The Ultra Performance Musician: Lessons from Triathlon Champion and Ironman Kevin Konczak

Over the course of two years, while decamped in various sunny Boulder, Colorado coffee shops, I got to know Kevin Konczak, USA Triathlon men’s 50–54-year-old age group North American champion. Even then, while recovering from surgery, he was brighter than ever. Unfazed and irrepressible, he brings unbridled enthusiasm to triathlons, both on the course and in real life. With an accessibility and kindness that belie his prowess in the sport, Konczak is generous and forthcoming about his training and philosophy.

As a former musician himself, Konczak is committed to the idea of cross-disciplinary learning, drawing upon diverse ideas for inspiration and success. Not content to remain solely a North American champion, he is focusing on rehabilitation for a run at the world championship title for his age group. Regarding his bid, he says, “When I achieve world champion-not if, but when.” In our conversations, Konczak is animated and enthusiastic about sharing his formula for optimal performance with the musical community.

Motivation vs. Discipline

Konczak’s pursuit of excellence and his refusal to maintain the status quo are immediately obvious. Being a triathlete means training as a runner, swimmer, and cyclist simultaneously. When I ask how he maintains the drive to always reach the next level, he distinguishes between motivation and discipline. Sometimes he doesn’t feel like going for a ride or a swim, but his discipline keeps him moving. As musicians, we also draw on intrinsic rather than extrinsic motivation, striving to improve our craft even on days when the drive is absent.

As I listen to Konczak talk about his training regimen and mental fortitude, I am inspired by the valuable lessons we can take from his experience. About his training, Konczak says, “I have to change it from ‘I have to’ to ‘I get to.’” What sets him apart is that, “perhaps I’m more disciplined than others. Unless I’m hurt or sick, I’m just going to do it. There is a saying that says, ‘I do what I do today and what others won’t, so that tomorrow I can do what they can’t.’”

What’s the point of all of this hard work? Why get off the couch or into the practice room when others aren’t? Even while recovering from surgery, Konczak is especially motivational regarding pulling ourselves out of the dumps. He tells me that hardship should make us want to fight harder for our goals, and that striving for even one percent of improvement can provide an important sense of purpose.

Are you willing to be the best at what you can be? Or are you just going to be an also-ran? Are you going to keep reaching as high as you can, or just say, ‘I’m going to be a professional musician and that’s good enough?’ Or are you going to be the best clarinet player anyone’s ever seen, or an opera singer like Pavarotti? You can get it in your mind that you may never get to be the best, but you can have fun trying, and it’s going to lead you to a life of adventure, self-discovery, and learning. At the end of the day, if you’re here just to exist, what’s the point of living? You are here to learn and live life.

The coaching mindset

Konczak’s determination led him to coaching to learn more about his sport and to perfect his craft. There is a strong correlation between his philosophy and the idea of constantly striving to be a better musician through lifelong learning. “I decided to get a coaching license to learn how to teach the sport, mostly so I could self-coach more effectively. Originally, it had nothing to do with wanting to coach others," he explains.

About constant improvement, he says, “I think when we do something for long periods of time, we tend to fall into a routine and not really venture out into new methods of improving our vocation, or whatever we are doing.” He continues, “You get to a point where you get lazy with it. You don’t really seek out the latest, greatest things. Coaching keeps me on top of the sport. In your case, as a teacher, [you can] continually improve your own performances.” Konczak suggests getting a coach or teacher, even mid-career, to maintain motivation and freshness of ideas.

Improving Physical Health

Konczak stresses the importance of physical health for musicians, alluding to the high-stress nature of the career. Conditioning and strength help us play better and stay healthier longer. “Eat well, get lots of rest, and do basic things like getting plenty of exercise," he suggests. "Get out there and do the right training, do your strength and speed work.” Konczak emphasizes keeping the body strong as a means of overcoming limitations and health issues associated with the job.

Mindset

Konczak is the epitome of a strong mindset. Throughout our conversations, he is consistently positive and energized. He stresses the importance of maintaining a positive outlook and encourages the use of mindset coaches. He emphasizes allowing only positive influences into one’s life, especially in online spaces.

