the psyche of endurance

I often find myself wondering what is the key to developing oneself into a fast endurance athlete. What really gives one person an advantage of the other? Is it physiology that gives one person the edge over the other? I do think that this is a big part of it. For instance one person may be born with a naturually larger capacity to process oxygen into the blood stream, and therefor to their muscles to delay the onset of lactate build up.

Then on the other hand, maybe we are not that physiologically different at all. Perhaps the advantage that one athlete has over another is more psychological than anything. There are plenty of triathletes out there that share my same build, 6'0" and 165 pounds. Our body fat percentage, BMI, muscle mass, and lung capacity may very well all be the same. What I find most intriguing is the thing that separates one endurance athlete from another may very well be, in simple terms, the way we are wired.

To put this idea in perspective, you can have two Ford Mustangs of identical year and build. You can race them down the track and they would probably tie or come close to it. Both of these Mustangs engines are controlled by a computer chip. Next consider if one of these had an upgraded chip, allowing it to optimize it's timing and fuel intake - therefor creating more horsepower. In the athlete what it if is the same idea, with the brain being the "chip". While the naturally gifted athlete may have a better "chip" that allows there body to perform better and to push themselves further, is it possible to upgrade your "chip" by training it?

Over a long period of time it is scientifically proven that our bodies can adapt physiologically as we gradually increase training load, intensity, etc. over time. Looking back on my time as a swimmer, runner, rower, and triathlete, I believe that over a period of time your "chip" matures and learns how to operate your physiological gifts closer and closer to their maximum capacity. Those athletes who excel early and eventually to the highest level are gifted in that their "chip" started at a higher level. I can only imagine if I had the mental capacity to push myself that I have now back in my high school swimming days. There's a chance my swimming career would have ended much differently.

On the other hand, this is the beauty of endurance sports. Physiologically men and women seem to be hitting their peak well into their 30's. Combine this with a highly developed mental capacity that has upgraded over time, it's no surprise that more and more of your top endurance athletes are pushing 40. This certainly drives me and many other triathletes, that at 28, I'm not even close to my prime in the sport of triathlon. It also helps that this years Ironman World Champ, Chris McCormack, was only 37 years old. Here's to the fountain of youth....triathlon and endurance sports!