Michael Phelps once swam and won an Olympic race without goggles after they fell off at the start. As a swimmer and former waterpolo player, I’m familiar with the pain of opening your eyes underwater. It’s not nice at all. With waterpolo you can sort of get used to it, because you don’t have to do it too often, but swimming a whole race? No thanks.

You can do all the conditioning training you want. Swimming in clothes, swimming with a weighted belt, swimming without goggles. But the unpredictable does happen.

That’s why it’s called the unpredictable.

So when conditions become less than ideal, what do you do?

Easy.

Buck it up. Accept it. Go ahead in spite of the conditions. Show them what you’re made of. But more importantly, show yourself what you’re made of.

Less than ideal, a chance to prove yourself.