Time and the Athlete

When you think about it, there is a chemistry between time and the athlete. This mixture comes in a variety of forms. Some of these interrelationships occur over the short-term, while others develop over the course of a lifetime. 

Reflecting on some of the possibilities can be interesting.

An Idea During a Workout

I do not know about you, but some workouts are solely focused on training. Generating those numbers that are collected, crunched, and conclusions drawn. 

Sometimes however, a workout is awesome mental/emotional exercise.

As is typical for endurance activities, long hours of lower intensity effort lends itself very well to thought. Sometimes I head out with a problem in mind. Sometimes I just empty my thoughts and let things flow. The intent is to let the body do what it knows to do while exploring thoughts.

I will admit to developing some goofy thoughts along the way. Like “What is it about pineapple on pizza that is so polarizing in friendly discussions?”

Other days I organize observations of my world. That is how I met this idea that time is threaded throughout our athletic experience. Sometimes it is just an objective measure (speed, etc.), while other times it is in our perception of time passage in the moment. Sometimes it is a retrospective view. Time is a constant that underlies so much of the athletic experience.

This may sound a little esoteric, but hear me out.

The Measure of the Athlete

From age-defined groups of competition to distance covered, time in athletics transcends both the macro definitions (youth vs. adult categories) and the micro (individual using the least amount of time over an identical distance wins). 

We have invented an abundance of awesome electronic devices that measure differences in time and physiology down to percentages of seconds. 

Just as an aside, in someone’s well-intentioned device programming, computers I use during exercise will sometimes alarm and warn that what I am doing (working at high heart rates) can be detrimental to my rest.

That is pretty much my intention but thank you for sharing.

So the rate at which my heart cycles cumulatively makes me stronger over time (a.k.a training effect), my time in competitions may be improved. Nervous computer programmers notwithstanding, with all this training, I might even win in my age category one of these days!

Time Perception and the Athlete

An alternate aspect of time in effort can be pretty subjective.

Events like flow experiences, when one’s perception of time and effort are altered, establish that our individual concept of performance can be different from observers witnessing events from outside.

A common flow event, once dubbed the “runner’s high”, can be an especially euphoric experience. I encounter them every so often when running. Everything feels effortless during exercise and a strong sense of well-being (everything is right with my world) accompanies the run. My watch gives me objective data on the run but there is nothing unique in that data.

I just wish I knew how I did it. 

Flow is by far one of the best experiences associated with running.

The Big Picture

Hang out in this world long enough and you get to experience getting older.

Aging provides different perspectives on time. Youthfulness is always present. We even get to participate in it for a while. After some time, however, our access is denied. Nothing personal.

What we gain is loads of experiences that inform our decisions as older persons.

Some athletes bail out, or may be forced out, of athletics as aging and injuries take their toll on our not-so-indestructible human bodies. 

This is a difficult pivot point in the life of the athlete. After years of focus and work, what is next?

I like to check-in and see what still works (and to what extent!) Is competition just a dream now? Do I even want to get off the couch to work?

Personal inventories like these, as well as all sorts of soul searching take place. Some individuals stay active in sport, some change sport (pickle-ball anyone?), and others retire from all of it.

We all get to decide how we choose to spend our time in athletics. My operating theory is we take a good run at all the challenges we encounter. While we have the time, anyway.

“Time moves so slowly. Or perhaps it doesn’t move at all and it is we who pass through it.”
― Isabel Allende