Goals, goals, goals....

Race season is here folks and with it many athletes I know and work with are planning their goals for the races and events they've selected this summer. After chatting with a couple athletes recently it got me to thinking about how much we love to push ourselves sometimes. Let's face it folks - many of us are very goal oriented, type-Aish people that like to 'think large and be in charge'. However, training and racing as in life often forces us to face a few humbling facts - or what I like to more appropriately call "Life Lessons".

Here are my "top five" conversation pieces I've had recently with a couple of athletes I work with that might help you re-evaluate your goals and how to approach them in a healthy way.

1.  You can't force success.

As much as we'd like to it often takes time, consistency, and patience. Training and racing is a 'process' - not an end point. So enjoy it!! It's supposed to be fun too, remember?@!  

2.  Keep your eye on the prize, but don't let it blind you.

Remember it is important to keep your goals in sight, but not at the expense of other important things in your life, like.....health, family, friendships, work, and yes - your relationship with your significant other, wife, partner, dog, whatever.

3.  Your body hear's everything you are telling it.

Bottom line folks is this is a "tough love" talk. It's not easy to hear, but if you tell yourself you suck at every finish line or practice than guess what - yes, you will suck. If you think you are slow, fast, fat, thin, happy, sad, bored, or amped - you will be.  It is important to realize that we constantly are 'feeding' our body, mind, brain, and spirit with millions of thoughts and images a day. What are you going to feed yours with?

4. If you want it, work for it.

As simple as it sounds it really can be that easy. Many like to make excuses as to why they are any of the adjectives above. But when it comes down to it, it is you who must decide what you want and how are you gonna achieve it. Again - insert the adjective here - you decide when you get up or go to bed at night (to a certain degree - I recognize children and jobs can effect this); what you put in your mouth; if you will skip that swim or group ride, or run too hard when coach says "chill". Again, why are you doing this and what is your goal???

5. Remember to make room for fun!

Triathletes are a lovely, fun, amazing group of people. I've made the most incredible friends, met my husband, and continue to meet the most interesting people in this sport. It's one of the many things that draws me back to it year after year. The comraderie, good times, and pure joy of sharing a hard training session or race has filled me with memories I'll never forget. But, alas - as a group our strength can also be our greatest weakness and at times we can easily get stuck in the "work" part. Triathletes at heart are a very hard working bunch - and don't get me wrong - that is an essential ingredient to successfully reaching your goals.  All I am saying is this....don't forget to slow down, have a bit of fun with your friends, smell the roses, and yes - its ok to drop back and swim / bike / or run and drink a beer with the new guy.

Ciao for now...

JL