My friend "A" (my name for her), is an amazing woman. She is a single mom of four, owns a magazine, is a race director, and a triathlete (among other things). She is strong physically, mentally and spiritually. I look up to her in so many ways. I have learned much from her. Over the past year, she has done several incredible triathlons, but the most incredible (and insane) was Ironman St. George.
When she signed up for it, she didn't know at the time that it was one of the hardest Ironman races in the world. I watched her train, sweat, cry and worry about this race. In the end, she did it and I am so proud of her. Not many people complete triathlons, let alone an Ironman. She not only finished, but she did fantastic . She did what even some of the top triathletes weren't able to do (yes, St. George is that hard). I am blown away by all she has accomplished.
But, this accomplishment came at a steep price and a hard lesson learned. She ended up sick for several days, and it took her several weeks to feel normal again. The worst of it all-she lost her passion for the sport. She lost her drive for training. I saw this first hand toward the end of her training for Ironman, and again when we ran Utah Valley together. Oh, she did well (finished way before I did), but she didn't enjoy one minute of it. She has no desire to do another race anytime in the near future, and as far as training goes-once in awhile she may go for a jog or something, but that's it. She totally burned out. It breaks my heart to see that happen.
I have had people ask me if I want to run Boston or ever do an Ironman-the answer is NO. Not that they wouldn't be great races or accomplishments, but I love running-now. I love training-now. "A" is not the only person I have seen go through this, and yes it has me a bit turned off to huge pressure races. When a person trains so hard for something that it no longer becomes fun, then what's the point?
I am passionate about running. I am passionate about fitness and health. I want to stay that way. Why drive myself into madness and take away something I love so much? It doesn't make sense.
So, how does one avoid becoming burned out? How does one maintain a love for their hobby/sport?
Before I post my answers, I want to hear from you. I want to know what keeps you motivated to do what you do, and how you keep from losing that passion/drive?
Hey Brandy,
ReplyDeleteThat's a very interesting question.
If you check out my blog, I posted "I'm a runner" and talked about why I do it etc...
Sometimes training can be difficult to sustain. But I think you have to understand that any interest has it's ups and downs. That's why I like to cross-train by mountain biking, lift weights etc...
When things become a chore though, I think you have to reevaluate what you're doing and perhaps tweak things.
Races are fun, but I know several people that just like to run-period. Over-committing yourself to too many things usually results with little satisfaction with anything. I like to thing you have to properly pace yourself, just like in a race. You don't go out a blistering pace for 2 miles then tank the next 4.2 of a 10K with success. Balance is the key.
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts.
Ken
My thoughts...
ReplyDeleteYou must have lots of hobbies, lots of things you LOVE to do and can't live without. This way there is always something you haven't done in a while. You get obsessed with one particular activity, love to do it for a while, and then get a bit sick of it and move on, knowing that you will eventually circle back to the activity you're leaving behind.
:)
Mo