For athletes, it's easy to make an event the only focus in your life. But, in doing so, it's easy to become single-minded as you become laser-focused in pursuit of your goal. In turn, you forget what truly matters - the journey. Life is busy and stressful. Without even realizing it, you may find that you are never living in the moment but instead, constantly thinking about your future.
When I approach my training/workouts for the day, I am driven by the experience. In other words, I never waste a workout - no matter the day or the training session, there's always something to look forward to and I feel grateful for the ability to train. I don't think about the outcome, but the process.
Motivated for self improvement, the journey is what I love. The little decisions, nailing the basics and having fun are very important to me. This doesn't mean that I don't have goals and I don't work hard but my athletic goals don't dictate my life.
Training for an event is much more than being physically prepared for race day. Sport teaches you patience, problem solving, courage, bravery, time-management, discipline, organization and responsibility. Training for an athletic event helps you become more prepared for life.
If you have recently found yourself feeling overwhelmed by a race day goal (or event), take a step back and just focus on doing the best that you can....today. Enjoy the road that leads you to your final destination because you don't want to look back and wish you would have done things differently.