I'm not motivated unless there is a figurative carrot dangling in front of me, just out of reach. I think about why I have enjoyed the sport of cycling so much since I've always preferred sports in which there is a moving object that is chased, hit or thrown. Playing the game takes my mind off feeling any physical pain from pushing the body to its limits.

In triathlon or time trial, definitive time goals can be set. "X miles in X minutes". Nevertheless, there are environmental factors that can affect one's performance. If I raced a triathlon two years in a row, perhaps one year the weather was rainy and cold, and the following year it was brutally hot.

Bike racing isn't particularly measurable in terms of individual performance except for time trialing. Cycling is a team sport, so most team members sacrifice their individual goals in order to help a teammate win the race (think Floyd Landis working for Lance Armstrong). I'm competitive by nature, but I like the idea of being a helper. I especially like the notion that a team can devise a race strategy based on strengths that should be leveraged.

I don't think winning as an individual is what motivates me in this sport. At one point in time I wanted to excel in sports because it contributed to my self worth. I no longer feel compelled to prove anything to anyone. What motivates me now is thinking of my body as a science experiment. There is a general hypothesis of improved performance, but what are the inputs? What combination of inputs works best? There are millions of possibilities.

And how do I measure those inputs? By following a regimented training plan and keeping diligent notes in my training diary, then following up with periodic testing to see if my fitness has improved.

This sport is perfect for a detail-oriented numbers freak like me!

(And perhaps I *am* crazy, but it is a healthy endeavor. It has motivated me to improve my diet and it wears me out so I sleep like a rock.)