Motivation In Athletics

2010 was a fantastic season for the athletes I coached who were with Gemini Multisport.com 85% of the athletes I worked with achieved personal bests in one or more triathlon distances. Starting off this year is an experienced new athlete from New York who has set three personal bests in three races--a pretty fantastic start for one with experience to any degree.


I think there are fewer people in life willing to give you a chance in life, than chances you yourself take in life. Because once you decide to take a chance, there are those not willing to meet your motivation to help you succeed. I personally have run into this and enjoy proving the nay-sayers wrong. This is something I have offered to those who have approached me for my experience in the sport--a chance. The common situation goes something like this...

An athlete approaches me for coaching...if I have room in my roster and if they have some sort of direction they are interested in I will work with them. Usually it is something to the effect of: "I want to qualify for the Ironman in Hawaii." Few understand where they are and where they need to get to in order to achieve such a lofty goal. The years of training it will take is often not realized until after year one of working with them. So many athletes think in just one year they will be racing in Hawaii --but so few are willing to make the sacrifices needed over the long term to get there. The main thing to do as a coach is be positive and reinforce their goals any way possible.

If you are not willing to go the full 100% of the way and dedicate yourself to your goal then there is no point to go any further & that person needs to adjust their goals to something lesser than Hawaii . Maybe to finish an Ironman first should be that goal. The most dedicated athlete I worked with to date took 5 years from an absolute "newbie" in the sport to Hawaii Qualification. During that time, he was loyal and dedicated in a manner that not even I had attained in my race career. Of course the kid had talent upon working with him initially, but he surprised me (and eventually surpassed me) in many races. You never know what sort of sheep is under all that wool until you sheer it off over time.

The most motivated individuals (initially) are usually the ones that fizzle-out early on and eventually drop out of site and out of mind. Often, we never see them finish a single race after they have left My Pride. It is the quiet ones who just do the work and keep the faith and ego at bay--holding onto hope and developing that base, knowledge and earned experience. Never giving way to those who say "Nay" even once. We can all achieve our dreams, we have that ability. But a dream is just that until action is taken. Paying the dues to make it happen is where 99.9% fall short. There are those willing to give the chance, but there are usually those who are not willing to even take that first step towards making it all a reality in the first place. These folks keeping those swirling desires at bay for some reason & hold onto it forever as a dream--and that is how many got started in the sport. My question to them is why is that dream still just a dream?