It’s safe to say, there’s no such thing as a “typical” triathlete. However, just as Master Sommeliers with their individual wine expertise share certain passions and traits, so too today’s triathletes find connection and commonality in the sport. Here are a just few traits of triathletes – see if they describe you.
1. Triathletes set goals. Understatement #1!
Honed. Extremely self-disciplined. Dedicated…possibly obsessed! Goals are not just to be achieved, but achieved for the purpose of setting a yet higher one – and conquering that one, too! It’s finishing ahead of you previous time. It’s sacrificing to make real your goals. It’s checking it off the “Bucket List”.
Triathletes consistently strive to conquer that next challenge.
2. Giving Your All Means No Giving Up.
It’s true. Triathletes look at life differently. Their lives, goals and objectives all come into focus like an orchestra – so much input, one remarkable result. Determination is the underlying tone, sounding the war cry: Never, ever give up.
3. Now you feel it, now you don’t!
Talk to ten triathletes, and you’ll have ten different inventive stories of how each deals with pain. The commonalities? Distraction and creativity. Matching strides to animal names. Reciting inspirational quotes and mottos. Each has his and her own.
“It might be a little like a ping pong game,” says Jenny Susser, clinical health psychologist specializing in sports psychology at the Women’s Sports Medicine Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery. “This type of distraction is never 100%, but if you can swap your focus enough you can get yourself through it.”
In all, taking things to their limits – and beyond! – remains one of the defining traits of triathletes. The passion and commitment mixed with ecstatic joy of the race flow into every aspect of their lives.
And what about you? What other traits do you feel are triathlete-specific? Feel free to list your answers and thoughts below.
Sources:
“11 Traits of Top-Notch Triathletes” http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/news/articles/2015/02/11-traits-of-top-notch-triathletes.aspx#axzz3c368YDvD
Forbes: Inside the Endurance Athlete's Mind; http://www.forbes.com/2008/09/22/endurance-race-training-forbeslife-cx_avd_0922sports.html
