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I was laying in bed on Sunday morning. This is the exact time I usually get ready to train. It's the final Coveathlon ever. Courtney and I have done this Thursday night summer race with clients for years. I always look forward to the swim and the run.
But we have a big move coming up… I knew if I got myself physically ready by doing my usual track sprints, I would force myself to race. I had to stop myself from myself. I looked at my wife and said, “Hey, I don't think we should race on Thursday nights because of the move.” Courtney slowly shook her head in agreement. I remembered trying to race during a move last year. You finish at 8:00 PM, and your heart is just pounding out of your chest. It takes hours for your body to calm down enough to sleep. My day starts at 3 am every single morning. That kind of late-night shift is crazy. Plus, our weekends are fully designated for packing boxes and setting up systems. Adding race training to that mix just adds another massive demand to our lives. The old version of me would've said screw it and tried to get it all done. But I know better now.. The reason I'm sharing this with you is because stress taxes you more than you know. Pressure dwindles your resources and steals your ability to be present. You might get the things done, but it will cost you your sanity. So, I decided not to race. Almost immediately, I lost all motivation to work out. I knew it was gone because I usually do sprints and breath holds on the treadmill to warm up at the gym. I didn't feel like doing them because I didn't need the speed. I felt like a shadow of my competitive self. Races always keep me fired up. When your goal vanishes, you have to look deeper. You have to ask a core question. Who am I? I'm a coach, a father, and a husband. I'm a role model who lives fitness every single day. Then you ask the next question… What would someone like me do in this situation? Someone like me works out regardless of an upcoming event. I'm doing this for my son, Jagger. For the first time in my life, I thought about being an active grandfather. Jagger is only two right now, so that's a long way off. But I need to stay in great health for the next 30 years to make that happen. That doesn't happen by just training for races. That happens when you train for life.
PS: We don't have to be good at everything. We only have to be good on the things that matter. |
