I have always enjoyed being involved in sports of all kinds. One of my earliest memories is playing in the front yard with my peewee football uniform on. (insert picture?) Being raised 30 minutes from Cleveland, Ohio, I am a lifelong fan of the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians. (This has proven to be very unfortunate for me as a fan, since Cleveland has had perennially disappointing sports teams. But that’s a different story.) As a child, I found myself drawn more to team sports; There was a camaraderie to be gained, and I learned the value of working together with others toward a common goal. I have fond memories of sandlot baseball games, and progressing from elementary to JV to Varsity basketball teams. It was a great chance to be with friends, have fun, and make memories.
However, as much as I enjoyed the concept of ‘teamwork’, my true motivation was always the love of competition. Competition against anyone at any time in any form. Any time there was a chance to beat someone at a game, or to see if I was better than someone else at something, there was something inside me driving me to defeat my opponent. I was never the best athlete on any team; but I was always one of the hardest workers. I would run extra sprints, shoot extra free throws, do extra drills, always giving 100%. This resulted in me usually being one of the most improved players on the team. I was always learning, making myself better; This was all motivated by my desire to be able to compete. I was realistic that I wouldn’t always win, but I wanted it to be a competitive battle every time.
I always had to be the first one to the top!
As I have become an adult, and especially now that I am committed to health and fitness, I still feel that need to compete. A need to be better, a need to improve at whatever I do, and a need to defeat my opponent. But right now, my opportunities for team sports are few and far between. Yes, there are the men’s YMCA leagues of softball, basketball, flag football and others. But from my experience, these leagues are all too often overrun with hot shots and former high school all-stars who are trying to keep the dream alive. Let’s just say teamwork never seems to be a big emphasis out there. So, in my quest for competition, I have discovered the concept of competing against myself.
In many ways, this has proven to be the ultimate in competition for me. Each day is an opportunity for me to outdo myself. Whether I am swimming, running, or doing pilates, there is always some way to measure my progress. And since I know myself better than anyone else, I am able to set realistic but challenging goals for myself.
So now, when I am taking part in a road race with thousands of people, I no longer feel like there is anyone out there that I have to beat. It is me against myself, me against the road, me against the clock. Granted, I still love the feeling of passing someone, but it feels great for a different reason. I don’t care so much that I left that stranger in the dust, but rather that my dedication to myself and to my goals has enabled me to perform at a higher level than I could have when I began my training.
If you find yourself struggling to get motivated for that daily routine on the treadmill or elliptical trainer, try challenging yourself. Set yourself a goal that will force you to try just a bit harder than you really feel like trying; Then go out there and prove to yourself that you can do it! It is amazing what you can do when you make a commitment to yourself. Before long, you will find yourself surpassing what you thought you could do, and challenging yourself to do more. Mike’s post from the Complete Running Network is right along these lines; Check it out!
