Monday Motivation: Mental Flexibility
One of the most important things I learned last season was that I needed to be much more flexible. My problem was that I signed up for Ironman Augusta 70.3 then developed peroneal tendonitis in both ankles.
I went from being able to run 10 miles easily to being able to run four miles slowly with stops to stretch every mile, then half mile, then quarter mile. So I was dead in the water and unable to let go of my goal of getting to and finishing Augusta.
Long story short, I toed the line at Augusta, completed the swim and bike, then turned in my chip and accepted the DNF because I couldn’t run, power walk or walk the 13.1 miles to finish.
In retrospect, it would have been better to just give up on Augusta and move to a shorter race like an Olympic distance or find a race with an Aqua Bike option.
How often should you reevaluate your goals? from Sealfit
So three lessons: Don’t ignore problems until they get bigger like that pain in my ankles. If your situation changes don’t be afraid to change your goals. When the road curves you should too. A DNF is not the end of the world. It just makes you hungrier to achieve even greater goals.
Samuel Beckett, novelist, playwright, and poet wrote: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”
I say: Stumble onward.
