"Why did you run so slow?"

I felt my heart sink in my chest.

This was the last thing I expected to hear from my coach — right after I'd just won the Age Group European Championships in Sprint Triathlon, 2015.

"I... I mean, I was leading," I stuttered.

"When you get home, we need to work on those final 2km. You can do better."

He hung up. I stood there staring at my phone, In complete disbelief.

But the truth is... He was right.

Let me explain..

When I tell this story, I usually get one reaction:

"What a jerk!"

But here's why he was — and still is — the best coach I've ever had.

You see, the only thing he cared about was progress.

Not results. Not glory. Just progress.

If it wasn't for him, I would have settled for that performance and gone home thinking my training was exactly where it needed to be.

And I would have gotten my butt kicked the following season.

Instead, I went home, trained my weaknesses, and went on to win again in 2017 — and to compete against the best in the world at multiple Elite World Championships.

The lesson is this..

Whether your goal is a sub-20 5K or finishing your first marathon, the goal is only there to get you going.

It's only there to help you make progress. To help you get better.

You don't want to reach your goal and become one of those people who talk about what they once did, but never do anything anymore (you know the type.)

The painful truth about success is that it will make you worse — if you let it.

The point of the game was never to win...

It was to keep playing.

Nicklas "Keep Playing" Røssner

P.S. That's why I still chase new goals even after my pro career ended — you can follow my training on Strava here.

600 1st Ave, Ste 330 PMB 92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2246
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