“They are actually so similar,” she says. “A lot of the day-to-day stuff of what you do is fundamentally pretty boring.
“You could be pipetting in a lab for four hours at a time or staring at cells down a microscope – and it’s the same with doing long interval sessions on an indoor bike trainer.”
Her dedication and hard work has paid off on both fronts.
Not only has Gossage has just completed her PhD, but with two Ironman wins in 2013 she was voted female Long Distance Triathlete of the Year by British Triathlon.
Now, with her studies finally out of the way, the 34-year-old is taking a well-earned two-year sabbatical to train and race full time.
“It’s going to take some getting used to,” she says. “At first it’s going to be novelty value; having time to have coffee with friends and not having to set an early alarm.
“I just hope I can cope with the pressure and cope with having it as the main focus in my life. It’s probably my biggest worry that I won’t have work to keep me sane!”
The Ironman is a gruelling test of physical and mental endurance which involves a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112 mile bike ride, before a 26.2 mile run.
In 2012, while juggling her PhD with racing part-time, Gossage won one event in under nine hours, external – a remarkable feat that only a small group of British women have achieved.
Gossage says that what she might lack in raw athletic ability, she makes up for it with perseverance and mental toughness; vital skills she has been honing in her medical career.
“To get to medical school and to get through it you have to be very driven and a lot of the things you learn are applicable to triathlon,” she says.
“But ultimately the skills I learn in triathlon – the determination, drive and focus – will also make me a better doctor.”
In her first year as a full-time professional, Gossage hopes to qualify for the famous Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. She has raced there twice before, but as an age group athlete.