A pessimistic triathlete will always dwell on the unpleasant aspects of the sport. Everyone else knows they exist, but they focus their experiences on the thrill of triathlon to enjoy the benefits of the sport.

If you’re more of a triathlete with a glass half empty that generates negative thoughts about your efforts, then fill up your water bottle using these nine tactics to get you through the unpleasant parts of triathlon.

1. Realize that a day of triathlon is better than a great day of fishing!

2. Learn the subtle parts of triathlon such as your personalized support structure, teamwork, training, discipline, fine-tuning nutrition, and race selection strategy to experience the best the sport has to offer participants. Apply knowledge frequently to get the most out of the sport.

3. Acknowledge pain, setbacks, awkward positions, travel delays and unexpected events that happen in triathlon, but showing determination in sport can be harnessed to address similar issues elsewhere.

4. Accept the “suck” as part of success, no whining.

5. Learn from disappointment by modifying actions, demonstrating adaptability, and providing better results in future races.

6. Hone required complementary soft work skills, such as building relationships, managing disagreements, and leveraging networks. Try different approaches in a triathlon setting to determine the optimal methods. Any out-of-the-ordinary approach can be tweaked with minimal side effects that can be far worse to develop in the workplace when a mistake would be a fatal career setback.

7. Embrace the discipline of challenging workouts that produce strong minds, emotional levels, and great bodies.

8. Recognize that the self-inflicted pain of a great effort is temporary and that your accomplishments last a lifetime of soothing memories.

9. Celebrate that expensive triathlons require some really cool equipment and can lure you to some cool and exotic locations around the world.

Running triathlons doesn’t create a self-induced over-the-counter drug that keeps people happy all the time. As a triathlete, your mood will fluctuate throughout the day and during your training routine from race to race. You’ll brand yourself on big training days as invincible, while challenging distance, speed, or that combination on race days will humiliate all but the mythical elite triathletes to question themselves about the possible self-inflicted abuse. In these stinking days of triathlon training or racing, rise above your selfishness and dive into the sunny side of the sport. Think about the high of achievement, the low of body weight, the speed of the body, and the fun of a rewarding journey. You are the hero of your chosen sport and probably to others in your family, among your friends and others on your team.

Challenge yourself to think beyond the micro aspects of work, sports, family and social content. Think of the best to appreciate the macro enjoyment, accomplishment and achievements of triathlon in life.

Do you want to do a triathlon or are you choosing an athletic lifestyle where you travel places, experience different cultures, interact with highly talented, goal driven people and mentally, physically and emotionally energized people?

Everything in life requires an effort that includes a bit of disgust. To truly enjoy the great triathlon experiences of people, places, achievements, food, culture, along with wonderful moments away from the comfort of your office, home, and road, you have to know the worst. Negative feelings should not last long. The good side of triathlon will be remembered and relived for years in your mind. On the other hand, we are all the time in life on Earth. The alternative is to fish… Worms anyone?