Why the Conversation about Women’s Performance Matters
Feisty CEO Sara Gross on how more knowledge about female-specific performance can accelerate fitness success. This article was originally posted on the Live Feisty website.
By: Sara Gross
Eight days before I won my first Ironman I finished an ugly and hard-fought 18th at Ironman Texas, one hour and six minutes behind the winner. Even in a long race like Ironman, an hour behind is an eternity.
As a professional athlete, I was late to the dance when it came to winning. Despite dozens of podium finishes, it took me ten years to figure out how to manage all the factors that went into getting the best performance out of myself. Not because I didn’t have the drive or work ethic or support team to win, but because no one around me really understood how to get the best out of the aspects of my physiology that were specifically female. And I don’t blame anyone for that. We didn’t know any better back then.
The stars finally aligned at Ironman Brazil in 2014 and I won my first Ironman, but the story no one ever asks about is what happened the week before when I finished almost dead last in Texas. The day after that epic fail, I chose to trust what I had learned through 10 years of trial and error and I said to myself, this performance neither reflects my fitness nor my potential and instead of flying back home to Canada, I got on a flight to South America.
After my win in Brazil, a video of me during the…
