Take What The Day Gives You

You’ve probably heard the phrase used many times. “Take what the day gives you”. Or there is also the infamous “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”. Or any of countless variations on a theme.

It gets to the point where at times, these phrases sound a little old or cliche. But I can tell you that it is one of the most common discussions I have with the athletes that I coach.

Sport is a microcosm of life as we know. In sport, much as in life, you never really never know what the day holds for you. You will be faced with many challenges and many joys. This could take place over the span of a 5K or an Ironman triathlon.

Ironman Cozumel recently reminded that “take what the day gives you” is a good mantra for athletes.

I am told that Cozumel is a beautiful place. But overnight, it can turn into heat, humidity, choppy seas, and brutal winds. This is exactly what happened the night of Ironman Cozumel 2012. Suffice it to say that race day dawned a little differently than many might have expected. So imagine the chagrin of waking up on race morning, after many months of preparation, to find that the conditions would make this one hell of a hard day. It’s not like an Ironman triathlon is an easy task anyway, so it doesn’t need to be made any more difficult by the weather conditions.

Many competitors didn’t finish the swim. Many didn’t make the bike cut-off. Many struggled mightily throughout the duration of the event.

I’ve seen a number of similar examples over the years with the athletes I have coached. Cozumel is but one example. How about getting kicked in the head during the swim and somehow managing to get back to transition, dazed and confused, hypothermic, and race over? Or the 14+ hours of continual downpour that faced competitors at Ironman USA many years ago? Or the wavering stagger at mile 10 on the run of a half Ironman on a hot day in Lubbock, when the lines on the road appear to be shifting to and fro?

But you know what? It is what it is. And that, in some ways, is the beauty of it.

You can have all the best preparation in the world. You can do all the right training. You can have your race management plan down, fueling and hydration spot-on, and it can still go all wrong – without having any say in the matter.

Many will look at this as an excuse – but its not. It is context. Yes, you can use these moments as just another excuse in a long list of self-sabotage, if that is what drives you. But that is not what I am talking about here.

So what can we learn from this?

There are times when the conditions aren’t optimal, and times when they are. But we have to accept the challenge as it is, and use our management skills to take what we have and make the best of it, right here, right now. It requires us to be present to the challenges and to the moment. And we can’t do that if we are looking only towards the finish line. Take what the day gives you. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. Move on. Relentless forward motion. Elation or exhaustion – it is what it is.

And most importantly, learn from the experience. It is what it is, but step back and reflect. Do you know that you gave your best effort given the context on that given day? It is merely just a benchmark, a sign on the side of the road of life.

Take what the day gives you. But then, it is time to move on. The journey awaits.

Photo credits: Red Rose Exile