A Season of Uncertainty and the Importance of Mentality

With the majority of the world on lockdown and sporting events uncertain, the time we live in is certainly strange. Triathletes are used to uncertainty, we are comfortable with it. The day we step out the door for a 10 mile run we do not know what the next hour to two hours is going to bring. Maybe we have a great time, PR a couple miles in the middle, and arrive back home just in time to let the dog out before family breakfast. Maybe it goes poorly, you step on a rock and twist your ankle, limping home, defeated. The dawn of the morning that we toe the start line, ready to charge into the cold water is filled with uncertainty. We train through uncertainty. We race through uncertainty. Well, if this is the case, then why does all of a sudden this uncertainty feel crippling? 

Triathletes and other endurance athletes alike pride ourselves on being tough, resilient, comfortable with pain. While all important traits to excelling both in sport and life, it is important to understand that within the realm of sport we are in a controlled environment. The course has been laid out for us, we have gone through months, maybe years of preparation. We have dialed in our caloric intake to the number and we know how many watts we should push up the final 10% grade hill of the bike course. This is where the deviation between sport and life comes in. Life is not controlled. Life is chaos. With COVID-19 ripping through our society and disrupting our economic well-being, our sense of security, and our mental and physical environments, we have to ask ourselves this question: how, as endurance athletes, could we have prepared for this? 

The answer Is quite simple: we couldn't. We could not have prepared ourselves for this from an athletic lens. This being said, we cannot dwell on the past. We have to look at our present selves and what we can achieve in this very moment to adjust to this new, although temporary, way of life. This is where mentality comes in, which comes in four steps - B.A.A.G (just say bag, not baaaaaag like a sheep). 

1. Belief
2. Appreciation
3. Adaption
4. Growth
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Belief begins with believing that things will work out. Yes, this seems simple...right? Say this out loud to yourself right now: "I believe things will get better. I believe I will line up at a starting line this year." Do you feel the inner hesitation? It is important to believe because hope is an essential part of this. Hope drives us forward and gets us to the finish line prior to the 17 hour cut off. Appreciation of what you have is critical. It is easy to dwell on your first race of the season being cancelled, or that you can't perfect your swim stroke because all the pools are closed. Focusing on what you no longer have is easier than focusing on what you do still have. You must reframe your mindset towards appreciation of your loved ones, your home, and yes, your special friend with two wheels.

Adaption is the next step. Once you believe and you are appreciative, you will begin to adapt to this new normal. This is a common place to be stuck in for quite some time, where days will begin to lull, training might stall, and you may feel yourself slipping back away from the first two steps. This is an important time to remind yourself of your strength in the believing and appreciative of what you have. I can still run. Check. I can still bike. Check. I can still eat 5 cinnamon rolls after my 3 hour bike ride and not feel too guilty. Check.

The final step is growth. Growth is achieved once you have adapted and you constantly remind yourself in your beliefs and your appreciations to the world around you. You have now grown both as an endurance athlete and as a human being. Growth is essential because it grants you a new perspective on the world. Growth allows you to be a better friend, family member, athlete - growth allows you to be kinder to yourself. 

It is hard to say when we will line up on the starting line again. But now is an essential time to not only physically train to stay healthy, but to train our minds; to grow. We will cross this finish line soon, but next time there'll be a cheap medal around your neck.