2020...READY FOR ANYTHING

What did your year map look like at the start of 2020? I’m betting face mask companies and sanitizer companies didn’t think their production line was going to have go into terminator mode, and I wonder how many of us had our small businesses, lives and plans set up to handle a set back so huge. Most of us don’t walk around day to day ready for a pandemic to hit.

But what if we did? What if this whole situation has taught us it’s not a bad skill to be ready in our overall plan to be ready to go into high gear mode at the drop of a hat or have enough reserves to adapt to any situation that might hit. I have a few friends that always make sure they can do a few pull up’s in case a zombie apocalypse hits. All kidding aside, maybe this isn’t a bad way to think. When we race and train we go out with a plan, but we are ready at any moment to have to turn it up a notch or handle disaster if it hits. 

At the start of this year I had entered and was training for two Ironman events. Holy man if I look back on that now and where I am now that feels like it wasn’t even part of this year. But yeah, I had signed up for Ironman St George and Ironman Canada in Penticton. I was training for a good result at IMC. I spent the money, set the plan and was looking forward to these goals.

I had also entered a lottery for a 200mile gravel race as a back burner idea not thinking I’d get in.  As luck would have it I got in! I started to look at the time it would require to be ready for this event and goals-priority started shifting. Then my dad’s cancer took hold and again things started to change. Then CV-19 hit the world! Geese….. when I was sitting at the front end of 2020 happily entering a long time beloved IMC I never thought I’d be switching to dirt riding, dealing with my father passing, navigating through a pandemic personally and professionally. 

It’s crazy to think how much has changed in such a short time. But was I ready?? The truth is I feel like my life was set up as well as it could be to be ready. Ready to go into full throttle mode if needed, and ready to handle it if things got grim. Being ready and being adaptable are two things we can apply across the board. Look at every aspect of your life and dig into if you’d be ready to adapt to any direction at the drop of a hat if you had to. You might find you are, you might find some holes you want to fill up. If this year has taught us anything it’s to be ready to adapt to anything in any direction. Good thing sport teaches us that lesson everyday, we can apply those skills and make it out of 2020 with are feet firmly planted on the ground.

Marilyn