Wow! What a whirlwind of the last few weeks. With new state and federal regulations, social distancing, personal circumstances in flux, stay at home restrictions, races cancelling and postponing, pools closing...the acceleration of change has seemed to finally slow. We are starting to see what steady-state life is like for the near future, new routines are becoming normalized, and we are becoming REAL CLOSE to our near surroundings and families. But what are we working towards? When everything is put on hold or cancelled, what's our new motivation? How did we keep on pressing each day with the same focus as before our lives got flipped upside-down?
Times like these, it's easy to just throw our hands in the air and give up, or give up on trying to figure all this out. The new phrases are "April is cancelled" or "2020 had so much promise", "I'll just plan for a 2021 season". Those are the defeatist attitudes WE CAN'T succumb to, especially with one of our pillars that's important to us...our personal fitness. Fitness is what makes our small daily routines, family structure, and personal lives so much more valuable. It's what provides hope, structure, and stability. It's a coping mechanism.
On this April 1...I CHALLENGE ALL OF US TO HAVE A JANUARY 1 STATE OF MIND! Remember how that day feels each year? Full of promise, "new year, new you", setting annual goals, looking towards those big races a few months out and identifying the things we really are going to work on this year. No more procrastinating, this is the year I do strength work, this is the year I add that extra session, that extra mile, more intensity, eat healthy, start a running streak. Whatever...the world's mine and I'm going to own it. Just like the beginning of January, our new "A" races are now at a minimum 4-6 months out. We have a lot of work we can be doing towards those goals with BETTER weather, much more hours in the day, and the added bonus of a huge block of training the last few months to capitalize on. We aren't starting from scratch, but still hungry for the future. When things settle back down (and it will) we'll be ready! One thing I can assure you, when we're given the green light, it's gonna get crazy. My Race Director friends have assured me, there will be plenty of races to choose from, and WE'LL BE READY!
So, let's shift our thinking back to January 1! Let's focus on the big picture of 'WHY I do endurance sport", let's work on our limiters, pressing towards our goals. Let's help each other get there with the renewed energy of our connected social distancing.. I'm here for ya...let's do this together! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Times like these, it's easy to just throw our hands in the air and give up, or give up on trying to figure all this out. The new phrases are "April is cancelled" or "2020 had so much promise", "I'll just plan for a 2021 season". Those are the defeatist attitudes WE CAN'T succumb to, especially with one of our pillars that's important to us...our personal fitness. Fitness is what makes our small daily routines, family structure, and personal lives so much more valuable. It's what provides hope, structure, and stability. It's a coping mechanism.
On this April 1...I CHALLENGE ALL OF US TO HAVE A JANUARY 1 STATE OF MIND! Remember how that day feels each year? Full of promise, "new year, new you", setting annual goals, looking towards those big races a few months out and identifying the things we really are going to work on this year. No more procrastinating, this is the year I do strength work, this is the year I add that extra session, that extra mile, more intensity, eat healthy, start a running streak. Whatever...the world's mine and I'm going to own it. Just like the beginning of January, our new "A" races are now at a minimum 4-6 months out. We have a lot of work we can be doing towards those goals with BETTER weather, much more hours in the day, and the added bonus of a huge block of training the last few months to capitalize on. We aren't starting from scratch, but still hungry for the future. When things settle back down (and it will) we'll be ready! One thing I can assure you, when we're given the green light, it's gonna get crazy. My Race Director friends have assured me, there will be plenty of races to choose from, and WE'LL BE READY!
So, let's shift our thinking back to January 1! Let's focus on the big picture of 'WHY I do endurance sport", let's work on our limiters, pressing towards our goals. Let's help each other get there with the renewed energy of our connected social distancing.. I'm here for ya...let's do this together! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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