The Runner’s race today is a great example of a day when things just don’t go well.  There was nothing he did wrong and nothing he could have done better- but the triathlon gods just didn’t smile on him today.  Going into the race, he felt fitter than ever, confident and strong.  He had been eating all the right things, training hard, and mentally in the zone.  He knew the course well- in fact, Western Sydney was the race he qualified for the world champs for last year.  So there was no reason to think the race would give him any trouble.

However, it did.  Lots of trouble.  So much trouble in fact I’m proud of him for not giving up and just going home.  First, he lost his goggles during the swim- so he couldn’t see where he was going.  Not ideal.  Then, he hit a pothole and came off his bike and is currently sporting “racing stripes” down the side of his shoulder, side, hip and hands as a souvenir.  Then, he got busted for drafting- and had to sit for 5 minutes in the penalty box.

It was in short a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”

But on the bright side, he’s in relatively good spirits as he sits here and patches himself up.   I know he’s disappointed but who isn’t when things don’t go as we’d hoped and planned for.  But how often does life really go to plan?  Sometimes, when things don’t go plan, they wind up absolutely perfect.  I’m not sure today’s an example of that (in fact, it’s not) but it is an inspiring example of what to do when things aren’t what we expect:

• Just keep swimming—even if you’re not 100% sure where you’re going.   Staying still isn’t really a great option.
• Pick yourself up, dust yourself up and get back on your bike. Even if your wife winces when she sees you later, a bit of blood and a few scrapes aren’t the end of the world.
• Take 5 minutes and think about things….it might help.

And finally, stay positive and keep smiling- there’s always next year.