Are professional endurance athletes different from you and me?
In order for a woman to be paid for competing in marathons, bikes races, or triathlons, she has to be wicked fast—but how does she get that way? Is it training? Guts? Talent? Desire? Luck? I’ve asked several top athletes how they achieved their status, and the answer has consistently been some variant of, “I don’t have a lot of talent, so I work really, really hard.” Many lesser athletes work “really, really hard”—or at least think they do. What really makes the professionals special?
1) Professionals train a lot. Training is their job. Twenty hours per week is a minimum commitment. Five to fifteen or more hours per week is not uncommon. The professional’s definition of “really, really hard” may differ a bit from that of amateurs.
2) Top racers don’t fool around. Every minute, training or not, they focus on their goals. Every stroke, step, bite, or sip they take contributes to their competitive performance. They know that for each woman being paid to play, there are hundreds ready to take her place if she makes any error. Rather than becoming anxious, top racers turn this situation into motivation to work harder, to train more efficiently, and to do nothing that undermines their competitive abilities. If they don’t know the best approach for achieving something, professionals don’t fake it or let it slide. They find the answers. The successful racers in individual sports tend to be surrounded by teams of experts: doctors, cooks, physical therapists, sport psychologists, coaches, supportive significant others, and so on.
Getting the necessary guidance to train efficiently—and then doing a lot of training—is within the realm of possibility for most competitors, professional or amateur. The following issues may be tougher for many aspiring athletes to resolve:
3) It takes two to three years of high quality, high-volume training to approach one’s aerobic potential. Then, depending on the sport, it can take additional years to learn tactics or pacing, and another year to gain the attention of team managers. Reaching the professional level typically takes three to six years after taking up a sport. Not many athletes have that level of commitment—although many think they do, as they begin training.
4) The training years have to be completed while the athlete is still young enough to get a sponsor. Fortunately, for women, the window of time during which they can be competitive at a professional level in aerobic sports stays open at least to their mid-forties. Physically, that means an aspiring professional has to start serious training by her mid-thirties at the latest, but realistically, very few achieve professional status after their mid-twenties; so starting in the teens or twenties is a more promising path. This is not because bodies inevitably begin breaking down in their thirties, but because by the time women reach their thirties, they generally have responsibilities other than training for a sport. Jobs, families, kids, mortgages, and friends who are not athletes all detract from the necessary focus.
5) Pros don’t quit. They see suffering as part of their job, and setbacks as challenges to overcome rather than reasons to give up.
6) Some athletes respond to training and recovery more quickly. This may be a result of genetic talent, or how they ate and exercised as kids. Some people can train well and do everything else right, yet still not be as competitive as others who are luckier.
7) Following a professional-level training program requires the ability to recover from all that training. Relaxation is essential for recovery. Time to relax is one thing the pros (at least the well-paid ones) have, that makes them different. If one is getting paid to train and compete, one doesn’t have to put any energy into developing another career or skill. This means a pro can have a leisurely meal, take a nap, visit a doctor, get a massage, or go for another training session in the afternoon (after having already completed a morning session). Pros can also fly to race sites days or weeks in advance. If you don’t have time for good recovery, you don’t benefit from your training as much as another woman who does.
8) As you can see, professional endurance athletes are special in several ways. They are willing to work hard. They take nothing for granted. They study or get the guidance necessary to help them make efficient use of their time. They work through setbacks. They arrange their lives to support recovery. If you want to turn pro and think you have what it takes, you’ll need to get yourself time to relax every day. Maybe the reason so many of today’s pros started training in their teens is because their parents were willing to support them while they trained. Can you find someone to coddle you 24/7, and still be motivated to suffer on your own?
