I have attached the lyrics in case you need a friendly reminder of what our motivation is supposed to look like in written form. Please feel free to copy and print in case you need a cheat sheet to refer to on occasion.
Because I can all but guarantee (no insurance available for this) that at one moment or another today you will need a spoonful of reminder as to why we do what we do. In many cases this condition is chronic. I know it is here.
Those of you who have raced long-course triathlon know painfully well of what I speak. There is a point along the 140.6 miles of this war disguised as sport that you question your - pick as many as apply - sanity, capability, ability to withstand pain, religious belief and/or metaphysical mission.
The classic query we all must answer on our path, at whatever speed, to the glory of the finish line is, of course:
WHY AM I DOING THIS?
Sometimes there is a juicy adjective tossed between the why and the am for emphasis.
I feel this is because we have a need to test. We have a soul that longs for challenge. Our bodies love this (for about 56 miles.) The only thing holding us down, much like an anchor to ship, is that little voice that screams at us to quit.
That is the dream. This is the challenge and reward. That is the moment of truth. When one gains the ability to overrule the voice and press onward, persevere, complete the mission, when a little of the miraculous gets mixed with a whole lotta magic.
For me this has always been the meaning. Getting to the point of exhaustion, to see what I can do, to witness who I have become. It is through this experience in sport that we become the best we can be outside of it. In real everyday life.
Because its not just in triathlon that we are tested, that is a one-day proxy for life itself.
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far.
(Warning: The cheese factor on the video is five star. But great)
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