Yesterday I spoke to my former high school, National Sports Academy, about the importance of balance in an athlete’s life. My post-lunch talk is a part of a larger series of speakers, ranging from sports psychologists to farmers, and their perspectives on the process of achieving peak performance.nbsp;divbr //divdivOne thing I realized in doing this is that the subtleties of finding balance can be so individual and unique, varying greatly from athlete to athlete. So I wish only the best to those that strive!/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”* * * * */divdivbr //divdivspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”font-size: small;”Here’s most of what I had to say:/spanbr /div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: left;”!–StartFragment– /divdiv class=”MsoNormal”br //divdiv class=”MsoNormal”I do a sport where success can be elusive and fleeting – literally, a hit or miss. I view peak performance a bit in the same way. As an endurance athlete I train all year to prepare for a few minor peaks and one primary summit at World Championships or the Olympics. I could also call these peaks my goals for the competition season. o:p/o:p/divdiv class=”MsoNormal”br //divdiv class=”MsoNormal”Visualize the view of Whiteface Mtn.span style=”font-weight: normal;”:span style=”mso-spacerun: yes;”nbsp;nbsp;M/spant. Fuji-like in its symmetry, it emphasizes its peak – the summit – the goal – the top – it is but a mere point, albeit a castle, but nonetheless a small point compared to the mountain, the base, its dimensions and immensity.nbsp;/spannbsp;span style=”font-weight: normal;”For me, the summit represents /spanpeak performance and my goals for the season. span style=”font-weight: normal;”As athletes, you know you can’t just go from the beginning trailhead of a mountain straight to the summit. That’s why it’s no news to you that the benefits in reaching peak performance are often not just in the goal but also in the process.nbsp;/span/div!–EndFragment– br /div class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”br //divdiv class=”separator” style=”clear: both; text-align: center;”
