Better Enjoy the Process/Journey

  When you are training as an athlete, or otherwise for that matter, you had better enjoy the process especially if you want to compete and train for a long time.
   I have been a competitive athlete now for 5 decades and there is no way you can sustain that for any period of time without some enthusiasm for the training process itself.
  Because regardless of the sport, the training takes up much more time and demands more of a commitment than the actual games or competitions themselves.
  Think of rowers, for example, who train for hours on end for races that take less than 8 minutes. Or 100 meter sprinters whose races at the elite levels take less than 12 seconds! And to get to the elite level in either of those sports takes years of good, solid training.
  Success in sport is born out of the countless hours spent practicing your sport's skills as well as the developing of better athleticism in the weight room and other modes of training.
  I was reminded of all of this recently when life got in the way of two athletic events I had been preparing for over the last number of months.
  First, was the US National Masters Squash tournament where I was "aging up" which in this case isn't entirely a bad thing.
  2nd, was a helicopter ski trip my wife and I had planned to Utah. Heli-skiing is one of my bucket list activities and I was really looking forward to this at the end of March.
  But life in the form of my Mom's declining health has dictated that neither of those things is in the cards for this year.
    But I am one of those folks who truly enjoys the training process which probably explains a lot of things but that is an entirely different topic! :)
   So the last months, even the last year, of training have not been for naught. I implemented some things in my training and in my nutrition that I learned from and going forward I will continue to utilize them in my training program. In addition, training, getting fitter, stronger and more resilient is never a bad thing in my book.
   So bottom line: enjoy the journey as you can never tell when life will throw you a curve ball and you have to adjust.