Anyone else feeling a little saturated with the number 19 lately?
If you still feel like you need one more COVID-19 update, we're here for you!
Just kidding- we, like every other business flooding your inbox right now, don't REALLY know how to handle this. But, we're athletes and therefore we do know how to handle adversity and overcome feelings of uncertainty & failure.
I'm sure you have seen at least one endurance athlete in your social media feed, at some point in time, with a picture of them looking gritty AF and really struggling though a race, or folded over & exhausted at the finish line. Caption: the overused, under-credited Nelson Mandela quote, "I never lose. I either win or learn."
While it's turned into a cheesy fitness quote, and often a euphemism for "I had a bad race", it can help us out a bit in this global situation. Like a bad race, this pandemic is forcing us all to SLOW DOWN. Drive less, travel less, pack our schedule less, move around less, be more "still". While stillness is often uncomfortable for overly-active people like ourselves, it also can be very enlightening.
BEFORE YOU STOP READING: Don't worry, no one here is endorsing actually sitting still. We know none of you can do that! As per the push-up challenges, sweaty trainer selfies, and stay at home workout videos, we're pretty sure everyone's staying physically active. But let's talk stillness of the mind...
Maybe you have less day-to-day logistics clogging your mind right now such as: your commute, long to-do lists, getting your kids to school... so you've got some time to think. While you can spend that time coming up with doomsday scenarios, stressing about the most recent news reports, or wondering when this will all be over, let's aim for something productive and work on something that, as athletes, we all need to do, but often don't: REFLECTION.
So, back to the cheesy quote. We're definitely not "winning" as a human race right now. So we have to learn. It's something I ask my athletes to reflect on after a race or "struggle-bus" training session: WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
Collectively, and individually, we're all learning a lot right now in this global slow down. What's important to keep in mind is that we will eventually cross the proverbial "finish line" of this crisis stronger and with more knowledge. So let's focus on that- what teachings do you want to hold on to from this COVID-19 (literal & figurative) "schooling" after this is all over?
Here's your challenge:
- Make a list of 19 lessons that you're learning amidst all of this COVID-19 chaos.
- Post them on social media using the hashtag #19lessons and #rocmultisport (and please tag us @rocmultisport !) and challenge your friends to do the same.
- If you'd like to email them to us so we can feature some, send them to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Keep them uplifting, realistic or humorous - we've got plenty of negativity already.
If you're short on ideas, follow us on Facebook & Instagram as we post 19 lessons we're collectively learning!