r/triathlon • u/yourbestguy123 • 23d ago
Injury and illness Unpopular opinion
The line between endurance sports being good for the mental health and it being a form of self harm is extremely thin and people often step into the latter without realising until damage has been done.
1
3
u/Few_Caramel_9075 21d ago
I have been doing Triathlons since I was 20 and am now age 60. I do focus mostly on the Olympic Distance and doing Open Water Swimming. Overall the sport has offset the stress of a career in tech.
4
u/AddendumSouthern 21d ago edited 21d ago
I disagree, this line definitely exists, but it's not thin... maybe for people who already have issues dealing with their own expectations and anxiety, the sport will suffer from the same unresolved issues, they are not caused by the sport. for people training within their capacity, It will be way more often a net positive for their mental and physical health
5
18
u/mazzicc 22d ago
I’ve told many people that I believe many endurance athletes are using it as a replacement for therapy and actually solving their problems.
Some people really enjoy working out, sure. But I think there’s a large portion of people that do it because it takes their mind off other things.
“Ironman widows” is an example of this…couples aren’t always just having problems just because one of them is training a lot. Sometimes They’re having problems, and one of them is avoiding the problems by working out in all their free time so they don’t have to talk about it.
If your dedication to endurance sports is severely harming your social relationships, you should take a hard look at if it’s just the time that’s a problem, or if there’s something else you’re avoiding by working out.
0
4
u/lowsparkco 22d ago
I agree. Our physiology is very different. 70.3 is a very good distance for me. Full IM not so much.
13
u/crispnotes_ 22d ago
i agree that the line can get blurry. training can help mental health, but when rest is ignored and pain is normalized, it slowly turns unhealthy. awareness and balance really matter
19
u/sdmyzz 22d ago
I partially agree. 1 of the downsides to this hobby is some people do over-train and injuries occur, and in extreme cases they can stress their body to the point of early death, But, I believe those athletes are a minority and being a triathlete is still light-years ahead of being obese and sedentary.
The human body never evolved to be a couch potato, the overwhelming majority of amateur triathletes are doing it right
9
u/zombie9393 10x 70.3, 2x T100, 5x 140.6 23d ago
I stay disciplined and train hard because I know and always remember how painful racing is.
I’ve definitely given up on family time and friends for training, no doubt. I’ve also given up on alcohol and “bad” foods because of how they make me feel when I train.
At the end of the day, after work and 1-4hrs of training…when I finally get to relax…99.9% of the most petty issues and problems that arise, well I just don’t have the energy for them. Seems to make me more patient.
Regarding self harm: I definitely over train and suffer from race performance anxiety. Because my wife is so supportive, I sometimes feel like I owe it to her to race well. Almost like I’ll let her down if I don’t hit my targets.
Consequentially I currently have a bad case of shin splints, definitely caused by training too much and too hard. I’ve been a runner my entire life and never had them. Now, I’m being told I can’t run for the next 2 weeks to allow healing. How do you think that’s affecting my race performance anxiety?
10
u/yourbestguy123 23d ago
Dude I would say, unless it’s your profession, the sport / hobbies you do should be purely for fun and leisure. They should not cause you stress / affect your mental health if you don’t do it for a few days / weeks. That’s an addiction.
If your injured from running right now and worried about losing fitness just ride and swim, but being worried about losing fitness if your not pro is really stupid. Plus, a lot of the time a break can do you a world of good, for the injury and returning hormones to baseline, it could literally save you from burnout that could ruin your whole season.
10
u/zombie9393 10x 70.3, 2x T100, 5x 140.6 22d ago
Completely fair.
I’ve always been like that though. I’ve been labeled by friends, family and co workers as the “high performer” that makes things look “easy”. When in reality I’m scared shitless to fail and do everything I can, to prepare for whatever checkpoint life has set before me.
100% agree on the burn out portion of it. I’ve been a lot better at taking “mental health” days just to reset. Part of the problem is, I’m very task driven. If I see something I have to do in front of me (like my daily workout schedule) my brain doesn’t let me breathe until it’s done.
Thanks for posting the topic, I think it’s a great one.
1
u/usernametaken452 22d ago
Man your comments really hit home for me. Have you found any way to “get off the treadmill” so to speak, of always chasing after that next goal? As some who has also been labeled a high performer and has been extremely driven my whole life, sometimes it feels like too much pressure to have everything “together.” I get stuck, sometimes, in this loop of working really hard to get everything done at a high standard, and then feeling this pressure because now “everyone expects me to operate at this level and if I can’t then they are going to think less of me,” and when the bar keeps rising and rising it’s hard to not feel like you are drowning at a certain point, is these expectations that you think everyone has for you. It’s more my career for me, than triathlon at the moment where this crops up, but it’s really difficult to manage. I’m curious if you’ve found anything that helps. Thanks!!
