by David B. Glover
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
~ Viktor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning ~
“Low moments” in a race — especially an Ironman triathlon with its 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run — and in life are inevitable.
So how do you get through them?
Attach “meaning” to your race (and this applies to the rest of your life, too).
In other words, ask yourself the hard question: “Why?” A strong answer to that question is what will get you through those low moments.
Using the example of an Ironman Triathlon: You might be doing an Ironman to achieve a personal best or time goal. You might be doing it to raise money for a cause like Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You might be doing it just to finish. We each have our own reasons and they are ours alone. And reasons may change over time.
For me, my first Ironman was about finishing and proving I had beaten cancer two years prior. Then it was about doing races in different locations. Then it was about getting faster. Each time I tried to attach meaning to my race so that when I had a low moment, I had a reason to keep going. Truthfully, some meanings worked better than others.
I’ve been struggling with my “Why?” the last few years so decided not to race any Ironman triathlons this year – my first break since 1997. To finish one more after already finishing 28 is not a good enough reason for me. So now I focus on helping other triathletes finish their races.
A classic book about “meaning” is Man’s Search for Meaning by Jewish psychologist Viktor Frankl who wrote about his experiences in 3 different concentration camps during WWII.
Frankl quotes Nietzsche: “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how. Man’s Search for Meaning is a powerful story about how important it was to have meaning in order to persevere through the most horrific conditions of a concentration camp without giving up. Frankl’s purpose for surviving was to share his experiences and discovery about the significance of meaning.
So ask yourself the hard question: ”Why?”
Finally, if you’re having a bad moment on race day, just be thankful that you’re not in a concentration camp…
