Expectations at the Mini Mighty Man Triathlon 2019

Today was a chilly spring day at the Nassau Aquatic Center, host of EventPower’s Mini Mighty Man Pool Triathlon and Youth Triathlon. The adult super sprint triathlon consisted of a 400m indoor pool swim, a 6 mile bike and a 2 mile run, and the youth race has a 100m swim, 2 mile bike and a ¼ mile run, all enclosed on the grounds of Eisenhower Park.  The sun did peek through the clouds for a moment, but the cloud cover returned keeping the course cool which is great for the racers, however a little cold for spectators. I don’t think the weather has been ever nice at this race, and despite the traditional cold front on this day. This race is a great start to the beginning of the season.

We have been coming to this event for several years, and this is the first year I can start comparing results.  When I got home, I wanted to see how the young members of the Lightning Warriors did compared to what they did to prior years.  My expectations was to see overall improvements, however what surprised me was the faster times in all categories in the swim, transition 1, bike, transition 2 and the run. Everyone shaved a few seconds to several minutes! However, there was a single anomaly.   Elijah’s T2 was 5 seconds longer than in 2018. He explained he was following someone and when she turned the wrong direction, he also went with her. LOL!

In life, we all have certain expectations, and races are no exception. We want to strive to have better results and when things line up, chances are that you will achieve your goals. However, many things can go wrong and we have to manage our thoughts of disappointing results.

This event benefits the Family and Children’s Association. FCA’s mission is to protect and strengthen Long Island’s most vulnerable children, families, seniors, and communities. They had many participants in this race, and speaking with the Jeff Reynolds, CEO of FCA. Those kids expectations were to just finish the race. They all just learned how to swim. All of them smiled during the entire course. This was the first time doing anything like this and they got the opportunity. I look forward to working with FCA and bring triathlon to all kids on Long Island.

One way you can prepare your mind for outcomes is to go over different scenarios that can happen and might never happen. Being empowered is very important, at the same time you can still be empowered when things awry.  For example, you can not control the weather, mechanical malfunctions, race conditions, illness, and a whole array of random situations that pop up unexpectedly. These things can happen during race day. In life so many more situations can occur. The only thing you can do, is to do your best based on conditions and adjust your expectations accordingly.  While the result might not be the same as your original goal, your new goal can be the best of situation presented. Also know that there are programs available to assist you.

Lastly, I suggest writing down your feelings so that you can record them while they are fresh in your mind.  At a later time, you can review that day with a fresh pair of eyes and draw lessons to be used to continue on your journey.  Not one instance or series of instances defines who you are, but how you respond and act will determine your definition of yourself.

Whatever happens, remember that you are very lucky to have the opportunities presented to you.  Always look for the silver lining!

Final results race results, despite being under the weather, congratulations for Olivia for defending her Title, Elijah for his 2nd Place Finish, Stella 3 ½ min improvement, Julian almost a minute improvement, and a special congrats to Chase for his first ever organized event! And great job to the FCA Participants.

Next up will be USA Triathlon Youth and Junior Elite Cup at Richmond for Olivia, Zachary, Jack and Elijah!  After that join us for Mother’s Day Duathlon!

Help us bring more opportunities for kids to have greater expectations and achieve incredible goals!