The case against extreme sports

Say goodbye to the tri.

Let’s start with this comment from a few years ago that I recently came across:

4:22 am? 137 triathlons?

If she is a CEO, what she’s doing is not that much out of the ordinary.

Many of the CEOs that I’ve watched or worked with take their Type A personality and use it to compete in races that 99.9% of the world can’t do.

Here’s one example that takes place in my neck of the woods.

First held in 2003, the Norseman in Norway was the very first ultra-ironman competition.

You start by jumping off the deck of a boat at 5 am into the frigid Norwegian waters (around 10° C or 50° F), cycle for 180 km with 3,800m of vertical gain, and run for 42km with a total of 1,432m of climbing.

Athletes must carry everything with them in case of emergencies and extreme conditions.

The reward for all of this? A T-SHIRT. (And bragging rights, of course.)

I think activities like this are a big mistake for people trying to bring balance in their lives.

Let’s look at why.

You’re the CEO of a company, a role with countless demands on your time and energy.

Then you go home and bring that same mentality to your partner and kids if you have them.

Your children have to be straight-A students, be virtuosos on the violin and make the varsity track team.

And now you have to train for several hours a day in multiple activities?

You're not giving yourself the opportunity to relax. Not everything needs to be a contest for first place.

Your exercise shouldn’t be another job for you.

What’s the ultimate goal? It never ends. And it becomes another job instead of fun.

Extreme sports can start dictating and taking over the time that otherwise should be reserved for the important relationships in your life.

Exercise is critical. Mixing up the activities you do is essential.

But balance is more important than both of these.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Peter

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