01/13/2020
Great Article from Training Peaks!
5 Traits Present in Most Successful Endurance Athletes
SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 · BY TIM BALLINTINE
If your athletes are resilient, consistent, organized, brutal, and present, chances are theyâll get it done and have better results over the long haul.
This article is all about the âdoersââthe athletes who maintain a close relationship in the say-do gap.
What is the say-do gap? Itâs the space between what an athlete says they will do and the eventual outcome. Success defined not by finishing time or overall placing, but by if your athlete did what they said they would do.
By working with athletes across many countries, youâll gain exposure to a wide variety of cultures, values, and belief systems. Be that as it may, there are a handful of common underlying traits in endurance athletes who close the say-do gap on a daily basis, and talent is not one of them.
What separates these athletes from the pack and how are they so successful in this space?
Resilience
Resilience is present in athletes who can turn adverse circumstances (both physical and psychological) to their favor quickly through coping mechanisms and a well-established process. Sure, genes play a role in how we deal with stress and trauma, but itâs clear the most resilient athletes have tasted ârock bottomâ at times, yet continually find a way to right the ship. This includes a wide variety of circumstances, like how an athlete deals with sickness, injury, work, and family stress.
And as a coach, you know there is a well-beaten path for many of the adverse circumstances athletes may face.
Consistency
There are several ways athletes can establish consistency in their training and behaviors.
Consistency underpins the success and failure of an athleteâs season. At the beginning of any athleteâs season, we try to establish frequency in activityâbreaking the habit of doing a little or a lot on random occasions.
No matter how unpredictable the athleteâs schedule may be, we are creatures of habit. There will be a way to establish a level of frequency, and that is consistency is its most basic form.
Frequency is followed by duration. How close can the athlete start to move towards the optimal duration of the desired session? Intensity is the last piece of the âconsistencyâ puzzle. Can the athlete regularly achieve the desired intensity (IF) for each session, be it low or high?
Are your athletes consistent across frequency, duration, and intensity for extended periods of time?
Organized
More often than not, successful athletesâ lives are chaotic, but from the surface youâd never know. These athletes can deal with curve balls because they are resilient and able to understand the potential challenges that may present themselves during their season.
They donât enter an âAâ race two weeks before the end of the fiscal year if they work in the financial sector, and they donât train through winter and turn up two days before a race in Southeast Asia.
The organized athlete has a wonderful support network around them, has had hard conversations with themselves and others, and has planned specific moments on their calendar to capitalize on their prime window of opportunity.
Brutal
Successful athletes have a brutality about themâa drive and burning desire that wonât let anything stand in their way. These athletes almost welcome adversity because they know it will make them stronger, and they thrive on training in a masochistic way.
I hate to say it, but many athletes who believe they possess this trait, donât.
Brutal athletes have no idea, and thatâs the true beauty of it. Itâs a power trait for coaches to capitalize on when exploited in small doses.
Present
Has the task gotten your athleteâs full attention and focus? Is there a purpose to what they are doing?
Sure, their mind will wander (after all, they are an endurance athlete), but can they bring everything back to center to ensure they are achieving the desired outcome?
Being present can have short-term parametersâit can simply be a single interval within a session. It can also have long-term parameters, which includes staying aware of the seasonâs big-picture goal.
If you have an athlete who during the first interval is thinking about the third, or an athlete who is planning for the next âAâ race during a taper, give them a reality check and keep them focused on the task at hand.
Athletes can acquire and improve these traits and coaches can fast-track the learning process. The bottom line is if your athletes are resilient, consistent, organized, brutal, and present, chances are theyâll get it done and have better results over the long haul.
