Plan A was to start training for the Virginia Beach Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon early this summer. A family emergency left me scrapping my long runs and scrambling to put together Plan B, putting together a makeshift training schedule that would have allowed me to finish the event rather than race it.
My highly structured Plan B half-marathon training schedule.
Long story short, I am now scrambling to put together Plan C, which I’m happy to unveil today. I’m not officially counting myself out for the half in September, but I am starting to shift my energy and focus to the Daiquiri Deck Tropical Splash 5Kopen-water swim on Oct. 6. The race, held in Siesta Key, Fla., has been the happy highlight of my open-water swim season since I first discovered it in 2010.
That drink tasted every bit as amazing as it looks.
During my training swim yesterday, my mind was flooded with happy memories of white-sand beaches, turquoise-blue water and frosty drinks that taste like Smarties. As I train for the event over the next two months, I’ll also recall my dad’s voice at the finish line, yelling “Go, Amy, go!” as clearly and proudly as he once did when he waited for me to finish the 25-yard breaststroke in my beach-club swim meets as a little kid.
Today, I’m motivated by the sound of my dad’s cheers, still clear in my mind. I’m also motivated by the knowledge that by developing the ability to adjust your goals and expectations on the fly when things don’t go as planned during a race (please see Marine Corps Marathon 2009, ski-patrol S&T last year, etc), you’re also developing the mental toughness to move on to plan B or C quickly and without judgement when you encounter obstacles in life.
Amy Reinink 
Distraction: the WILD book holding up your Plan! I just finished it, in 5 days. SUCH a captivating story!