Three
Ways to Deal with Adversity
Adversity, “ad·ver·si·ty” /ədˈvərsədē a noun
which has been part of the English language for over 800 years, comes from the
Latin adversus, literally "turned against," and
figuratively "hostile or unfavorable." When things seem against you —
circumstances or a stroke of bad luck — you are facing adversity.
For triathletes, adversity is well, just part of the sport. It’s actually what the
sport is about. Overcoming the challenge (adversity) of the distance, your
competitors, the weather, flat tires, dehydration, open water swimming,
exhaustion, (and the list goes on and on) is the very essence of the sport.
Here are
three ways to deal with adversity:
1. KNOW it’s coming. I’ve told athletes
that I’ve coached who are doing their first Ironman or 70.3, to plan on at
least three things going wrong on race day. (For shorter races, plan on one or
two.) They might be big things or small, but they WILL happen. If the athlete
knows that, then, when adversity comes, they’ll think, “Oh OK, yeah, Linc said
something like this would happen” (Not might happen). I had a friend who
was doing an overseas IM and in the first few miles of the bike leg, going over
railroad tracks, his rear water bottle holder broke off and he lost two bottles
of perfectly dialed in nutrition/fluid AND his ability to carry two water
bottles the rest of the bike leg. Another athlete discovered he had an allergic
reaction to strawberry preserves, which he had put on small squares of
sandwiches in his halfway bag. His throat and glands started to swell up a bit
as he rode the second half of the 112-mile bike. Yikes! Adversity!! (He said
he’d never had strawberry preserves before, which again emphasizing the
principle to NOT to do anything new on race day.)
2. So, when adversity actually DOES
happen, then what? STAY CALM, then stay calm, then…stay calm. Since you’ve
applied #1 above, staying calm will be easier. If you KNOW something bad is
going to happen, then when it does, you’re emotionally and mentally ready.
Athletes that go into the race mentally unprepared for bad things to take place
often freak out when the race starts to go sideways.
3. Though I’m optimistic and I always
encourage a positive attitude, I suggest carefully thinking through exactly
what to do if ____ happens. It might feel negative to think of a list of
mishaps and adverse circumstances, but in the end, this exercise could save
your race. For example, what would you do if…?
o
Two
days before your “A” race your throat became super inflamed and sore?
o
Your
goggle strap broke as you were putting them on just before the race starts?
o
Rain
started to pour just before the race started causing a delay, downgrade or cancellation?
o
Your
tire exploded just as you’re leaving the transition area to start your “A” race
for the season?
o
Your
goggles got smacked off your face at the start of the swim?
o
Your
goggles fogged badly and you couldn’t see anything?
o
You
ride up to someone who has just crashed on the bike and is hurt?
o
Your
chain came off and got jammed between the frame and cog set?
o
You
get a flat during the bike leg…or two…or three?
o
Attempting
a moving dismount off the bike, one of your shoes popped off when it hits the
ground?
o
You
started to cramp badly when you started to run out of transition?
o
A
lightening/rain storm hit during the race?
o
They
called off the competition mid-race due to said lightening/ rain storm?
o
You
developed terrible blisters on the run?
o
You
discovered you got a penalty for something you really don’t think you did?
All these
(and many more) need to be thought through and a plan to deal with each put in
place before the race. A good coach will
have a session with you to cover, very practically, what you’re going to do
when specific adversities hit.
We can
lessen the negative impact of adversity when we KNOW it’s coming; we stay CALM
and we have a PLAN to deal with it when it hits.
