Psychology: The Gray Matters

As you develop your own fitness, keep in mind that an athlete isn't built on muscles alone. Your head is going to need some attention, too. "A good coach is responsive to the personality of the athlete," says Sean McCann, sports psychologist at the U.S. O lympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. "We're all motivated differently." For those who, unlike Tom and Todd, don't have the benefit of seasoned psychological guidance from coaches, a little self-awareness can go a long way. "The key to success as an athlete is to be self-directed," says McCann. "It's not how hard an external f orce, like a coach, can push you, but rather how hard you push yourself."

Here, coaches Rob Sleamaker and Goody Petronelli let us in on the maxims that worked on the minds of the brothers Balf. And, with a nod to the psychological impact of early childhood, we asked Mom and Pop Balf to chime in. Finally, for analysis from one w ho doesn't have such a vested interest in Tom and Todd, McCann offers his thoughts on some of Sleamaker's and Petronelli's motivational strategies.

MIND OF TOM
On Winning

Sleamaker: "When it comes down to it, the outcome of the race doesn't mean much at all. I told Tom that it's more important to focus on the process of getting into shape."

Mrs. Balf: "Oh, Tommy's process-oriented, all right. At the age of seven, he got heavily involved with weaving. He'd just weave all afternoon long. He made piles and piles of colorful little squares. They were delightful, but we weren't sure what to do with them."

McCann: "Sleamaker's emphasis on nonoutcome goals is a healthy one. While some people may feel goaded on by an impending competition, it's important for athletes to be action-oriented, that is, to concentrate on building the specific skills, like focus, pacing, and stamina, that will take them through and beyond the race."

On Dedication

Sleamaker: "OK Tom, stop and think about it. Exercise makes you feel good, right? So why skip it? There are going to be days when you hesitate, but remember that a short run, even in the pouring rain, will make you feel better."

Mr. Balf: "Tom's good at keeping with the things he enjoys. He's always had lots of interests. He developed his own photographs, collected rocks, and had a summer job at a zoo taking care of a gorilla named Tony. He took that responsibility quite seriously."

McCann: "A 20-minute workout is a very reasonable thing to do. It may not advance you in your training per se, but it does keep you on track with longer-term fitness goals, because it's a good remedy for stress or mental fatigue."

On Letdowns

Sleamaker: "Don't beat yourself up over falling a mile or two short of your day's training goal. Instead, give yourself a pat on the back and say, 'Hey, at least I got out there.'"

Mrs. Balf: "You can't knock yourself all to hell because you didn't live up to your expectations. But you can say, 'Tomorrow I'm going to do better.' Tom's pretty good at that."

McCann: "Actually, in the short term, there are benefits to a self-imposed psychological beating-up. Particularly in the earlier parts of training, when the learning curve is the steepest, you can sometimes push yourself farther and faster by not allowing yourself to be satisfied easily. Just don't go overboard with it, to the point that you lose the pleasure in your sport."

MIND OF TODD
On Winning

Petronelli: "Winning is about wanting to win, see? It's about having desire. If you're going to be big, you have to think big. You gotta look at the other guy and say, 'I'm going to put his lights out.'"

Mrs. Balf: "Isn't that a little extreme?"

McCann: "It's good to be opponent-referenced, as long as it doesn't lead you to do stupid things, like overtrain. The bottom line is that the only thing you can control in sports is your own performance."

On Dedication

Petronelli: "Training is like throwing yourself in jail. You have to sacrifice. I told Todd to train till it hurts, then train a little more."

Mr. Balf: "Todd and his little dog, Purlie, used to do a paper route every day. He was very determined about it. He was the biggest perfectionist of a newsboy you've ever met. Todd doesn't cut any corners."

McCann: "The old approach to training used to be that you sacrificed everything for your sport. At the Olympic Training Center, we've found that athletes tend to burn out without balance in their lives. Yes, you have to be focused--your speed work won't go well if you're worrying about your daughter's sore throat--but when the workout's over, be sure to enjoy the other facets of your life."

On Letdowns

Petronelli: "Even the champs lose. But you learn from your mistakes, right? Work on your weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Get back on your feet, Todd Boy, and say, 'Next time, if you knock me down, you'd better keep me down, because if I get up again, I'm going to take your head off.'"

Mrs. Balf: "Well, Todd's a great one for perseverance. He used to practice and practice his basketball so late that he'd miss half of dinner. I'm not so sure about taking someone's head off, though."

McCann: "Petronelli makes an excellent point, actually, especially for an event like a duathlon. A lot of athletes like to train one way and avoid things they're not particularly good at. They stick to what comes easily--for example, distance-running at their aerobic threshold. Put them in a race situation where they have to sprint, and they blow it. It's critical to force yourself to work at things you don't like to do."

Copyright 1995, Outside magazine