I like seeing positive content. All the accounts I follow are positive. They’re reinforcing me and telling me that I can do it. I think a big problem between those who succeed and those who don’t is that the latter always doubt themselves. Our biggest enemy, and also our greatest room for improvement, is ourselves, our own mindset. You’re better than you think you are. You just have to tell yourself that and believe it. Why not be the best in the United States? And then why not be the best in the world? It’s like a staircase. We’re looking at where we’re starting and we want to get to the top. Every interaction we have, every lesson we’ve learned, should get us closer to the top. After a while, look back at that staircase and it’s incredible to see how many flights of stairs you’ve climbed.

Konczak emphasizes being able to go faster and farther by drawing upon the knowledge of others in the form of coaches, mentors, colleagues, and other positive influences. For him, this also includes rejecting toxic relationships and surrounding himself with positivity to foster a growth mindset.

Importance of Warming Up

As in music, warming up is of great importance in athletics. Similar to music, in a triathlon there is no time to warm up between stages. Konczak discusses the importance of getting the body ready:

During the swim, especially in cold water, there’s evidence that if you don’t get enough warm-up time, there have been a lot of deaths during colder water swims. This is because race directors say you can’t get in the water until we start you and they don’t allow us to warm up. There is evidence that if you don’t warm up there might be physical danger.

He goes on to say that even though musicians aren’t facing the same level of physical danger, we still need to warm up to function optimally. He discusses the importance of getting ready in mind and body for an important race or concert. Not warming up can spell disaster for both the athlete and musician.

Breathing

Konczak speaks at length about the importance of relaxed breathing and avoiding tension. He equates performing on wind instruments to swimming in, emphasizing the need for proper exhalation and timing.

In my experience, it’s got to be natural. Your body is going to dictate what is best. If you get the timing right, using all of your face out of the water in time to get the air, you are coordinating proper inhalation and exhalation. You think less about it simply because your face is underwater. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing it through the nose or the mouth; you’re getting rid of old air. I’m oversimplifying, but the key to good breathing is more in the exhalation than the inhalation. Breathing should be a relaxing state: steady inhale, exhale, nice and relaxed. Then there are times when I need a bigger exhalation. I don’t know if that’s necessarily to flush out more CO₂, but my body tells me I need a bigger exhale.

Striving for Improvement Beyond Ourselves

Konczak frames success within a context larger than the individual. He emphasizes the need to make our pursuits count in a broader historical context, advancing human endeavors during our brief time on Earth. Through collective knowledge, we advance new ways of learning and succeeding in our disciplines.

Maybe you have unique teaching or information that will add to the knowledge base for those who come after you. Maybe this book you’re writing will bridge the gap between athlete and musician, so that the path from where you started to the very peak becomes much shorter. At some point, knowledge becomes not just an escalator, but an elevator instead of an old-fashioned staircase. That’s what we do as coaches and teachers-we want to be the elevator. We don’t want to be the escalator or the staircase. We want to get our students, and ourselves, as successful as fast as we can. Maybe our own elevator needs maintenance, and we need to keep learning ourselves. Don’t get stuck on the fifth floor and stagnate with knowledge when there are ten more floors of knowledge to go.

Konczak leaves me with the reminder that all of our striving and endeavor serve a greater purpose beyond ourselves. Musicians and athletes alike want to leave the world a better place than they found it.

Optimizing Success Through Conscious Decisions

Konczak suggests we learn more from failures than successes. When a performance goes poorly, gather data. Assess, implement solutions, and execute. He emphasizes the importance of investing in yourself, saying: spend time and money on yourself to perform at the highest level, including the emotional and mental aspects:

 Don’t let age or anything else affect your mental state. Ask yourself, ‘How am I going to get there? What do I have to do?’ Use everything in your environment and resources to focus on your goal. Start with state champion, then national champion, then North American champion. Next will be world champion.

Konczak’s drive and determination in the triathlon have led him to rank number one in his age group in the USA, as of the writing of this article. His relentless pursuit of excellence and positivity carries equal value for musicians. Through injury and hardship, he has found the will to push through adversity and achieve success at the highest levels.

As musicians, we will always face hardships before triumph. Disappointing performances and botched auditions can become motivation and learning experiences. Through perseverance, proper self-care, and a positive mindset, adversity can lead to great future success.