By Coach Robbie
“Better…….
Just get better…..
Today, all I have to commit to is getting better.
Tomorrow I will do my best to JUST get better.”
This is the internal conversation I had with myself a little over a week ago in the midst of struggling with both internal and external motivation for the upcoming 2015 triathlon season. After a long lunch with the Godfather of Crushing Iron, I had a lot of questions about the intent and meaning of racing in 2015 that I felt needed answering.
In the past, external motivation has been at the center of what fueled much of my training and racing: a fuel rich with comparison to others, and a fume that emitted an odor of discontent and lost appreciation of accomplishment. Even though those days are behind me, a new approach comes with an unknown and sometimes an uncomfortable simplicity to training and life.
Where does my passion within sports really lie? Within training? Within racing? Does it subtract or add value to my life? For myself, an abundance of questions usually means it is time to get back to basics; looking at where my passion comes from.
It should lie with just getting better — At life, at work, at home, in training, etc. I should simply start with getting better all around. If I can’t get “passionate” about bettering myself, do I really have room to be passionate about anything else in my life?
That being said, last week my only focus was getting better AT EVERYTHING, each day. Every day I spent time getting better at work, at relationships, at home, and trying to better myself.
After that, I trained just for the sake of “getting better.” “Just for today” has been a theme for me the past year but occasionally for me this simple approach often disguises its impact on some of life’s most complex situations. Every time I hopped in the pool, set up my bike on the trainer or went for a run my only commitment was to get better.
I didn’t think of the finish line at Ironman Chattanooga. I didn’t think about beating John Triathlete. I let “just getting better” be the driving force behind my daily activities, instead of something or someone else. I am sure that for many people this is a natural habit, something they always do, but for me though it is a bit of a breakthrough.
Mentally. Emotionally. Physically and Spiritually. I focused on getting better.
How much did my training do for me last week? No clue. But I know I enjoyed it and I know I got better, and that’s all that matters.