by Mimi Winsberg, M.D.

If a naive observer were to land in Kona during the Ironman world championships, he or she might get the impression of a hard bodied version of a Trekkie convention. There is something vaguely cult-like about the “ironman family”, and it’s no surprise that the IM corporation’s marketing department seems to take some not-so-subtle cues from the church.

I was recently discussing with a patient the distinction between preoccupation and passion. He raised concerns over what he feared was an obsessional focus on a particular pursuit. Are there any triathletes that can relate?

While we are inclined to think of preoccupation as obsessional and destructive, the word passion connotes a positive devotion to a an object or activity. What is the difference really?

The word passion originates from Latin “pati”- to suffer, or to be acted upon. A patient is one who suffers, and the Passion is the sufferings of Christ between the last supper and his death.

When we are passionate about triathlon, what defines our relationship to the sport? Are we being acted upon? Are we suffering? Are we giving in to preoccupation -- allowing it to occupy space in our minds to the exclusion of other things? Are we challenging ourselves and pushing our limits? Or are we just playing at what we love? My guess is, at various times, all of the above.

As passion develops we become involved to the extent that we are ultimately transformed by the object or the pursuit. Involvement with an object or activity will typically have four stages:

1. In the first stage, we play the object. That is to say we pick up the book, play the instrument or listen to the music, chase the girl (or boy), start to jog.
   
   
2. In the second stage, the object plays us. We become absorbed in the book, the music moves us, we fall in love, we feel the runner’s high.
   
   
3. In the third stage we lose all distinction between the first and second stage. We have become one, and we are in a state of flow, playing and being played, so engaged that it is impossible to know whether we are leading or being led.

   Some people may avoid this third stage altogether, fearing the potential for transformation by the object. They may choose instead to become preoccupied with the object, imposing their will and controlling it.

4. In the fourth and final stage we emerge from the involvement and can observe ourselves and take an objective and more insightful view of our passion. This last stage, I think, is critical to the ability to be able to enjoy the process of involvement and not succumb to a less desirable state of preoccupation.

People with greater capacity for intensity of experience will choose pursuits and objects that challenge and stretch themselves. There are many wonderful benefits to a state of absorption and engagement, but there are also pitfalls associated with preoccupation and obsession. Take the time to step back and examine your relationship to the sport. It may lead to greater enjoyment and a healthier approach.