Three lessons learned from a year with no races
By Adam Russo
When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, there was plenty of uncertainly about the upcoming race season. As the weeks stretched to months, race directors scrambled to implement healthy changes in an attempt to safely hold their events. By the end of the summer, all races were canceled for the 2020 season. While many races pivoted to virtual events, the excitement of race morning remains absent for West Michigan’s endurance athletes. In total, my wife and I have had 10 different in-person events scrapped from our calendar in 2020. However, even during fluid and sometimes frustrating times, I identified three lessons from a year of canceled races, which can also apply to business and career development.
The journey is the destination.
Months dedicated hard work comes to fruition as the gun goes off and you begin a race. When you cross the finish line, you’re overcome with emotions as you celebrate the many early mornings and late nights of training that allowed you to get here. Many experienced endurance athletes will tell you that the race is merely a culmination of your hard work and that the process of training is actually the essence of the sport.
While a comfortable retirement is the ultimate goal for most, it’s important to realize that it’s the countless twists and turns, challenges, opportunities and people you meet along the way that are the real prize. It sounds cliché but find something that you love doing each day and take time to enjoy the process.
Only concern yourself with what you can control.
Understand what you can control and let go of the rest. With this mindset, it was easier to wait on the final decisions for races to be officially canceled. As athletes, we had no control over the pandemic or local health officials’ decisions to approve in-person race alternatives.
Allocating mental capacity to only things you can control allows you to take ownership and power over your situation and relieve undue stress.
If you stay ready, there’s no need to get ready.
Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. As the pandemic advanced, we continued to train, unknowing what the future would hold. When Ironman Lake Place, the crown jewel of our race season, was officially canceled, we had a decision to make: “throw in the towel” or continue training. We chose the latter. We decided to use the extra time to improve weaknesses, increase base levels and incorporate more cross-training into our regiment.
Use downtime to tackle procrastinated ideas or sharpen your skills. If you do, you’ll be ready to seize the moment when the next opportunity presents itself.
The COVID-19 is impacting everyone differently. What lessons have you learned throughout 2020?