotta dig deep for extra motivation to workout above and beyond the team’s schedule.

Some of my favorite runs are with the Team
Holidays (present and upcoming) as well as large team practices have been dictating my time – meaning I’ve done a fair amount of coaching with the group, at the sacrifice of working out socially. And it’s my preference to coach first and participate second. I’d rather run/bike at someone else’s pace or coach a swim practice than do so myself. I know I can take care of myself in my own sessions, and I do.

Solo trail run this weekend leads to beautiful scenery
But I’ve found these two weeks in particular to be kind of quiet on the workout-buddy front. A lot of time spent between these two ears. In such cases, I tap into the 2010-training me, and I lean on the ipod for support.

Because music has been such a great tool for me these past two weeks, I thought I’d share some of the playlist. Should your own life / schedule / passion for what you do need a little melodic motivation – try these songs out. Not all are traditional, high-heart-rate tunes … but if they strike a chord with you, like they do with me … maybe you’ll find that training pace PR you’ve been working toward.

Recommendations:

The Boxer – Jerry Douglas (Mumford and Sons)
Feel Again – One Republic
I Cry – Flo Rida
Home – Phillip Phillips
Lighters – Bruno Mars/Eminem
I Would Do Anything for Love - Meatloaf
Secrets - One Republic
Anna Sun – Walk the Moon
Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It – Darius Rucker
The Fighter – Gym Class Heroes
Headlines – Drake
Hey Ma – Cam’ron
Welcome to the Black Parade – My Chemical Romance
Whistle – Flo Rida
Haven’t Me You Yet – Michael Buble
Who Knew – Pink
Right Above It – Lil Wayne/Drake
Titanium – David Guetta/Sia
50 Ways to Say Goodbye – Train
Hall of Fame – The Script
We Come Running – Youngblood Hawk
Superstar - Lupe Fiasco

Inspired?