What to do when your race has been canceled

For many runners, navigating the broader stress and uncertainty of the current health crisis includes coping with the letdown of a canceled race after months of training. And while we know canceling large events is necessary, and certainly not the most urgent concern, it’s normal to feel a little bitterness or frustration when you’ve been singularly focused on a goal that is no longer attainable.

For anyone who feels that the training they’ve put in is all for naught, our own Coach Brian has some words of wisdom:

 “It’s always about the journey, not that one day at end. Think about the doubts you may have had at the beginning of the season and then to look at how you've grown, to the point where finishing what you started has become so important to you. My own experience with running there’s actually one thing that great races - where you hit all your goals - and bad ones - where it all seems to go wrong and you have to just take what you can get - have in common: there’s always another day to run after that day ends. 

Dreams don’t have to stop just because the timeline changes. You can take the hard work and effort you’ve put in and let that be the foundation for a new goal. Use the lessons learned and wisdom earned along the way to know how to make things even more successful the next time around.”

If you're feeling adrift, here are 5 things to do when your race gets canceled.