“It’s not the will to win, but the will to prepare to win that makes the difference.”
— Paul William “Bear” Bryant (1913-1983), former Univ. of Alabama football coach with 6 national & 13 conference championships
As an athlete, I ask myself directly, and as a coach, I ask my athletes indirectly: “What is your level of commitment?”
It’s easy to say, “I’d like to try an Ironman“ or maybe even “I wish I could qualify for the Ironman World Championships,” or but as Bear Bryant reminds us, commitment to excellence (however you define it) is more than just about wishing.
Interestingly enough, one’s word choice often reflects their level of commitment and ultimately (I believe) their level of success in achieving challenging goals as shown by the Commitment Continuum:1
Phrases like “I wish…” or “I hope…” reflect much lower levels of commitment than phrases like “I want…” or “I commit…” Success tends to favor those who use “I want…” and “I commit…”
For me personally, ever since an outstanding 2007 triathlon racing season where I set an 8:51 Ironman PR at Challenge Roth then followed it up with an overall win at Vineman and decent finish at Ironman Louisville, I’ve bounced around on the low end of the Commitment Continuum.
I made the mistake of over committing myself with racing 3 Ironman’s in 2 months, organizing 6 triathlons and just running myself into the ground, which led to burnout then eventually injury as I tried to carry a high level of training through to an early 2008 marathon.
Now, after two weeks at Olaf Sabatschus’ triathlon camp in the Canary Islands and time spent in self-reflection, I’m now using the strongest word “Commit” in my triathlon training as I focus on Ironman Couer d’Alene in late June.
I commit to training up to my potential with the goal of setting a new PR and picking up a slot to the Ironman World Championship in Kona, HI. Done.
Why the shift up the Commitment Continuum for me? Truly, I don’t know all the reasons, but it really doesn’t matter, does it?
Live strongly and boldly!
David
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David B. Glover, MSE, CSCS
Author of Full Time and Sub-Nine: Fitting Iron Distance Training into Every Day Life
Triathlon Coach, Athlete and Writer
Web: enduranceworks.net
1 Source: The Science and Practice of Sport Nutrition by Dr. John Berardi and Ryan Andrews (Precision Nutrition, Inc. 2009), p. 255.
© 2010 David B. Glover
Whether you're training to win a triathlon, training to finish or just need inspiration from my life journey as a cancer survivor, Navy officer and sub-nine hour Ironman triathlete, my book will inspire you to chase your dreams and live life richly and boldly.
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