MAKING TRAINING FUN AGAIN
SACRIFICING FOR WHAT?
We’ve all heard stories of incredible sacrifices made to reach the highest level of sport. What is one – what are you – willing to sacrifice to be the best? To line up on the start line and know you have done what it takes to put yourself in a position to perform your absolute best.
We dream of podiums and victory, but at what point does the lure of success – define that how you will – trump the importance of fun? A training plan so specified to your individual needs that is best achieved if you train alone, a plan whose sole success is defined by daily data, or a sunny afternoon eschewed for the predictable control of a trainer ride; all potential sacrifices we make as we strive for success.
“The overall thing we're all after as athletes and humans is self-improvement, hitting new highs, pushing the limits, but balancing this motivation while maintaining a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle year after year…that’s a lot harder.”
We dream of podiums and victory, but at what point does the lure of success – define that how you will – trump the importance of fun? A training plan so specified to your individual needs that is best achieved if you train alone, a plan whose sole success is defined by daily data, or a sunny afternoon eschewed for the predictable control of a trainer ride; all potential sacrifices we make as we strive for success.
“The overall thing we're all after as athletes and humans is self-improvement, hitting new highs, pushing the limits, but balancing this motivation while maintaining a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle year after year…that’s a lot harder.”
THE BEGINNING
Where is the intersection between the effectiveness of a workout and the enjoyment it provides? And we’re not talking about the sense of accomplishment you may get from holding your target watts during a session, rather a that ride was so amazing, it’s why I do this sport type of reaction. The underlying question should be how can you do both?
Eric Lagerstrom’ s story begins, as athletic stories often do, with an early start and signs of promise: Eric found a love for sport and began swimming competitively at six, building dirt jumps in the yard, and fell in love with speed and getting air. He added triathlon to the mix when he was 12, and he ran cross country during college before winning a national triathlon championship and turning pro, where he’s been focusing on long-course distances since 2018. Eric was the first alternate to the 2016 US Olympic triathlon team, narrowly missing a spot to his two training partners who, as it turned out, have burnt out and left the sport behind.
“It's hard to say if they worked harder, had more talent, or were more focused, but they definitely had more of the self-deprivation approach vs. a childish excitement, which I credit to keeping me in the sport this long.”
Eric Lagerstrom’ s story begins, as athletic stories often do, with an early start and signs of promise: Eric found a love for sport and began swimming competitively at six, building dirt jumps in the yard, and fell in love with speed and getting air. He added triathlon to the mix when he was 12, and he ran cross country during college before winning a national triathlon championship and turning pro, where he’s been focusing on long-course distances since 2018. Eric was the first alternate to the 2016 US Olympic triathlon team, narrowly missing a spot to his two training partners who, as it turned out, have burnt out and left the sport behind.
“It's hard to say if they worked harder, had more talent, or were more focused, but they definitely had more of the self-deprivation approach vs. a childish excitement, which I credit to keeping me in the sport this long.”
SAYING YES TO IT ALL
But this is where this story takes a turn. Eric is a professional athlete that genuinely puts the emphasis on fun and adventure, and believes this outlook has allowed him to not only reach the echelons of professional sport but has contributed to his success. Eric subscribes to the philosophies laid out in Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, where a flow state is identified as a shortcut to the 10,000 hours concept: when athletes are in flow, they learn faster and more efficiently than they otherwise would, and one of the key components to entering flow state is sense of awe and new stimulus. Even riding your bike a different way to work can activate special neural pathways.
Eric craves variety: road ride, gravel ride, XTERRA, swim across the river, run to the top of the mountain because it’s there? Yes to all of it.
“Winning is one form of adrenaline hit but blasting down a trail on the limit of my abilities or pushing myself in different ways can bring the same hit, but more often.”
Eric craves variety: road ride, gravel ride, XTERRA, swim across the river, run to the top of the mountain because it’s there? Yes to all of it.
“Winning is one form of adrenaline hit but blasting down a trail on the limit of my abilities or pushing myself in different ways can bring the same hit, but more often.”
LIVING YOUR LIFE THROUGH TRAINING
So ask yourself: are you having fun? Are you doing this sport for the same reasons that brought you to it? When is the last time you took the other road or tried something new, not because it’s prescribed in your training plan, but because you want to? Why not give it a try? That less travelled road just may just become your new favorite.
After 20 years in the sport, it's rare to have a workout that's better than any workout I can remember, purely from a number standpoint, so doing sessions in new locations and new ways keeps things fresh and keeps me engaged and happy year after year. I feel like more athletes can probably identify with this and relate to the joy it brings vs. the short-lived boost of getting one more watt out of yourself week in week out, year after year. You shouldn’t feel like you’re putting your life on hold for your training, but that you’re living your life through your training.”
FOOTNOTES
Photos by Sean Cochran
Photos by Sean Cochran
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