Process or Outcome? 7 Ways to Tell if Someone is a Serious Athlete

The now-iconic image of the finishing chute at the Ironman World Championships has become synonymous with “serious” athletes. I mistakenly thought that when I crossed this finish line I would finally be a “good” athlete. But, it was never about this outcome. It was always about the process on the way to this moment.

Many of us have in our minds a picture of what a “serious” athlete looks like, or an idea of what a “good” athlete does. Usually, these pictures and ideas have something to do with chiseled muscles, and speedy movements.

*Cue the montage of olympic-esque figures and movements*

However, the look or the speed of a person is not the only way (and many times not the best way) to determine the seriousness with which that person approaches the sport. “Seriousness” can be (and should be) defined by more than one’s speed or appearance. “Good” can be evaluated and interpreted in multiple ways.

In the past month or so, I have had conversations with a few different clients I coach, each of whom tried to discount their achievements in one way or another.

For example, athlete ABC (who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent ;)) sent me an email while I was in Lake Placid, volunteering and cheering on some of my athletes who were racing Ironman Lake Placid.  ABC wrote, “I’m sorry to take time away from your serious athletes. So, take your time answering this question.”

“Serious?” Um. No.

This very same week, athlete XYC commented that their Olympic distance effort was “wimpy” compared to my “good athletes” who do Ironman.

Double oh-hell-no.

Ironman is such a limelight whore, isn’t it? Of course, racing an Ironman is a big accomplishment, but why should that accomplishment cast a shadow over the achievements of others, who are competing in their own races of strength, endurance, and perseverance? Ironman does not own the rights to cancel out all of the other super cool and amazing things we do as athletes.

In case you want to discount what you’ve accomplished as “less than” or “not as good as” something or someone else, let me tell you something: every race brings its own challenges. Every race, when taken seriously, will bring us to our limits. If we are good, we will challenge our limits and find out how extraordinary our bodies can be.

Whether it’s speed or distance, when we talk about the serious athlete, we might let outcomes act as a substitute for process. For example, when we watch someone who is fast, we say, “That person is a good athlete!”

When we hear about someone who has gone a long distance or undertaken a grueling course, we think, “Wow! That person must be a serious athlete.”

Chances are, if someone is either fast or can go long or grueling distances, they probably are some type of a good athlete. I mean, you don’t necessarily get to be fast or have endurance without putting the work in–although, that is not always the case.

However, speed and distance are outcomes, so they can only serve as proxies for the intention and process the athlete goes through to get to race day. Speed and distance don’t necessarily tell us much about the process that one must undertake to make achievements in reaching new goals.

Some of us might be apt to discount our successes and not consider ourselves as “real” or “good” or “serious” athletes because we don’t fit societal expectations of what counts as “fast” or “long” or “challenging.”

Let me say this about that: I think that mindset is crap, and it causes us to short-change our hard fought accomplishments.

That mindset causes us to deny ourselves in tangible and intangible ways. I actually heard one of my athletes say that they don’t “deserve” a proper bike saddle because they aren’t “good” yet. Um, huh?? You can be certain that I re-directed that line of thinking. The delicate bits ALWAYS deserve a proper bike saddle. ALWAYS.

Now, I mean to take away absolutely nothing from the elite athletes who work hard to go fast, who put in daunting schedules to go long. They, of course, are serious athletes. But, what I am saying is that any among us who put in the hard work should be considered serious athletes.

It’s the process that qualifies us as serious.

A serious athlete:

  • Sets clear goals. 
  • Does the work required to meet those goals.
  • Is focused on improvement in some way. This improvement doesn’t need to be based on speed or distance. This improvement can be skills, mental strength, emotional growth, etc. For example, one of my primary goals for improvement in 2012 was to be braver on the bike and improve my handling.
  • Is responsive to and welcomes feedback and accountability.
  • Asks questions and/or is interested in the process. He or she is a student of the sport
  • Logs workouts and provides narratives of workouts to support the analysis process.
  • Reflects upon the work done and works to identify areas for improvement, while also celebrating areas of strength.

It’s easy to assume that elite athletes possess these qualities; however, it’s not always the case. Sometimes talent can get a person to a certain point, that based on societal standards, counts as “fast.” But, if we were to look at that person’s training log, we might be disappointed with what we see.

It infuriates me when a person does a race and brags that they he/she hasn’t trained for it. This approach completely misses the point of the value of process. Even if their outcome is considered as “good,” I don’t necessarily find that type of person serious since they aren’t willing to do the work.

On the other hand, what about the middle or back of the pack athlete who busts her/his hump EVERY DAY, getting the workouts in, making the sacrifices, doing what it takes to achieve his/her personal goals. Do we not count that person as serious just because they didn’t do an Ironman or because they don’t count in the top 10% of their age group?

I mean really, that’s nonsense.

To be clear: this post is not making the argument that “everyone deserves a trophy.” They don’t. But, just because someone doesn’t podium in a race doesn’t mean they aren’t serious about their sport.

Like anyone else, I thoroughly enjoy an outstanding athletic performance. When we don’t know much about a person’s history, witnessing raw speed and endurance is incredibly impressive. I’m absolutely enthralled by the agility and athleticism of Mirinda Carfrae when she mows down her competitiors on the run course, or of Killian Jornet as he seemingly floats down sheer mountain sides.

But, let’s not forget about the serious athletes (yourself, perhaps?) who also do the work, day in and day out – typically without the glory that comes for the faster of our species.

You are a serious athlete. You are good. You are a warrior. Keep challenging your limits and know that in that process is where the glory can be found.

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