When things don’t go as planned.

This beach is very special to our family because we have been visiting it for the past five years and built some beautiful memories here. It was very special for my first Ironman to be here. We began visiting this beach in 2018 and have been coming back every year since.

The Ironman triathlon begins with a 2.4 open water swim. We did ours in Panama City Beach. The beginning of the swim is about finding a stable pace and regulating your heart rate. It’s a good thing they put the swim first because if it came after the bike or the run that could be dangerous. It’s easy to work yourself up here. You have people all around you and you are trying to find a good pace for two miles. Not to mention the current that is taking you in a direction only to turn and have it take you in another direction.

Minutes before I got in the ocean to begin my race I lost one of my ear pieces. When I began training for my race I realized that water would get in my ear and if I put an ear piece in it was a game changer. My ear wouldn’t get water in it. So these became a must for me every time I trained in the water. So losing one of them minutes before the race started was stressing me out.

I frantically asked if anyone around me had an extra ear piece. No one did. They have medical tents and help tents but they were all packed helping so many people with various things that they were too busy so I didn’t bother asking them. Plus I was supposed to start my race in minutes.

So I took the ear piece that I did have and broke it into two pieces. They were smaller but this is all I thought to do. I wasn’t sure if it would work. I actually thought this would make the pieces so small that they would get stuck in my ear…fortunately they didn’t. It actually worked!

Sometimes we can get stressed and panic in our fitness journey. Sometimes you make plans for things to go a certain way and they don’t. In my example things worked out but sometimes they don’t workout. Sometimes you get hurt and you have to take time off. Or sometimes you have to cancel a gym membership due to financial difficulties. There are many other examples I could give you that would help you understand this point.

What do you do when things don’t go the way you planned?

This is where you have to come up with an alternate plan to stay on course. Don’t quit just because things mess up. You have incredible problem solving skills. You can come up with a new plan. You can stay the course even if it’s a new course.

If you are currently facing a challenge in your fitness journey I am sorry. I know that is stressful. If you would like to talk about it just message me. My encouragement today is to not let it take you down. Stay up. Keep going. Overcoming challenges in life is where we grow the most. Sounds annoying to hear that when you are in a tough season but when you get through it and look back you get it. I am cheering you on. You can do this.

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