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.