Many people have posed this question to me and I can safely say there is no one answer. People shake their heads and think that I'm insane. Not that this bothers me. I think most people ask me this question out of disbelief that someone would subject themselves willingly to such torture. Indeed there are many more comfortable pursuits but none I've found as rewarding. I was getting a rare massage (4 months!) yesterday and the therapist asked me if I wrote about my experiences and what motivates me to get out in the morning and ride. I told her about this blog. She says that I have a book in me. Perhaps one day I will write that book.
Truthfully I've been struggling with this question for most of the year. Why do this? Over the winter, I was dead-set on developing my own mountain biking training plan but that has fallen away for now. (I've read that if you're not using steroids to enhance your cycling, you shouldn't bother with a training plan in the first place.) I became enamored with multi-sport training such as duathlon and triathlon. I like the variety and I probably will never be among the fastest at any one discipline but am finding that I can excel with mixed disciplines.
But again, why do I ride? or run ,or swim ,or leap off buildings? The easy answer is : Ask me when I'm done with that day's workout! There is rarely a workout that I regret doing but many that I am dreading doing lately.
However, all the excuses (weather,tiredness) and things I'd rather be doing and even (gasp!) self-defeating talk, serve to prevent me from doing my workouts some of the time. My wife calls it the "song", that wonderful, comfortable feeling in the morning where you just want to lie in bed with your dogs and drink your coffee and surf the internet. Yeah, that one is tough to fight through, especially in the colder months. I have found though that the more I do get up out of bed and get my workout in the easier it becomes. I am a creature of habit after all.
Back to the reasons I ride/run/swim/etc:
1. Exercise creates in me a sense of well-being and an opening of the heart and mind. I am a more understanding and kind person as a result of intense physical activity over the last several years, with few exceptions.
2. Fired-up metabolism. It's great being able to eat like a teenager when you're 38.
3. Burn in my legs when climbing a steep hill then that amazing feeling on the downhill.
4. Having a slow, hilly ride that is a bit of a grinder then coming to a flat section that is screaming fast.
5. Moving fast through space on your own power.
6. Being able to wear the same clothes I could in high school.
7. Being in perfect health. Low blood pressure, low cholesterol, ideal weight
8. Great way to beat the blues (If you can conquer the blues enough to actually Get Out There.)
Running has it's own set of joys:
1. Minimal equipment needed to run.
2. Can't fake the climbs (no bikes to rely on or silly gears)
3. Unspoken respect for runners because "You're going through the same pain as I am!"
4. Great camaraderie in the running community (back to the pain thing)
5. Running really takes a quieting of the mind because every fiber in your body is telling you to stop but you know that you must go on.
When we are children, we spend a lot of time running, just for the joy of it. When I run, some of that joy is rekindled. It's a shame that our adult years numb out that experience. We live in a sitting culture which I think even kills the desire to walk, much less run.
Swimming is really invigorating and a great way to give my body a break from the pounding it takes while running and to a lesser extent, cycling. When I'm done with just 15 minutes of vigorous freestyle swimming, I feel like a million bucks. Amazing.
Speaking of pain. I think that most people are afraid of it, or more accurately, afraid of discomfort. We live in a society of comfort and convenience. Wouldn't be interesting to find out what we can learn about ourselves if we chose to give up a little convenience now and then?
I have taken up going for short runs during my lunch break instead of just sitting down to eat and becoming sleepy. I come back to my desk fired up and energized. I feel more productive.
Bottom line: I don't know exactly why it is that I do what I do but I can't imagine not doing it. I think that we humans want to feel good about ourselves ultimately and I think that if you're lucky enough to find something that gives you joy, then do it, no matter what it may be.
Truthfully I've been struggling with this question for most of the year. Why do this? Over the winter, I was dead-set on developing my own mountain biking training plan but that has fallen away for now. (I've read that if you're not using steroids to enhance your cycling, you shouldn't bother with a training plan in the first place.) I became enamored with multi-sport training such as duathlon and triathlon. I like the variety and I probably will never be among the fastest at any one discipline but am finding that I can excel with mixed disciplines.
But again, why do I ride? or run ,or swim ,or leap off buildings? The easy answer is : Ask me when I'm done with that day's workout! There is rarely a workout that I regret doing but many that I am dreading doing lately.
However, all the excuses (weather,tiredness) and things I'd rather be doing and even (gasp!) self-defeating talk, serve to prevent me from doing my workouts some of the time. My wife calls it the "song", that wonderful, comfortable feeling in the morning where you just want to lie in bed with your dogs and drink your coffee and surf the internet. Yeah, that one is tough to fight through, especially in the colder months. I have found though that the more I do get up out of bed and get my workout in the easier it becomes. I am a creature of habit after all.
Back to the reasons I ride/run/swim/etc:
1. Exercise creates in me a sense of well-being and an opening of the heart and mind. I am a more understanding and kind person as a result of intense physical activity over the last several years, with few exceptions.
2. Fired-up metabolism. It's great being able to eat like a teenager when you're 38.
3. Burn in my legs when climbing a steep hill then that amazing feeling on the downhill.
4. Having a slow, hilly ride that is a bit of a grinder then coming to a flat section that is screaming fast.
5. Moving fast through space on your own power.
6. Being able to wear the same clothes I could in high school.
7. Being in perfect health. Low blood pressure, low cholesterol, ideal weight
8. Great way to beat the blues (If you can conquer the blues enough to actually Get Out There.)
Running has it's own set of joys:
1. Minimal equipment needed to run.
2. Can't fake the climbs (no bikes to rely on or silly gears)
3. Unspoken respect for runners because "You're going through the same pain as I am!"
4. Great camaraderie in the running community (back to the pain thing)
5. Running really takes a quieting of the mind because every fiber in your body is telling you to stop but you know that you must go on.
When we are children, we spend a lot of time running, just for the joy of it. When I run, some of that joy is rekindled. It's a shame that our adult years numb out that experience. We live in a sitting culture which I think even kills the desire to walk, much less run.
Swimming is really invigorating and a great way to give my body a break from the pounding it takes while running and to a lesser extent, cycling. When I'm done with just 15 minutes of vigorous freestyle swimming, I feel like a million bucks. Amazing.
Speaking of pain. I think that most people are afraid of it, or more accurately, afraid of discomfort. We live in a society of comfort and convenience. Wouldn't be interesting to find out what we can learn about ourselves if we chose to give up a little convenience now and then?
I have taken up going for short runs during my lunch break instead of just sitting down to eat and becoming sleepy. I come back to my desk fired up and energized. I feel more productive.
Bottom line: I don't know exactly why it is that I do what I do but I can't imagine not doing it. I think that we humans want to feel good about ourselves ultimately and I think that if you're lucky enough to find something that gives you joy, then do it, no matter what it may be.