What happens when your hard work as an athlete stops paying off…?

Each and every endurance athlete has limited potential to achieve their peak performance, and an even more limited amount of time to achieve it. These are simply unfortunate and often misunderstood facts.  If this were not the case, the endurance athlete that worked the hardest, longest, and trained the smartest would win every championship. There are a wide variety of factors that will determine your lifetime PR, many of which are in your control, many of which are not. Understanding this may work to your advantage if you can evaluated yourself soberly.

What separates an Elite athlete from an age grouper? What separates a National Champion from other Elites? What does a World Champion have that the rest of us do not? To begin; (literally) genetics. Just as your DNA determines your height, eye color, and physical features is also determines to an incredibly large extent how far you will rise in a particular endurance sport. There are many, many complex physical factors and processes that genetics determine in regards to athletic performance. To name a few…

• Size and stroke volume of the heart
• Size/surface area of the lungs
• Muscle fiber type, orientation, and cross section
• Capillary and mitochondrial density
• Tendon thickness, length, and muscle origin/insertion
• Bone length
• Response to training/recovery

According to Noakes, “VO2 max is ultimately limited by hereditary factors, and even with the most intensive training it can be increased by only 5%-15% in the average runner (Elites… by 25% or more with intensive training).” That means one of the primary factors affecting your performance is only moderately trainable at best.  Your parents combined DNA determined how big of an "engine" you have in your athletic car.

With genetic mapping we may one day identify what genes are necessary for elite competition in a particular sport…

“Scientists reported that a particular variant of the angiotensin–converting enzyme (ACE) gene was associated with superior physical endurance. The variant, known as the ACE insertion polymorphism, was found to be present in a higher proportion of elite endurance athletes, especially long distance runners, than in the general population.”- National Human Genome Research Institute.

So where does science leave us with the knowledge; a DNA test before birth to determine who will be the fastest? We are not there yet and probably never will be because the most genetically gifted athlete does not always win. Genetics are just one (albeit big) factor determining athletic capability. Most athletes never achieve their true genetic potential. Many will not come close. A lot has to come together to take an athlete to their highest level of achievement and most will muck it up.

There are many ways to improve performance beyond your genetic limitations.  To name just a few: pacing and execution, nutrition, sleep, economy, mental skills, recovery methods, equipment, oh and don't forget training. Only by carefully manipulating all these variables (and more) to a high degree is performance optimized to its highest level.  Now let us assume we are working all the angles (correctly) the next big question becomes how long do we have to get where we want to go; or perhaps were we already there?

Age humbles us all and each year takes a minute toll, more so as we get older. Tendons lose their elasticity, recovery from intense work outs takes more time, injuries accumulate, muscle imbalances impeded performance, and aerobic capacity and muscles mass slowly deteriorates. The effects of aging on athletic performance can be slowed to a large degree, but only slowed. Certain sports have more longevity than others, but we only have one “best” race in us, that one PR that will be the height and highlight of our athletic careers. The uncertainty is whether it is in front of us or behind us; which again can be sobering.   As a coach one of the hardest conversations to have is with an athlete that believes their best is still in front of them when empirically you believe it is behind them.  In endurance sports my personal opinion is that once we reach a level of performance beyond the first few seasons, and begin to train at a highly effective level as we pursue a sport competitively, that point will probably come within about 5-7 years. If you ran a 15 min. 5k PR at the age of 23, you are probably not going to set another PR at 33. Yes, that is arbitrary, and there are numerous exceptional comebacks and asteriks, but we do have a window of time to be our best, whatever that may be.  This is why long term planning comprises and athletic career whereas compiling seasons on top of each other does not.  A career builds upon each season whereas the later picks up in about the same place each season which is highly wasteful.

Mental burn out may be as much of a factor as physical limiters. It takes a lot of sacrifice to train at a high volume season after season.  Many athletes do not have this level of focus and which is not necessarily healthy.  At some point even the greatest athletes have to retire and move on to another phase in their lives. This may be equally due to emotional, social, or psychological reasons as physical ones. That does not mean that you can not continue to enjoy and compete in your sport of choice (or another). It just may mean that you approach your training and racing from a slightly different or less competitive perspective. There are many instances of athletes that took a few seasons or more off only to come back stronger and faster. Women often start a family and are interestingly at their best post partum. Perhaps a season or two off gives them a needed break as well as a renewed focus and attitude towards their training. Don't assume you will be in the same place mentally in 10 years and never underestimate the mental as well as physical toll your training may take.  Plan your window accordingly.

Recognizing that our time to achieve our best is finite or that we are bound by our genetics may not be easy pills to swallow. Once you understand this you will either change your expectation level, or pursue your goals even more doggedly as you realize the time to attain them is limited. Most athletes do not have a 5 year plan even though they plan on competing for the next 5 years. Most athletes desire improvement but don't have a clear direction where they would like to focus it down the road. To be your best each training macro cycle must build on the previous, and there must be a plan beyond a single season. Each season should be another step towards that dream goal. This type of planning is certainly not for everyone but it is necessary to reach your true performance pinnacle.  No matter how talented or athletically gifted you are an ad-hoc plan that does not reflect your individual challenges is a career killer.  I have witnessed incredibly talented athletes fade out well below their potential whereas less talented athletes reflect on incredible careers through carefully addressing all the aspects of athletic performance; and a doggedly pursuing of excellence.

If you come to a sport late in life that PR is still in front of you- go and get it. If you have been training hard for several years and your performance gains are stagnant, look to those aforementioned variables to squeeze that extra bit of speed out of yourself. If you are a pro at the end of your career, find your peace with that and start planning for the next phase in your life. In any case take your best shot, make it a good one, and enjoy the process of achievement. When does your hard work really stop paying off? It never does as long as you are getting personal satisfaction out of it.