Fighting with the word CAN'T
Focus on the CAN versus the CANNOT. Shift your perspective on training. See how much you can accomplish.
This year has taught us a lot about the word can't. And if you've been injured, pregnant, or postpartum as a new parent, it’s easy to mourn what you used to do, or what you currently can't do, or focus on things that are holding you back.
When a doctor tells you to stop, or your body gives you a red light in pregnancy, or you just flat out don't have the time as a new parent or a busy professional…how do you change the narrative?
Take the words " I didn't have time to workout today" and say "I couldn't make my workout a priority." It sounds a lot different, right?
Rather than choosing a plan that forces you to stretch yourself, spend time carving out what your normal week looks like and how training fits into this. Decide, realistically, how many hours a week you have, but COMMIT to those hours. If you hold that time sacred, you're more likely to set attainable expectations for yourself, and succeed at the end goal.
Ask yourself if your goal matches your time. If you only have 8 hours a week to train, but you want to do an Ironman, this probably isn't the time. But what CAN you do in 8 hours a week? An Olympic distance, definitely a sprint, and a half marathon, and maybe, even a century ride or a marathon IF you are careful, entering with good base fitness, and completely intentional about your workouts. All these are awesome accomplishments - maybe you go out there and try to crush your best time on a short course. Save the Ironman for a year when your life allows for it.
If you CAN'T get your ride in for the morning, CAN you commute to work on a bike? If you CAN'T get your run in, CAN you run your kid in a stroller to school or daycare? Can you run to work?
On the other side of this, again, is the physical CAN'T, maybe the harder one to reckon with. If your doctor tells you you can't run (let us all take pause who have had this moment!) sure, grieve the loss of that activity, but ask what you CAN do. Can you swim? Bike? Row? Do yoga? Switch to water running? Nest steps are to ask your PT what movements will exacerbate the injury and what activities will both strengthen the area around it to help you rehab, AND allow you to continue training while keeping running on the back burner.
What if the injury is more traumatic, or you're pregnant with activity restrictions or you just had a baby and you're in the 4th trimester? Stop and consider the healing and growing process. Remove the focus from what you think you've lost, completely. This is a hard, but important mindset. What CAN you do?
If rest is truly all you can do, it's what you're supposed to do - it’s what you need.
If you can move into short/slow walking or yoga, or some restorative bodyweight training, start there. Track your progress. Notice what gets easier. When your walk turns from 1 mile into 2, or when you can quicken your pace, or start working in 1 min jogs…that's progress, that's success, and THAT is what's worth your time and energy to note, not taking stock of how long it's been since your last race pace run or century ride.
You always have options.
You always have time. By default, we wake up each day with time.
It's up to you to be an architect of your life to make both of them work for you in the moment you're in, now.