On January 28th I am competing in Tough Guy 2007. Tough Guy is widely regarded as the worlds toughest assault course and is preceded by a light ten mile cross country run as a warm up. Why am I telling you this? Because it is what I am training for at the moment.
Whilst I have work, family and financial goals in place, physically I am preparing myself for this event. Whilst the benefits of training with regard to Body and Mind Optimisation are great motivators, sometimes it can help to add little more focus to your training.
I speak to a lot of people and when asked what they are training for, they look a little blank and say, “Nothing, I am just trying to stay fit” whilst this is indeed a huge commitment in itself, eventually, for some people, this approach can become a little dull.
Some people take the view that our bodies are vehicles to experience as many different life experiences as possible. A friend of mine, Stuart Turnbull, is one of those people. Stu is embarking on an attempt to break the world record for rowing the Atlantic, on December 10th, and has spent the best part of a year training for the event. For Stuart the whole point of his training is very much event focused, however his experience will have gains for beyond the physical, and is as much about belief and courage as it is about physical conditioning.
For some of us who have reached a level of physical fitness that we feel comfortable with and might feel that are bodies are plateauing it might be an idea to use your imagination and dream up some experiences you want to have with this amazing body you have created. If rowing the Atlantic is a little advanced then triathalons, Marathons, Adventure Races or even sponsored walks can provide the extra motivation you are looking for. Motivation is very much unique to the individual and whilst certain people will be motivated purely by the satisfaction of lifting a certain weight or running a certain time an event in the future can really add a focus and spark to your training that can produce amazing results.
PS Check out (The other perspective) for people who enjoy training for training’s sake, appearring to have no goal.
Posted by jlimpus 
