Expectations

Expectation ~ noun: a strong belief that something will happen or be the case.

We map out our week and our training plan; we set goals and plan holidays. We daydream about what the future might look or feel like, we look forward to some things, and worry about others. 

Now, I know that I like to have a goal, I like to have a holiday planned, and I certainly worry about things that I am not looking forward to. But when I really think about it, I wonder why we invest so much energy in something that is not here yet. Playing something over in our mind of how it “might” be or “should” be. Only to get to that moment and it to either not live up to expectations, or to not be half as bad as we had imagined. 

You can have the best training plan, mapped out over 12 weeks, and you might have the best intentions. But how do you react when you get struck by sickness or injury? If your expectations and reality are not aligned, it’s likely going to hit you like a tonne of bricks. 

I had the best intentions and plans to tick off some more runs in the UK and Geneva before heading back to the sandpit and taking on a full block of training in the heat to get ready for the Dubai race season. Little did I know that my body had other ideas. Currently sleeping 12+ hours a day instead, trying to fight off whatever sickness I apparently have (various test results still pending). 

Fortunately, I have been working on letting go of expectations in other areas of my life recently. Training is just another extension of that. 

Work on today, keep working on today. Tomorrow will come, and you’ll still work on today.