Keep Calm and Stay Optimistic When Your Race Plans Go Awry

I wasn't even planning a post for today. My plans for the weekend were a quick trip out of town to Birmingham to meet up with Holly and run the Mercedes Half Marathon. I figured that I wouldn't have time to respond to comments and read other blogs for a Friday post.

As I often say, God laughs at those of us who make plans, and he's having a good laugh right now. As you read this, we in the Chicago area are getting a big snow storm. Predicted totals are 8-14 inches, and they keep upping the amount. Already on Wednesday, I received a text from United that there's a good chance my flight will be canceled.

I'm kind of a wreck about it. I know, first world problems and all but I was really looking forward to this race and spending the weekend with my pal Holly. The good news is that nothing has been canceled as of this morning. I continue to remain optimistic that I will be leaving on that jet plane tomorrow morning.

Staying calm? That's another story...

What do you do to stay calm when things are out of your control? Because that's exactly what is going on here. I like to think I'm not a control freak but I am a planner. I try to anticipate the unexpected and if anything was going to keep me from traveling for this race, I thought I might contract the flu. I mean, come on, I'm a pediatric nurse practitioner and it's like playing illness roulette anytime I go to work these days. I take all the precautions I can, like washing my hands 500 times a day. But a flight canceled because of a snowstorm? The thought hadn't even occurred to me. Until this week, we barely had any snow. And it's February--winter should be winding down, right?

It's not easy being high strung, guys. It's also not easy dealing with disappointment. I've had my share of disappointments the past year (a DNF and 2 DNS). While I could roll with it then, blaming RA, now I'm feeling good and I'm ready for this race and I want to go, dammit! I swear, I'm like a little kid sometimes.

In my efforts to stay calm while I wait out the storm, I'm employing 5 strategies that have worked for me in the past.

Keep on Truckin'
Which means carry on and pack my 'very small must fit under the seat in front of you' bag. I'm doing what I'd normally do when traveling for a race. Plan my race day outfit. Finish my playlist. Review my race plan. Charge my Garmin. Write Sunday's Weekly Wrap post and schedule it for Sunday. Dream of bling.

Dreaming of bling.

Run
After a restless night of worrying after receiving that message from United, not only did I run on Thursday morning, I started my morning with CrossFit. Sammy Jo had a kickass workout planned for me and I was all in. Between the run and the strength training, I felt sufficiently drained of some of my nervous energy and much calmer. Calm enough, in fact, to come home and work on this post. If I don't get to go, you know I'll get some miles in this weekend. Outside. Tears don't freeze, do they?

Thursday morning. The calm before the storm.

Stalk the Weather
Is this going to keep me calm? Probably not. After all, you can't control the weather. But at least I'll feel like I know what's going on. I can curse Old Man Winter in the meantime. Oh, and I can stalk the weather in Birmingham too. Their forecast looks a little more tolerable than Chicago's.

Look for Alternatives
The good news is if my flight is canceled, I'll be able to rebook it. In the meantime, I've also been looking at other airports in the area. Milwaukee isn't supposed to get as much snow as us. Not that I'd be able to get there in the snowstorm. If nothing else, hopefully, I can plan a new trip. Holly and I can find another half marathon to do together. Making plans is always helpful. Signing up for more races always makes me feel better...

Breathe and remind myself that spring is coming...
Really? Just breathe? How about just drink wine?

Thanks for letting me vent. What do you do to manage your stress when your plans fall apart? How do you deal with disappointment? Are you being affected by the weather right now?

I'm linking up with Fairytales and Fitness and Running on Happy for the Friday 5.0