By 303 Ambassador Marty Rosenthal
I am often asked, “Aren’t you going to burn out?” “Don’t you need a break?” “How can you enter 2 or 3 full distance Ironman races in a year? I need to take a year off after each race.” My reply is typically No, No and it’s easy….
Truthfully, I think it is all a mindset and how one goes about their training and racing. Quite simply, I love it! I love to train and I love to race. I enjoy the comradery. I like staying healthy and fit. I am humbled by the challenges and obstacles that many have overcome to just make it to the starting line of any race, let along a full distance triathlon. I am in awe and inspired by the thousands of people that stand besides me at that starting line.
I believe that people shouldn’t race, if they don’t love it. Why put yourself and
your family through months or years of stress and training if you don’t truly love it and desire to be a part of it? Why get monkey butt for hour upon hour of riding unless you love taking it all in and feeling alive. I could not image enduring anything for 10+ hours let alone 2 hours if I didn’t find enjoyment and satisfaction in what I am doing. There is no medal they could give me after crossing a finish line that would be worth it, if I didn’t relish in taking flight and flying to finish with a smile on my face.
Training and racing are times for us to truly be free and experience life and explore our minds our souls and wonderful regions of this world we might not otherwise get the opportunity to experience. This is why for the 3 years that I have been racing, I’ve done it non-stop and toed the line for 7 Ironman races and a countless number of sprints, Olympic distances and half ironman races.
Mindset is not the only way to keep the mid winter blues from destroying your training. I like to mix things up. So besides
just doing triathlons, adding cross training into my routine, is extremely helpful and an essence of me staying fit and having fun. Hitting the slopes, snowshoeing, going to the rock climbing gym, trail running are just a few ways in which I like to stay active in the winter. Another favorite activity for me to do is to enter in ½ marathons in warmer climate cities and plan a great 3 day weekend with my wife. It gives us some great quality time to share together. Visit a city we may not have been to before. Forget about PR’s and racing and age grouping and just enjoy being with one another and having fun running together. Screaming for more cowbell, flying to the finish and sharing Bloody Marys afterwards.
I am often asked, “Aren’t you going to burn out?” “Don’t you need a break?” “How can you enter 2 or 3 full distance Ironman races in a year? I need to take a year off after each race.” My reply is typically No, No and it’s easy….
Truthfully, I think it is all a mindset and how one goes about their training and racing. Quite simply, I love it! I love to train and I love to race. I enjoy the comradery. I like staying healthy and fit. I am humbled by the challenges and obstacles that many have overcome to just make it to the starting line of any race, let along a full distance triathlon. I am in awe and inspired by the thousands of people that stand besides me at that starting line.I believe that people shouldn’t race, if they don’t love it. Why put yourself and
your family through months or years of stress and training if you don’t truly love it and desire to be a part of it? Why get monkey butt for hour upon hour of riding unless you love taking it all in and feeling alive. I could not image enduring anything for 10+ hours let alone 2 hours if I didn’t find enjoyment and satisfaction in what I am doing. There is no medal they could give me after crossing a finish line that would be worth it, if I didn’t relish in taking flight and flying to finish with a smile on my face.Training and racing are times for us to truly be free and experience life and explore our minds our souls and wonderful regions of this world we might not otherwise get the opportunity to experience. This is why for the 3 years that I have been racing, I’ve done it non-stop and toed the line for 7 Ironman races and a countless number of sprints, Olympic distances and half ironman races.
Mindset is not the only way to keep the mid winter blues from destroying your training. I like to mix things up. So besidesjust doing triathlons, adding cross training into my routine, is extremely helpful and an essence of me staying fit and having fun. Hitting the slopes, snowshoeing, going to the rock climbing gym, trail running are just a few ways in which I like to stay active in the winter. Another favorite activity for me to do is to enter in ½ marathons in warmer climate cities and plan a great 3 day weekend with my wife. It gives us some great quality time to share together. Visit a city we may not have been to before. Forget about PR’s and racing and age grouping and just enjoy being with one another and having fun running together. Screaming for more cowbell, flying to the finish and sharing Bloody Marys afterwards.
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