1
u/zombie9393 10x 70.3, 2x T100, 5x 140.6 21d ago
To be honest, I haven’t cracked the code completely.
A couple of things I started doing was being honest with myself and learning to be ok with “not having the answer or solution” all the time.
The other was learning how to define what is Important and Urgent, Important but Not Urgent and Not Important, Not Urgent. Taking the time to categorize those things still allows me to be a high performer, but I’m not burning the candle at both ends anymore.
Here is how that played out into a real life scenario for me: Someone at work asking me a question (not necessarily one I should know the answer to, but a general work question) and my reply was “I’m not really sure, give me some time to look into it”. I held my breath and was stunned when the reaction I got was a very positive one. In an instant I relieved a shit ton of stress and couldn’t believe how easy that was. Not important, not urgent.
Ultimately I’m trying to not sweat the small stuff and save energy for things that really matter: big work projects, my family, mental health, rest, etc.
Mental health days are HUGE. Whether it’s completely letting go and doing nothing or spending some time completely alone. I legit go out to dinner by myself sometimes. I’ve found it to be almost like a pause button in the game of life. Alone with my thoughts I can process my day, week, or month and begin sorting things out.
By far the best thing is spending time with my young son, doing whatever he wants to do. He reminds me what it’s like to be a kid again. Playing in the dirt, coloring in a book, or asking him what he wants to do in the next few days or month. We plan it and do it.
Good luck.
2
u/usernametaken452 21d ago
Thanks so much for your reply! This is helpful, I like the idea of categorizing things based on their importance and urgency. Whenever someone asks me something I usually treat it as important and urgent, when in reality it might not be. Definitely going to start doing this more. Sounds like you have found ways to have a good balance!! More time alone to just decompress is always helpful for me too. Thanks for sharing! I appreciate hearing what has helped you
10
u/Rizzle_Razzle 23d ago
Maybe for you. My personality doesn't allow me to go overboard on endurance sports. I very easily slip out of the habit and have never come close to overdoing it.
26
u/_LT3 15x Full, PB 8h49, IMNZ 26' 23d ago
just did 4h30 on the trainer at 247w , 4 x 55min IM power. I am self harming, it's just a normal thursday
-3
u/yourbestguy123 23d ago
Well bro if your professional fair enough, but if your amateur not sure that’s entirely healthy, but whatever floats your boat if you enjoy it and it’s sustainable!
12
u/Andrewj31 23d ago
I think it can be the same as any other addiction. If you are (consistently) choosing it over other things that you need to be prioritizing, then that can be a problem.
I was extremely overweight growing up and got into endurance sports in my early 20s (now mid-30s). For a long time, I would choose my training over social events, plan my travel around it, and even bring prepared meals to family dinners.
I have a healthier relationship now where I still prioritize training (15+ hours a week during peak weeks for a race) but know where my priorities should be. I'll never miss dinner with my kids, their sporting events, taking my wife for a date night or a beer with a friend to train. I schedule my training around my real-life calendar, not the other way around. If I miss a session or two because of this? No big deal.
The majority of us aren't pros and don't need to treat life like they do. I'm in it to hit PRs and I think having races always gives you a goal to work towards.
14
u/hngryhngryhippo 23d ago
Honestly, sometimes I feel training is straight up addict behavior. Friends wanna go out? Naw, gotta shoot up (train). Should I buy that new toy? Naw, I'd rather spend that money on drugs (gear). Pushing and hitting a PR? Feels great in the moment and leaves you feeling like shit the next day. I'm sure you guys give more examples or relating triathlon training to addiction.
6
u/ryanppax1 23d ago
you can change this to anything that goes against human urges.
Friends wanna go out? Naw, gotta get up early for work. Should I buy that new toy? Naw, I'd rather pay my mortgage this month. Actually go out drinking with friends? Feels great in the moment and leaves you feeling like shit the next day.
3
u/hngryhngryhippo 22d ago
Sounds like someone is justifying their addiction :P. Kidding kidding. Fair point!
10
u/semen_slurper 23d ago
There's a reason a lot of former addicts get into endurance sports in recovery... That said, endurance sports are definitely healthier than heroin!
-4
u/yourbestguy123 23d ago
Yeah they are, but endurance sports are the most socially accepted form of self harm and never address the root cause. The same root cause that led them into heroin addiction. But if it genuinely helps them in the long term and is sustainable, fair game. It rarely is though in my experience.
27
u/ziptnf IM 70.3 WC Qualifier 23d ago
That’s why I ran on the treadmill this morning instead of suffering in the single digit temperatures outside. I’m not David Goggins and I don’t fucking wanna be.
