Be prepared but be ready to change

The word preparation is something we use in athletics a lot. We get ourselves in shape to handle the stresses of our chosen sport and prepare our skills to be the best we can be during our competitions. We also use preparation in the education setting as well as in the world of business. The past four days have led me to use preparation in all those elements and also taught me how important preparation is once we get older. Friday was the Pod’s 10th birthday and she got to spend it hanging out with me at the barn and FSC before enjoying a great birthday dinner at Manny’s. She and I were getting our day ready while heading to FSC and we were talking about where we wanted to eat lunch. She is the funniest little kid because nothing is too good for her. I told her since it was her birthday she could choose where we ate. As we motored towards Lakeland she pondered her choices and informed me she wanted to go to Krystal. Yes, that is right she wanted to eat at the little burger shop. I even suggested we go to Jimmy John’s but she felt like since we just ate there we should go someplace else. Lunch would have to wait because even though we had our office plans prepared those in power had a different set of plans once we arrived on campus. As soon as we hit the doors the AD grabbed me and said we needed to go to the city courts to look at their court canopies to make sure something like that would work on our beautiful new facility. We diverted from our original plans and went to the courts. Job done, we thought, but the next thing we knew we were at our new complex looking at it and confirming our findings from our trip to the city. Once we finished we decided to head to our Daddy/daughter lunch at Krystal and regroup. We discussed my work schedule and how you must be flexible and ready to move in a different direction at the drop of a hat. She thought it was funny how we hadn’t even been into the office and had already worked around the campus for a few hours. After we finished our delicious little burgers we actually went back to the office to do a little work. Dinner was the next thing on our agenda and Michelle had planned on Manny’s for over a week. We had called to confirm our number and when we all arrived at 5:30; the restaurant was not ready for us. Oh well, the salad, rolls, and steak made me forget about the inconvenience they had caused due to their lack of preparation. Saturday brought about a little excitement in the Heath house because it was the first time in over a year that we were getting packed up to head to a race. We all got up and went out to take care of the horses and then it was back to go through the checklist of items needed for the trip. We hadn’t done this in so long we had to go back to basics and really think about what we needed to take. We had our room reservation, we had the vehicle, the trailer, and the bike, but what else did we need? At noon we loaded up in the Expedition with race trailer in tow and began the drive up to the Lochloosa State Park for the first endure of the season. I had decided that I wanted to sign up in a row near the back because I knew I needed some space to get my bike legs and feel back. Luckily, I was able to get a decent row near the back so we unhooked the trailer and headed back to Ocala for a nice evening in the Comfort Suites. We normally travel with Brianna but she had decided, and I was really proud of her, to stay home so she could work with her horses Saturday evening and Sunday. The only good thing about her staying at home is that we can eat seafood without worrying about her allergies. We take her with us when we are going to seafood restaurants but we usually don’t choose to eat at them because of her potential reaction. We gorged on some good seafood and then curled up to a very funny movie. Tomorrow would be where the lack of preparation would rear its ugly head. Sunday came and it started out as such a great day. We packed up and headed down for a good breakfast in the lobby. We headed out to make the 35 minute drive back to the track and got there just in time to set up and get to the rider’s meeting at 8:15. So far all my pre-race preparation as related to equipment was spot on. Jason and I were set to leave the start line at 9:35 for our 60 mile race. Three stages of 18, 24, and 18 miles made up the course for the day. I had already determined that I was going to just ride to get my feel back and when the clock struck the appropriate minute we headed out. The first 18 miles went pretty smoothly. I got a little arm weary mid-way through but soldiered on and lost just enough points to be disappointed. Before the second stage began I ate a snack and drank just enough to prepare me for the next torture test. The second loop was going to be tight and long but I felt like I was ready. After about 5 miles into the second stage I was ready for it to be over. After 12 miles I was riding pretty well but was getting exhausted because the stage was just so tight and my thinking was a little slower than it needed to be. About 19 miles in I think I hit the wall. I felt that at any moment I was going to break out into full cramping. By the way, it is very hard to stretch while balancing on two wheels while trying to navigate around trees that are 33 inches apart. It was also at this point that I realized I had drunk all the water that was in my camelback so the last 5 miles was just sheer determination and possibly some stupidity. I finally reached the finish and dropped quite a few points but really didn’t care. I just wanted to drink and eat before the last stage. I ate a 6 inch sub, and maybe 4 bottles of water but I knew my racing was over. The last stage was just going to be a nice trail ride to get more time on the bike. Right before we went out for the last loop the bottom dropped out. Oh neat, not only have I not ridden in a year I was going to get to ride in a downpour. Well, amazingly the rain stopped right before we got to the line so the course should have great traction. As I began my 18 mile putter around the woods I just knew I wasn’t racing for a high finish but just a finish would be good enough. With 10 miles to go I was done physically and mentally but I had one more test presented to me. It started to rain, no that’s too light; it actually started to pour, and it never stopped. The course turned into a swamp and vision became pretty much nonexistent. I was determined to make my goggles last as long as possible but this would turn into a futile effort that I lost with about one mile to go. Before that I had cleared a couple of check points and they had wiped off the goggles for me so that I could plod along a little further. When I cleared the last check the gentleman was so polite and told me I only had 5 miles to go. I thought that I would just breeze through but for some reason that 5 miles could have easily been a full marathon. I finally crossed the finish line, I think, and headed back to the trailer to start the drying process. The rain never stopped so we got loaded up and dried as much as possible. The day was awesome even though my results were subpar. I don’t know if they were actually that bad considering I hadn’t ridden in over a year, my physical preparation was nonexistent, and I rode in a driving rainstorm for 10 miles. I was pleased because I completed the 60 miles and could walk and drive myself home. Today was my first official day at FSC for the new school year and I had prepared to show up around 10:30 since I had barn duty in the morning. The best laid plans are just that, plans, and mine changed when I got to the barn and realized that we had a mower back on property. This meant that I could finally use the manure spreader and get rid of our rapidly growing manure pile. I finally got to the office and was prepared to get some good work done but I should have prepared to talk to returning players and new players the entire day because that was how my day unfolded. It is great hearing about people’s summers and what they are expecting for the new year. I am prepared for Tuesday so we will see if my plans come to fruition or if I will have to adjust on the fly once again.