Channeling Ambition When The Competition Calendar Is Wiped Clean 

By Elizabeth Carey for DyeStat

What happens to your goals when whole seasons are cancelled? 

If they shrivel up or evaporate without much fanfare, that’s OK. It’s really no biggie, especially if you’re feeling extra stress. (We are in the midst of a global pandemic after all.) Slate a rest and recovery period of two to four weeks, take care of yourself, and get back to work when you’re ready or able. 

If your goals linger or call to you still, great. It’s likely your racing calendar is wiped clean, so we’ll need to get creative about what, exactly, to do with your ambitions. 

First step? Shelve season-specific goals, in particular those that hinge on big meets and traditional team competitions. Don’t worry, your goal of qualifying for state or winning districts might collect some dust. But it’ll wait for you.* 

*Unless you’re a senior in high school or college, in which case it’s time to set your sights higher. I feel your pain; allow yourself to, too. Acknowledge and grieve your loss as you need. But know plenty of competitions and opportunities beckon out there on your horizon. 

Second step: Re-evaluate your hopes, dreams, and options. Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses. Vow to run a 100-mile week. Just kidding! No need for that right now. More realistically, pick one thing to focus on and measure. That’ll inform the next best goal for you. 

If that one thing you want to focus on and measure is current fitness…

Check out virtual track meets (https://www.athletic.net/getapp). Provided it’s a safe, reasonable, and accessible option for you, digitally hosted competitions like these incentivize a hard, all-out effort. No matter the results, you’ll walk away with a benchmark on which you can hang your hat. Set a goal to run your best effort for X distance, then do it! Don’t get too wrapped up in the numbers, knowing we’re in uncharted territory right now. 

If you want to maintain or boost overall fitness, which will pay dividends down the road…

Set a process-oriented goal to train consistently. Choose an aspect to work on (endurance, strength, etc.) and then a standard for training that aspect within a specified time frame. For example, “I am running 30 minutes, four days a week” or “I am doing full-body strength training twice this week.” Or even: “I am doing core strengthing and hip mobility exercises three times a week for 4 weeks.” How about: “I am foam rolling for 5 minutes every day.”

If you want to up your mental game…

Set a process-oriented goal to practice mindfulness, visualisation, or using a mantra. For example: try meditating on your breath to increase your mindfulness. Set a timer for one minute and focus on the in and out — not changing or altering it, just noticing. 

If you’re on a team or have a coach sending training…

Discuss your goals with your crew. Can you come up with a cumulative or community effort? Fundraise for a food bank together, but separately? Train for a mile time trial in a month? 

Setting incremental, flexible goals sets you up for success — and self-confidence — and any potential camaraderie is a much-needed perk. 

Most importantly? Prioritize health and safety not only of yourself but of others. Train inside or outside alone (or only with members of your household). Practice physical distancing (staying at least six feet away from other people — for the record, that’s as far as a tall dude lying down on the ground between you and other humans). Just because you like your teammate doesn’t mean they (or you!) don’t have the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.  

Note that guidance may shift as more information becomes available in this quickly evolving global situation, but following public health experts’ recommendations can continue to help slow the spread of the global pandemic. Helping our families and communities large and small should be the number one priority — without them sports are nothing. 

WRITING PROMPTS

1. What is your strongest strength right now? 

(For example, aerobic fitness, explosive power, mental focus) 

2. What is your weakest link right now? 

(For example, top speed, lack of core strength, lack of sleep)

3. What do you want to tackle this month?

4. What is a little goal you can set for yourself this week that will bring you closer to tackling #3? Think: SMART — specific, measurable, realistic, time-based. 

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Elizabeth Carey (https://elizabethwcarey.com/) is a freelance writer and running coach based in Seattle, Washington. Sign up for updates on her first book, GIRLS RUNNING, co-authored with Melody Fairchild, forthcoming from VeloPress: https://elizabethwcarey.com/writer-editor/book/.