What Do Pro Athletes Know About Marriage?

Another two-time Olympic gold medalist, beach volleyball star Misty May-Treanor, did not have her husband with her in Beijing because he was in the middle of Major League Baseball season. Two weeks after her first date with Matt Treanor, the catcher left for spring training, so she knew what she was getting into when she decided to share her life with a fellow pro athlete. They married in 2004, and unlike Milton-Jones and her husband, are accustomed to being apart for long stretches of time. Read: Life As An Olympic Couple

"In '07, we saw each other for two weeks between February and November, because I have pretty much the same season as he does," May-Treanor says. When it comes to squeezing in days together, she's been the one to do the traveling. While baseball teams are large and taking off for a day is pretty much impossible, May-Treanor has only one teammate, Kerri Walsh.

"There would be times where I'd go and spend time with him after a tournament and then head straight to the next tournament," May-Treanor, 30, says. "Kerri understands because she's married." (Walsh's husband, fellow beach volleyball player Casey Jennings, gets to travel with her). May-Treanor says she's never skipped a tournament to spend time with Treanor, 33, because "it's our job and our livelihood," but forgoing a day of practice is a reasonable concession.

Leading up the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, May-Treanor and Treanor's main time together was from November to February. "When Matt leaves for spring training, which is the middle of February, I usually head back to California and I start training with Kerri for a couple of weeks before we start our tour," May-Treanor says. "Then we're on the road.

"Matt and I understand what sacrifice it takes," she adds. "Obviously, this isn't an ideal situation for everybody. It takes a lot of trust and communication because we're not around each other all the time."

Treanor, who played five seasons with the Florida Marlins and is now with the Detroit Tigers, knows how few baseball players make it to the Major League and how impressive his accomplishments are, but he still feels the sting when he's referred to as "Misty's husband."

Last fall, immediately after the Olympics, May-Treanor became a contestant on Dancing With The Stars, but made an early exit due to a ruptured Achilles tendon (she's hoping to be asked back for a future season). Her injury, combined with Walsh's pregnancy and her own desire to start a family, is giving the golden tandem an extended time off. May-Treanor is spending this baseball season with her husband, who is rehabbing an injury himself right now but hoping to play.

"I don't think he's reached the pinnacle of his career yet," she says. "I feel because I've done everything I want to, I'm okay being on the sidelines. I want him to achieve everything he wants to. If I can be that fire for him, that, 'You can do it,' I will." The Joy of Flex: Exercise Better Together

Talk about learning to give and take. While not everyone can swish a jump shot, spike a ball, hit or catch, if these alpha dogs can meet each other halfway and take turns in the spotlight, so can everyone.