Several weeks ago I came across a YouTube documentary series called "Impossible Route." I started watching the first few minutes while on the bike trainer but stopped myself from continuing as I wanted to share the viewing experience with Karel. We both love watching endurance events, especially when it involves cycling.
I would highly recommend giving it a watch. If you are like us and you love endurance events, I have a word of caution.....you will quickly find yourself planning your next impossible route as you watch each episode. I don't think it's possible to watch this documentary series and not feel motivated about doing something incredible with your body.
The mission of this series is finding adventure, pushing your limits and going beyond what is thought to be possible. What I love about each episode is that it's not about racing.
After 16 consecutive years of endurance triathlon racing, I still love the race day experience. When I train, I rarely think about race day. I love feeling mentally, physically and emotionally challenged by the process of preparation. With every season of preparing for endurance events, I crave experiences, opportunities and teachable moments.
Sport teaches us so much if we are willing to step beyond outcome goals, metrics and the desire to achieve an idealized body image. All too often, athletes focus only on the destination and never learn to appreciate the process. If your reason for training is to only reach a finish line, you may find yourself "one and done" before you even reach the finish line.
Training for an endurance event is a challenge but to get the most out of the journey, you need to have a real love for it. This love shouldn't be confused with obsession.
You are not your sport. Sport should be an extension of self, not the definition of self.
Sport should add to the fullness of life.
If you are getting your training done every day - no matter what, finding yourself chronically exhausting, lacking social connections, losing sleep in order to train, unable to meet your energy needs or repeatedly going to your doctor for sickness or injuries, you've selected the wrong list of ingredients to help you prepare for your upcoming endurance event.
My biggest takeaway from watching the Impossible Routes is to live life fully by enjoying the process of working toward a goal that rests on the edge of what you believe is possible. No matter what type of athletic event you are training for, find joy in the journey.
Check out the Impossible Route HERE.
The mission of this series is finding adventure, pushing your limits and going beyond what is thought to be possible. What I love about each episode is that it's not about racing.
After 16 consecutive years of endurance triathlon racing, I still love the race day experience. When I train, I rarely think about race day. I love feeling mentally, physically and emotionally challenged by the process of preparation. With every season of preparing for endurance events, I crave experiences, opportunities and teachable moments.
Sport teaches us so much if we are willing to step beyond outcome goals, metrics and the desire to achieve an idealized body image. All too often, athletes focus only on the destination and never learn to appreciate the process. If your reason for training is to only reach a finish line, you may find yourself "one and done" before you even reach the finish line.
Training for an endurance event is a challenge but to get the most out of the journey, you need to have a real love for it. This love shouldn't be confused with obsession.
You are not your sport. Sport should be an extension of self, not the definition of self.
Sport should add to the fullness of life.
If you are getting your training done every day - no matter what, finding yourself chronically exhausting, lacking social connections, losing sleep in order to train, unable to meet your energy needs or repeatedly going to your doctor for sickness or injuries, you've selected the wrong list of ingredients to help you prepare for your upcoming endurance event.
My biggest takeaway from watching the Impossible Routes is to live life fully by enjoying the process of working toward a goal that rests on the edge of what you believe is possible. No matter what type of athletic event you are training for, find joy in the journey.
Check out the Impossible Route HERE.