Iron Burnout? Was my WHY not enough?
Ten years ago, after a 3 year stretch, I crossed the finish line of my first Ironman race. Those 3 years saw me go from couch potato to Ironman. I lost about 100 pounds and rarely took more than a day off per week.
How did I do that? What was my motivation? A common phrase lately is "What is your WHY?" where people are encouraged to find their motivation to help them overcome obstacles. When I started running, my WHY was to spend time with one of my kids and get healthier. When we crossed the finish line of our first half-marathon, he decided to "retire" from running at the ripe age of 13. I was hooked and realized that I could achieve a long-time dream that I thought was out of my reach because I thought I was not a runner, completing an Ironman (which includes a 26.2 mile running marathon).
Finishing an Ironman race became my WHY. That worked great until I crossed the finish line of the race. Having accomplished my WHY, I found I had no driving motivation to continue the same level of exercise. My running for the next several years became sporadic. I still wanted to be healthy. I wanted to become a faster runner. I just didn't want it enough to get up early before work on a regular basis or to go running when it was too hot in the summer or when I stayed out too late the night before.
I thought I just was burned out. I now realize that accomplishing my WHY left me without a reason to go running. I heard lately that even more important than finding your WHY is finding your PURPOSE. Your PURPOSE is bigger than your WHY. My WHY was to finish an Ironman race. My PURPOSE should have been something bigger, maybe being healthy enough to be able to play with grandkids when they come.
I finished my second Ironman, 10 years after the first one. My running has been better since the race that it was before the race. I'm not sure why that is, but I want to keep it going so now I am trying to figure out my PURPOSE and WHY and I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below with your thoughts on PURPOSE, WHY and what drives you.
How did I do that? What was my motivation? A common phrase lately is "What is your WHY?" where people are encouraged to find their motivation to help them overcome obstacles. When I started running, my WHY was to spend time with one of my kids and get healthier. When we crossed the finish line of our first half-marathon, he decided to "retire" from running at the ripe age of 13. I was hooked and realized that I could achieve a long-time dream that I thought was out of my reach because I thought I was not a runner, completing an Ironman (which includes a 26.2 mile running marathon).
Finishing an Ironman race became my WHY. That worked great until I crossed the finish line of the race. Having accomplished my WHY, I found I had no driving motivation to continue the same level of exercise. My running for the next several years became sporadic. I still wanted to be healthy. I wanted to become a faster runner. I just didn't want it enough to get up early before work on a regular basis or to go running when it was too hot in the summer or when I stayed out too late the night before.
I thought I just was burned out. I now realize that accomplishing my WHY left me without a reason to go running. I heard lately that even more important than finding your WHY is finding your PURPOSE. Your PURPOSE is bigger than your WHY. My WHY was to finish an Ironman race. My PURPOSE should have been something bigger, maybe being healthy enough to be able to play with grandkids when they come.
I finished my second Ironman, 10 years after the first one. My running has been better since the race that it was before the race. I'm not sure why that is, but I want to keep it going so now I am trying to figure out my PURPOSE and WHY and I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment below with your thoughts on PURPOSE, WHY and what drives you.
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