Author: Matt Dixon, 2016
Over Easter weekend I managed to escape to Montana for a nice family break and took Baxter (our 2.5 year old) to spend some nice time with the grandparents. With a big couple of months coming up, it was a much appreciated respite to rest and recharge. While away, I got to see a fantastic movie named Red Army.
Most of us know about the 'Miracle on Ice', from the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, in which the old US of A beat the mighty Soviet Union ice hockey team despite all the odds stacked against them. What many of us didn't follow was the journey and background of the members of the Soviet team, before, during and after their humiliation. The movie dives into this as a fascinating documentary. As I watched, I noticed the massive effort and sacrifice that players gave to perform at the World Class level and to truly become the best players in the world. While the style was brutal, depraved, and without vision of the players as real human beings, it highlighted much of the sacrifice needed to be truly the best at anything.
How does this relate to us triathletes? Well, it got me thinking about our own relationship with the sport and what it means to compete at the pro level, with the goal of becoming world class. It also relates to those competing at the pointy end of the amateur ranks (or aspiring to) as well as those whose primary goals may be self improvement, personal excellence or something else. The two are vastly different, so below is my take.
The professional: While the professional athlete should always fight to retain some semblance of balance and life, and they must love the process of what they are doing, there is little doubt that there are demands and restrictions on what they can do, relative to what most believe to be 'normal life'. The successful pro must immerse themselves in high performance and set up their life and relationship with their sport with this mission in mind. As such, there really can be no 'off' button towards the pursuit of excellence. Sleep, nutrition, fueling, time management, training, rest and mindset are all components of performance. Ultimately, the most telling component of truly being a professional is that you would build your life around your athletic goals. It is focused, almost exclusively, on sports performance. This may sound restrictive and gloomy, and it is, but there is scope in this to have tremendous fun and enjoyment.
The amateur: For me, there is stark contrast of what it should be to be a successful amateur triathlete versus a pro. The good news is that life as an amateur is more liberating, more social and still allows for tremendous enjoyment and self improvement. The pursuit of a successful amateur is the ability to integrate training and racing into your life, while also achieving good health, a robust social life and/or family life, as well as work/life balance. Yes, performance improvements are key but life should not be built around these. Your sport should be 'something you do' rather than 'something you are.'
This doesn't mean you cannot love it, spend lots of time partaking in the elements of the sport, or maintaining a strong pursuit of elements that will enable success. It just means that I suggest you maintain perspective, and realize that triathlon should be a part of your journey and not define it.
By setting up your life and mindset with this view, it normally leads to smart decision making, greater consistency and improved sports performance. And here is the irony: For the vast majority of amateurs, establishing the boundaries and relationship doesn't devalue or limit gains, it usually accelerates them. So, take it seriously, just not too seriously. Yes, you guessed it, this is an art.
Interestingly, both journeys should be very personal, should be focused on self improvement, and, when successfully executed, should enable the athlete to enjoy a 'bigger life.' You have to love what you're doing, you have to thrive with the challenge of the journey and you must embrace who you are. Just ensure you understand what you are taking on, whether professional or amateur, as the mindset and life structure, as well as the demands, are very different.
Cheers,
Matt Dixon
