ENJOYING OUR MULTI-SPORT LIFE

“The future will belong not only to the educated [person], but to the [person] educated to use his free time wisely.”  - C. K. Brightbill.

In the broad world of sport, triathlon stands out as a prime vector for enhancing quality of life.  With a healthy, balanced approach, there is a natural, effortless flow of happiness, satisfaction and esteem from our training and racing into every facet of our lives.  The multi-sport life is indeed a fruitful path for many. 

What makes this so?  What conditions in triathlon facilitate optimal experience?  I’ve been slowly digesting a book, “Flow, The Psychology of Optimal Experience”, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi that examines principles and steps for enhancing the quality of life through optimal experience. 

Consider these conditions for optimal experience in the context of triathlon:

-         Adequate skills to complete the task:  Swimming, cycling and running are three childhood activities.  These skills are indeed complex and infinitely engaging, yet we can grasp them early in life, as children.

-         Clear goals:  Every race includes a measured course, a distinct start and finish line, and an accurate clock.

-         Immediate feedback:  A prominent feature of most USAT races, computerized timing chip systems give us accurate, detailed overall and age-group results very quickly.

-         A deep sense of involvement:  Both training and racing demand quality input to yield quality output.  We are highly invested in our training, and patiently undergo a “ripening” process.  Races adequately staffed with energetic volunteers and spectators support us in our deep engagement to produce the fruit of that ripening process.

-         A sense of control:  Training requires us to exercise, and not just our bodies.  We must exercise our choice.  As we strengthen choice, we discover discipline and liberation.

-         Integrity:  Self-consciousness is suspended during these times of total involvement that engage our bodies and minds in unison. 

Consider the “5 C’s”:  clarity, centering, choice, commitment, challenge.  All are familiar components of our triathlon lifestyle, our pursuit of athletic excellence. 

Mind Games: There is a natural tendency of the mind that can obstruct this flow of optimal experience, one we confront frequently in sport, and in life.  When we do not give order to our thoughts, mental attention will shift to whatever appears most undesirable at the moment.  As the author says, “Entropy is the natural state of the mind, a condition that is neither useful nor enjoyable.”  Hours of endurance training provide us with the opportunity to engage our bodies and minds honestly and completely in the activity.  We disengage from the fears and judgments that might otherwise occupy and grip our minds. We develop endurance and stamina for this mental control, and that empowers us in all areas of life.  We learn that accepting and embracing any form of stress – athletic, work, familial, etc. – is a more effective strategy for improving the quality of our experience than avoiding our resisting stress. 

Choose appropriately.  In order for us to actuate these conditions and enjoy optimal flow experience, we must choose challenges that will inspire us to completely engage all of our relevant skills.  If we choose challenges that are far below our skill level, we may experience boredom.  Challenges that exceed our skill level may elicit unhealthy levels of anxiety. 

This maxim does not mean that an iron distance veteran should no longer race sprints.  Aside from the challenges of speed, grace and technique, there is the challenge of participation, of companionship, of supporting others who are deeply engaged in producing the fruit, the optimal experience of their training process.  Nor does this maxim mean that we are immune to uncertainty and anxiety as we embrace challenges, athletic or otherwise. 

As a prime vector for enhancing quality of life, triathlon provides us with tremendous intrinsic value.  As we discover this inner value, the extrinsic motivation for fame and glory diminishes.  When triathlon is an integral part of our character, of our presence in everyday life, there is no longer a need for “brand recognition”.  Now we discover the true joy of the multi-sport life deep within. 

Equanimity:  There is another significant element to our global sport:  Amateur heroes far outnumber professional heroes; and all of us play on the same field, with the same rules, for the same spectators.  Amateur or professional, the pursuit of athletic excellence yields the same glory, the same esteem.  The word “amateur” is derived from the Latin verb amare, “to love”.  In essence, the true amateur enjoys the experience and loves the pursuit of excellence, regardless of how remarkable or mediocre the accomplishments may seem to another.  Triathlon is the everyman’s sport.

Humility:  To master triathlon as a vector for orchestrating our lives through optimal experience, it is important to acknowledge two things.  First, we cannot control all of the circumstances and relationships in our lives; but we can exercise, strengthen and master our capacity for choice.  Second, we must honor the infinite myriad other vectors, besides triathlon, for pursuing optimal experience and enhancing the quality of life.  Embracing these two things, we discover the liberation and joy of ordinariness.  This is the everyman’s sport.

This essay originally appeared in USA Triathlon Life Spring 2008

Copyright Shane Eversfield 2008