“The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” – Robert Burns This quote came to mind when I thought of what to write today. I had hoped to get a run in this morning before packing and flying home. Unfortunately my plans did go a bit awry, and it began with a chicken sausage with lunch yesterday.

Nutrition is a very important component of my training. Just as I enjoy working out, I also enjoy eating healthy. Rest days from training are different than nutrition. If I eat a lot of fried food or high fat food, I feel lethargic and sluggish. Not fun. So even on vacation I make what I believe to be healthy choices. For lunch yesterday I opted for a salad and for my protein I cooked a chicken sausage. It was a better choice than several other meats we had in the refrigerator. I wish I had remembered what happened to me a year and a half ago when I had turkey sausage. And got food poisoning. That hit me on an air plane. Very not fun. Well yesterday by 7:00 in the evening I had a vaguely familiar feeling similar to the turkey sausage experience – like I had paste in my stomach. I will spare the details, but fortunately it was not as sever as my turkey sausage experience.

As a result, I have had very little to eat over the past 24 hours. This morning I did most of my packing sitting down. A run was out of the question, that was for sure. Being a planner, I had packed an electrolyte powder drink mix and sipped on that this morning. My greatest fears were put to ease as my first flight was uneventful. I have a long layover in Atlanta right now and I was able to eat a grilled cheese sandwich. My stomach is slowly coming back.

Planning is a part of me. I have training plans mapped out through the end of the year. I have already started thinking about what I may do as far as races go next year. Flexibility is becoming a part of me. Regardless of whether I welcome it or not. I sprained my ankle in April and got my first big taste of flexibility. Vacations are time off and I expect to encounter the need to adjust training during the week. This stomach issue has really thrown a wrench in my plan. I am planning to ride long tomorrow, when I do may have to change. Getting enough sleep, fuel and hydration is going to dictate when I ride. Unexpected instances just can not be planned. Hence the term “unexpected”. But that is a part of life. Planning is good to do, it gives us structure. Flexibility, I am learning, is essential. Just as in stretching to be physically flexible, mental and situational flexibility will help me bend so I don’t break. So when things do go awry, I will still land on my feet. Even when my stomach doesn’t like it.