Before I get into the subject of today’s post, I just want to share with you my concern. It’s a small thing. For years I have shared my thoughts in a blog on Blogspot, the original free blogging service now owned by Google. I have no issue with them. It is a terrific service. The thing is, I also have my website, hosted on GoDaddy. I use Drupal there, and the default layout has a front page announcement tool that functions well for a blog. I would like to encourage readers to explore my website, so I am going to try posting there and see how it goes.
Enough about that. If you are reading this you have found my website.
What About My Why?
Among the handful of podcasts I listen to driving to work or while doing a turbo trainer workout are a few that I’ll mention here. First, I don't want to overlook my favorite podcast, FastTalk. That one aside, the three that I am discussing here are TrainingPeaks CoachCast, the Weekly Word Podcast, with Chris Hauth, and TrainRight.
A recent CoachCast had Chris Hauth on as a guest (Season 3, Ep. 19). In that one hour discussion Chris pretty much summarized his coaching philosophy. It is a treasure trove of the mental side of training and competing. Chris liked it so much that he used it on his own podcast, Ep. 166. And by the way, Chris began as a swimmer, moved on into triathlon, and after a successful career in Ironman he has moved on to ultrarunning. This connects to what comes later.
There were two ideas from that discussion that stuck with me. What Chris said about finding your why, and being the person you want to be even when no one is looking. Of those two I find the latter easier to implement. When the alarm goes off at 4AM for that Tuesday long run, I get up and out the door because that is the person I choose to be. The first one, about finding your why; that one I found myself struggling with. I do get up in the morning, but why?
I think it’s kind of weird that I took up sports so late in life. When I look back on it, I never had a reason why. I just did it, because it was fun. I know now that I need a deeper why, but what is it?
What should pop up in my podcast feed but something called “Mental Training For Ultrarunning With Addie Bracy,” on a podcast I rarely listen to, TrainRight. I think it’s because it is a CTS thing, and I see myself as a Friel/TrainingPeaks guy. Silly. Anyway, I have been learning about mental toughness, and Chris Hauth is an ultra jockey, so I gave it a whirl.
Am I glad I did. It turns out that Addie Bracy is not just an ultra runner. She is a trained sports psychologist and an excellent author. I was so impressed by her interview that I bought her book, “Mental Training for Ultrarunning.” I have not even finished it yet I am so impressed that I want to share it with you. If you do Ironman, or are thinking about doing Ironman, you must read this book.
The second chapter of Addie’s book is titled “Find Your Why for Running.” She presents a clear, deep exploration into why you need to find your why and how to go about it. This is something I do not see mentioned a lot in Ironman circles, yet it apples just as much there. Beyond that, Addie’s book is sprinkled with gems of wisdom. They pop up so often I find myself wanting to stop and take notes. This is a book to read again, several times.
In future editions of this blog I will share with you my path to finding my why. In the meantime, go and listen to Chris Hauth on CoachCast, then Addie Bracy on TrainRight, and go back and listen to some of Chris’s previous podcasts. Great stuff. And do yourself a big favor and by Addie’s book. You will not regret it.