Fall Weather

It has been some years since we lived in a place that actually got cold. It has started to get cold here in Simi Valley. It is all relative. By cold, I mean less than 50 degrees on a daily basis. It has started to dip below 50 every night. It makes for a difficult time to be motivated to get up and ride at 5 AM. In Carmicheal's weekly letter, he speaks of movtivation versus inspiration. I need to find my inspiration. It was easy getting motivated to ride the HHH. Inspired to continue at that pace is were I am struggling. I have been lax on the bike since the Texas ride. It took a lot out of me. It is time to get back on the program.

Inspiration? Being inspired means it gets you up and out there regardless of time and temperature, giving the maximum effort. Here is the letter:


LETTER FROM CHRIS
You May Be Motivated, But Are You Inspired?
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Given the choice of who I’d rather coach, I’d take one inspired athlete over 10 motivated ones. Here’s an example of what I mean. During the early years of Lance Armstrong’s storied cycling career, he was motivated but not inspired. He was being paid to race a bicycle; he was good at it, a fierce competitor and a very powerful rider, but racing was just his job. When he felt like training, he ripped off great performances and won races, but then there would be times when he’d lose focus and drop off the radar, and I’d have to track him down and get him back on target. But when he returned to the sport after cancer, motivation was replaced by inspiration. Overnight, his commitment to training and competition—and his performances—took off by leaps and bounds.

Within any sport and at any level of participation, there’s a big difference between a motivated athlete and an inspired one. Motivation gets you out of bed and into the gym or to trailhead, but inspiration pushes you to get the maximum benefit out of every effort.

Motivation comes and goes because it is a product of logic. People are motivated to exercise because of simple equations like: More exercise = greater fitness - love handles + sex appeal. There’s a mathematical, mechanical component to motivation that leaves it vulnerable to changing circumstances. For many people, motivation goes out the window if the equation gets thrown out of whack by poor weather, a new girlfriend or boyfriend, or mounting obligations at work. Inspiration, on the other hand, plows through the math to keep you on track for your athletic and fitness goals, even through life’s ups and downs.

Inspiration is the most powerful performance enhancer on earth because it enables you to access deep reserves of power and energy that simple motivation can’t touch. In Lance’s case, the process of fighting cancer required every ounce of his strength and commitment. To survive, he dug deeper than any race had previously asked of him and learned what he was really capable of when he directed the full force of his attention and devotion to a goal. With his second chance at life, he gathered inspiration from the millions of cancer patients and survivors with whom he shared a common bond. The inspiration to show the world that cancer was beatable, and that survivors were anything but damaged goods, drove him straight to the top of sport and sustained him through a record-breaking streak of victories in one of the world’s toughest endurance events.

The big question is: What inspires you?

I am pumped to ride with JD this weekend. It is easier to push the pedals when there is good company. Until then, hasta la pasta.