Why Can't You Just Be Normal?

Why can't you just...

I get this question a lot from my wife, my family, and my co-workers.

Why can't you just be normal? Why can't you run a little and eat reasonably just to be fit and healthy? Why do you have to be focused on some ridiculous event like a marathon or an Ironman? Why do you have to have a race to train for in order to stay motivated and not let your body go to hell? Just train a little to stay fit. Why can't you just be normal.

Answer: I haven't the foggiest idea.

I have a co-worker who frequently asks me some version of this question. I don't get him just as much as he doesn't get me. He has, in the 16 years I have known him, stayed in a 4 pound range. He gets up early in the morning, runs on the treadmill or rides the life-cycle and always watches what he eats. At least in this regard, he is the poster-child for steadfastness and moderation. He has no interest in racing and probably never will.

I am not that guy.

For reasons I can't explain, I need the events as a focus to stick to my plan. I can stick to it for years and I have in the past as long as I have a succession of goals to train for. But, as has happened several times, when I quit racing I quit training and my weight goes up faster than the space shuttle.

The thought has occurred to me that if I were a better person, I could do it just to do it. But I am not. I am a bad person. I am like that guy who only thinks to pray when he needs something and the rest of the time he completely forgets.

But that is me and I have learned to accept it. So I need the events. That is not the worst thing in the world. So now I plan to plan my events a year out so that there is always something out there to keep me focused.

Why can't I just be normal? I dunno. Maybe I will figure it out one day. In the meantime, let's race.

Posted in: training