The Fourth Discipline Is Discipline

Forgive the existentialist post.  In my childhood (including all years up to around age 25), "discipline" was something imposed upon me (on a rather frequent basis).  I never considered that I would one day embrace the discipline and focus that accompany multisport -- and I certainly never thought that these qualities would be my strengths.

Yet here I am, making a hobby out of carefully-tuned workouts and hours of highly disciplined training.  What is it about triathlon that is so appealing to a formerly discipline-challenged bum?  I have found that much of what affects me in life is well out of my control.  My occupation, the stock market, church callings, family issues, quality of haircuts, and so on.  But I can always control the level of effort that I put into my workouts.  I complain all the time that training for long-distance events is incredibly lonely, but a good share of that time is a necessary re-focusing on the elements of my life that I can control.  And a mental shedding of the uncontrollable noise of everyday life that wears me down.  It's as important to my mental and emotional health as a good night's sleep. When I'm in the pool, or on my bike, or logging miles on the trail, and nobody is keeping track of my effort besides me, all that matters is my willingness to give it my best.  And I suppose that is all that matters outside of triathlon as well.