I was looking at the rankings of the top 20 long distance triathletes world wide, and one of them stood out because of his birthday:

#7 Andy Potts

He’s also the #1 Ironman finisher from 2017 for the US.

He’s now 41 and continuing to improve his race results, aiming to move up higher in the Ironman ranks in 2018.

What’s so special about this guy?

Well I think you can point to genetics, work ethic, growing up as an athlete, and training methodology as important factors to his rise to the top.

However, even with all that, it’s extremely difficult to do what he’s done, especially into his 40s (not that that’s old!)

I believe his magic lies in his attitude. Here’s a quote from Potts:

“I’m a positive thinker, I’m a glass half-full kind of guy, an optimist at heart,” he says. “I’m able to break down seemingly unmanageable parts into manageable situations. I can get to the next cone, corner, tree or over the next hump.”

This helps him tremendously during races. He is literally never thrown off, no matter what happens, he just looks at it as getting over that next hump.

I think this is the focus that all of us can adopt to keep improving, no matter how old we are.

Of course, the training and nutrition and sleep matter, but attitude can overcome even some of the mistakes made in other areas- whereas a negative attitude is tough to overcome even if everything else is perfect.

Try smiling next time you swim, or bike. This is fun stuff, and all you need to do is just make it through that next stroke!

Befriend the water, and just keep swimming. 🙂