Improvise. Adapt. Overcome..

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." - To A Mouse by Robert Burns

Ain't that the truth? And when it comes to Mother Nature and outdoor training, no truer words could be spoken. I have never been one to follow the weather - whatever will be will be, and I'm a professional when it comes to rolling with the punches. However, that was until I became a runner. Now, I check the weather daily, if not several times a day, so I can be sure to plan my runs and workouts accordingly. 

This week for instance (week 3 of my half marathon 20), rain is in the forecast 3 out of the 5 days of the work week. I'm supposed to run 3x before the weekend! And, I took a much needed mental break from training on Monday after a really bad run Sunday and an incredibly taxing week overall last week. So, that leaves me with only 2 good days for running. Do the math.

"Houston, we have a problem."

Rather than get incredibly frustrated and worried over the idea that I won't be able to get all my training in, I laid out my weather forecast and my assigned workouts and went went to work on how to set myself up for success. Training plans are guidelines, not the end all. They are a very helpful guide and should be followed fairly closely in order to achieve optimal results. However, life rarely takes the shape of the best case scenario 100% of the time. Cue in the unofficial slogan of the Marines:

"Improvise. Adapt. Overcome."

• Rain means if I want to run, I'm going to have to utilize my manual treadmill. I much prefer the road, but appreciate the fact that I have an alternate when I need one. Tuesday and Friday both show a 100% chance of rain, so treadmill runs they will be. 
• Wednesday will be chilly, but I'll be hitting the road and aiming for 4 miles.  
• I'm going to have to double up on my strength training sessions; there just aren't enouugh days in the week. Thursday morning's temperatures are going to be below 30 degrees, so that's where that one is going.
• That leaves me with my lower body strength training session for Saturday...no bueno. My long run has to happen Sunday, so I need to have rested legs leading up to in order to prevent another botched attempt as in the case of last week. 

So, for this week, knowing I'm going to be working my legs hard on my manual treadmill runs, I'm ditching my lower body strength trainging. Between the added workload from that and my runs in general, I don't think I'll be missing much. Instead, if all goes according to plan, I'll be able to look back at this week and be quite satisfied with the progress and results.

 
In the words of one of most famous runners out there, Forrest Gump, "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." So, you mind as well make the most of it. Plan ahead and plan wisely. The rest will fall into place. "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome." And I would like to add, PREVAIL!