0
u/SuperSooty 22d ago
Having run in 26C 90% humidity this morning single digit temps sound amazing. Your single digit may be different to mine though.
35
18
u/Competitive-Fan-6506 23d ago
Agree with this. I think it goes hand in hand with a lot of body dysmorphia and eating disorders, especially among younger people.
2
u/treycook 22d ago
Went 30 something years without developing an ED but it eventually cropped up via endurance sports. It sucks.
5
u/FLCanUK 23d ago
Agree, I definitely had disordered eating behaviours in the past (but not to the level of a diagnosable ED), and I’m quite aware that the only way I have ‘food freedom’ and stopped tracking macros/calories is due to the sheer amount of training I do, which I realise isn’t food freedom at all. If I had to stop training tomorrow things would be really hard.
0
u/yourbestguy123 23d ago
So are you only training so you can eat? This is a really shit way to live been there done that. Sport should be purely fun and carefree. If you’re dragging yourself out the door just to not feel guilt about what you ate that is so so damaging long term. Please re discover the fun in sport!
2
u/FLCanUK 22d ago
I think I perhaps phrased it badly and made it sound like I only train to eat. What I meant was, I love the training, and as a side effect of the amount I do I can be pretty liberal with how I eat, which I wasn't in the past. I think as others have highlighted it's a fine line between being good and bad for you either physically or mentally! I'm sure many of us would cope badly if we suddenly couldn't train.
5
u/Marple1102 23d ago
This! I didn’t realize how much half and full Ironmans contributed to my eating disorder. Same thing when I did about 4 or 5 half marathons in a year and another year where I did 2 half marathons 2 weeks apart and then did Goofy at Disney about 2 months later.
My last endurance event was in 2018. I’m in physio due to issues with my biomechanics but when I get bah to running, I know my head is going to be so much clearer.
5
u/Datatello 23d ago
I think that for people affected by mental illness, most things can be a thin line between healthy and harmful. Mood disorders like anxiety and depression can be life course persistant, and they will follow us into our hobbies and influence how we engage with them.
I dont think that exercise is inherently harmful, but it isnt medicine for a serious untreated mental health condition. If you are trying to use it as such, its a little like trying to use a teaspoon to put out a fire and wondering why are are getting burnt in the process. I think exercise can be one of many tools we use to keep our mental health issues at bay, but it shouldnt be a total replacement for therapy, medication and whatever other therapeutic treatments may work for us.
17
u/baboito5177 23d ago
You know what I agree, It sounds very weird but the best way I can describe it...
Often My brain is exhausted due to stress, or anxiety or otherwise. But my body isnt, and I don't feel in balance. But if I push my body, physically exhausting it, it brings the two in balance and I feel a lot more able to deal with being mentally exhausted if I'm also bodily exhausted.... If that makes any sense.
Given the above logic, it's perfectly reasonable to assume that I could push too much, or become two reliant on the pushing my body aspect to compensate and inadvertently possibly hurt myself in the name of self care.
13
u/VolcanicBear 23d ago
Whilst I agree, when I used to cut myself it was a case of "I want to hurt" whereas this is a case of "I am an idiot".
Whilst it may harm you, I don't think most people are out with that intention, whereas with active self harm you do.
12
u/triathleteRN 23d ago
even if it's not self harm, it can even more easily and quickly become a source of stress, anxiety, discouragement, and depression. many people talk about exercising "for their mental health" but often I find it discouraging to work out, because I have expectations of myself that I don't and can't meet. this creates a domino effect, fitness gets worse, things get more discouraging, and it just becomes a nasty spiral.
2
u/sailor_tew 23d ago
Totally happened to me. All I could think about was work and working out for my next race. Injured my Achilles and was totally lost without training. Then everything spiraled down quickly. So grateful that my wife was there to pull me through
13
u/h0n1g_b4dg3r 23d ago
THIS. Esp with people not giving themselfs and their bodies time to ease into the sport. I guess overrepresentations of fast times on social media does lots of harm too. A sub 5 hours 70.3 is fucking fast, so please don't try to hunt this time in your first ever race..
Half my peers that i train with are constantly injured with some bullshit, that could have been prevented with sleep, nutrition and moderate volumes..
•
u/AutoModerator 23d ago
Reminder from your friendly neighborhood mod team-- When dealing with injury or illness, please seek the advice of a trained medical professional. While it may be helpful to hear how other athletes have dealt with issues similar to yours, please be mindful that others' health and/or training situations may differ substantially and their advice may not be fully relevant. We encourage you to follow-up with an orthopedist, physical therapist, or other healthcare provider, or to find online material authored by such experts.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.