Why Train?

When most people think of athletic training, a movie montage speeds through their minds.  An athlete drinks a dozen raw eggs, lifts logs and hurls giant rocks, sprints up and down a stadium staircase and other cliches--ad nauseum. Months of training is portrayed as 30 sweaty seconds before the hero goes on to crush the competition and raise their hands in glorious triumph. Training is treated as an unpleasant stop on the way to greatness.  Training equals suffering.  

The truth is that training is 95% of any athlete’s life.  It’s not a side show. It is the show. Good training is not suffering. Can you imagine if 95% of your life is suffering?! Good training is simply the purposeful and structured way to work toward a meaningful goal. If you are not motivated to train, I’d suggest you haven’t found your "meaningful" goal. That’s the beauty, you get to decide what is meaningful. There are as many reasons to train as there are people. Training is where you see growth and improvement on a day-to-day basis. Training is the opportunity to have a small victory and get dose of that "meaning" with every workout. It is exciting and fulfilling and something to look forward to every day.  

The truth is that training is the ultimate self-care.

Athletic training, including cycling training gives you an endorphin buzz that fights depression, enlivens the mind, builds your confidence, and reduces stress.  Training helps you power positively through all of your life challenges. Why train? The real question is why aren’t you training?