Why I really train

At this time of year, I have lots of conversations with athletes about their goals for next season. I love to hear about what drives them. I want to understand their motivations and their metrics for success. Athletes come to me to help them prepare for races but, increasingly, races aren’t the underlying driver for their motivation. They’re just one part of the picture. Have you ever thought hard about why you train?

When I lived in Chicago I used to do a 5k race on New Year’s Day. It was usually brutally cold. One year it was also snowing, hard. We battled through a foot of slushy snow with the freezing wind off the lake and snow whipping all around us. There were no PRs set that day but I felt alive. Pace did not matter. I just ran hard. Afterwards there was brunch with friends. It was a great way to start the New Year.

I still have the race shirt from that race. On the back it says: “I ran in the New Year to …”. Then there’s a long list of things. It's thought-provoking. Some of them are a bit random (e.g. "Become a rockstar!") but many of them really resonate with me (e.g. "Have fun!" and "Live life!"). I've been thinking about that list recently.

I used to train to race. I still race. And I still LOVE to race. But it is no longer my primary motivator.

So why do I train?

For the joy of it. Because it’s fun and I love to exercise, especially outside!

For general physical health.

For mental health: to keep the crazy at bay and to try to minimize cognitive decline as I age.

To challenge myself to do new and hard things. To explore my limits.

For the satisfaction of improving, not just to get faster but to build skills and confidence.

For the post-exercise endorphins.

Because it makes me feel alive, like that 5k did.

To do fun things in cool locations!

To meet other like-minded people and share amazing experiences with them. There’s a special kind of bond that forms when you do hard things together.

And, yes, to race. For the love of head-to-head competition. To beat the clock. To chase Strava segments.

So I do train specifically for races, to have goals that drive me, but ultimately I have realized that I’m training for life. To be fit enough and strong enough to be able to go on epic adventures whenever the opportunity arises. To be able to live life to the fullest for many more years to come. I want to be able to keep skiing without needing to take a break after a run or two. To be able to go on multi-day backpacking trips like we did this year on the Lost Coast and the North Rim of Yosemite without doing any specific training. To be able to do a challenging, 10+ hour ride like the Rose to Toads MTB ride whenever I feel like it! And to be able to enjoy these adventures without being completely broken at the end of the day.

It’s not just cardiovascular fitness and strength that’s important. It’s also agility and balance. And the ability to push through when the going gets tough. Training for triathlons and other endurance events helps with all these things. We see so many people when we're hiking in popular tourist destinations who are not only exhausted after short distances but who just don’t move well or can't cope with the discomfort. Sitting on the couch doesn’t prepare you well for navigating the rugged paths of the Cinque Terre or the steep steps of the Inca trail. Every time we're on these adventures, I am reminded that THIS is why I train. To be fit for life.