Ready or Not...Here I Come

What if readiness isn’t a state... but a decision?

Author

Ed Clementi
July 07, 2025

68 days ago, I signed up for the Spartan Super — a 10K obstacle race through the unforgiving terrain of the Pocono Mountains. It's longer, tougher, and more demanding than the Sprint I completed last year. More distance. More grit. More weight on the body. More moments that ask: How bad do you want this?

And from the moment I committed, I believed I could do it.

But not everyone agreed.
“Are you sure this is smart?”
“You’ve already proven yourself.”
“Your body’s telling you something.”
“You’re 49 now. Why risk it?”

And that’s exactly why I am doing it.

Not because I need to prove anything to anyone.
But because I choose not to live a life where doubt calls the shots.

When the Plan Unravels

I had 74 days to train.
I made a plan. A real one.
And I came out of the gate strong.

Cardio. Daily runs. Grip strength. Upper body.
Early mornings. A focused mind. A fire that was alive and well.

But then… life did what life does.
It threw curveballs.

A swelling knee — the one I had surgery on a few years back.
Work priorities. Family stuff. Distractions that weren’t excuses — they were real.

I adapted. Switched to the bike. Bought a brace. Focused on weights.
Stayed in motion.

But training didn’t go as planned.
There were days I missed. Routines that got reshuffled.
And if I’m honest, more than a few mental battles about whether I’d done enough.

The Voices We All Hear

As the race got closer, the voices got louder.

"You didn’t train right."
"You’re not ready."
"You should wait for next year."

But here’s what I’ve learned about those voices:
They don’t go away when the calendar flips.
They follow you.

And sometimes, you just have to decide to move anyway.

To lace up.
To get on the road.
To feel the doubt — and still step forward.

What If Ready Isn’t What We Think?

Because maybe ready isn’t about the perfect plan.
Maybe it’s not about flawless execution or full confidence.

Maybe ready is simply this: choosing to show up anyway.

Not blindly. Not recklessly. But bravely.

Even if it’s not perfect.
Even if the preparation was messy.
Even if you had to pivot, adjust, or start over.

There’s a truth I’ve come to love lately. One I keep in my back pocket when the path gets hard:

Done is better than perfect.

A quiet but powerful reminder that the point isn’t to be flawless.
The point is to finish. To go. To live fully inside the commitments, we make to ourselves.

6 Days Out

So here I am — 6 days out.

Do I know how it’s going to go?
No.

Will the heat wear me down?
Maybe.

Will my knee scream halfway through the mountains?
Probably.

But I’ll be there.
With two good friends beside me.
With heart.
With grit.
With whatever strength I’ve got left in the tank.

And I’ll finish. One way or another, I’ll finish.

For You, Too

I’m sharing this because maybe you’re carrying something right now too.

A goal you committed to — but the plan didn’t go as planned.
A dream that’s been interrupted.
A challenge that no longer looks picture-perfect from where you stand.

Maybe you’ve been waiting to feel ready.

Let me say this clearly:
You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to begin.
Not next year. Not when the stars align. Now.

The Voice That Still Lives in Us

When I was a kid, we used to shout before every game of hide and seek:
“Ready or not… here I come!”

Maybe we need more of that voice in our lives.
The kid who didn’t overthink it.
The kid who didn’t need certainty to act.
The kid who ran toward the unknown because showing up was the only option.

I turn 50 next year. And I’m still learning that lesson.

So next Saturday, I won’t be wondering if I’m ready.

I’ll be on that mountain.

Running. Climbing. Crawling.
Living.

Ready or not… here I go.

With Absolute Sincerity,

Ed Clementi, Founder & CEO of Inspired Fire, LLC

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