Hey guys!
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and get ready for some light (and probably boring) reading.
First I have to say how proud I am of how you're all dealing with this craziness. I think the easiest course of action would be to just give up. Races are being canceled. You're trying to work from home - some with spouses and kids around. You're trying to "homeschool" your kids - good grief! You're mourning the loss of group rides and runs. You can't swim. I could go on. Honestly, my instinct is to curl up on the couch and watch endless episodes of Love It or List It or binge watch Netflix. (Ask my husband, I'm REALLY good at couch surfing!) I would say that 80% of me wants to just do that. But, here's the deal. I'm an optimistic person by nature. I believe in working toward my goals regardless of the obstacles. I love being outside. I truly do love riding my bike and getting out for runs. And, I have to show my kids that there is purpose in moving forward. So, when all of this lifts, will we be ready to train and race? Or, will we be starting from scratch because we gave up. I can say with certainty that we will all be ready to train and race! So, keep working toward that finish line, regardless of when that finish line will occur. You're all doing awesome and should really be proud!
So, with that said, listen to your body and mind, and do what's right for you. I've always asked that you please include comments on your workouts even if it's a simple, "Workout felt good." More info is better, but some info works for me. Also, PLEASE comment when you miss a workout. This allows me to know what happened - you were sick, up all night with sick kid, work got crazy, etc. This also allows you to determine as you type your comments - is this a REASON or is this an EXCUSE. You'll start to recognize patterns here. And, you can self-identify excuses. I so appreciate when someone tells me why they missed the workout and acknowledges that it's an excuse and not really a reason. This will help us also identify patterns and make changes to your training. If you never make a Monday workout, let's make Mondays your rest days and go from there. We can work together to make training work for you.
Take advantage of our new schedules if that works for you. Get out for a lunch workout to break up your work-from-home day. If you love getting up early, go for it! If your work is flexible and you can work from 10-7 instead of 8-5, get your workout done in the morning and then hit the laptop. See what works for you. Also, be sure you are getting up to move during your workday. I usually take 15 minutes of each hour to get up and move - clean the kitchen, switch the laundry, harass Brian and the kids, etc.
I know many of you are conflicted about running and riding outside. All I can tell you is what I'm doing, and then you have to do what you're comfortable with. I have a bike trainer. I hate it. So, I ride outside whenever humanly possible. I've found that riding roads is so much better than bike paths right now. So many people are using bike paths to ride recreationally, walk with their families, walk the dog, run, etc. They are crowded. Since people are not driving as much, the traffic on roads is really light. So, I'm riding roads. I wear a buff around my neck and pull it up anytime I will be in proximity with other cyclists or even pedestrians who are on sidewalks near the road. And, I leave the buff on long after I've passed them as a precaution. In Highlands Ranch, all of our main roads have HUGE bike lanes. So, I'm definitely taking advantage of those. And, riding down into Chatfield, Deer Creek, etc. I only have about a mile or so of path to get down there. I don't have a treadmill at home. For running, I'm trying to avoid actual paths in the neighborhood if I'm going between about 10 and 5pm. They are also really busy. I'm just running sidewalks and some trails by my house. Again, pulling up the buff anytime I'm around people and for some time after we've passed each other. I'm no scientist, but I feel like there's probably less chance I'm going to pick up or transmit the virus outside than going to the store, etc. Do what you feel best with. If you are only comfortable running and riding inside, do that. Be smart, and be safe.
Do your strength training. I HATE strength training at home. I actually hate strength training alone. I love group workouts. But, here we are. So, get creative. Dare I say, I'm having some fun with this. I'm just finding workouts on youtube that only require small weights and resistance bands or only bodyweight as that's what I have available. This will help us all keep up our upper body strength. There are a ton of free options out there! Be careful getting into strength. You don't want to overdo it, so ease into it with no weight or lighter weights to start, etc. Go at your own pace even when following an online workout.
Several of you are concerned about swimming if races happen in June/July. Hopefully you're doing your strength training to keep some upper body strength. Once pools open, we'll do what we have to in order to build a base of swimming to get ready for our races. Maybe we won't have our fastest swims ever, but that's fine! If we can get into open water in late May, we'll do that. I don't love swimming OW before that as it's so cold that my muscles stay really tight and it can be so miserable that it's not worth it to me. We'll cross the swimming bridge when we get to that. For now, keep up with strength and be ready!
I have found that I drank more alcohol than normal and cooked up more comfort foods in the first few weeks of this thing. I was allowing myself to use food and alcohol a bit to cope, thinking this would be a few weeks and then back to normal. Looks like that's not quite the case. So, I'm still cooking some comfort food, but trying to get back to our normal, cleaner eating. And, I'm only drinking alcohol on weekends which is more normal for me, if I even do that. Alcohol really messes with my sleep as I get older, so I find that I drink less now. But, instead of drinking all the drinks like I was early in this thing, I'm getting back to my more natural habits. Something to think about as well. There are SOOOOO many pieces to this whole thing!
Even though my nature is to be optimistic, I'm still allowing myself to grieve the things we're missing. I'm definitely feeling all the feelings. Especially for my kids who miss school and soccer and their friends but rarely complain. Let yourself feel all the things. But, try not to let the negatives keep you down. I'm also reading Can't Hurt Me. It's got some pretty good mental tactics that I think are helpful when needing to push though tough things. Some I already employ and some new ones I will be using. So, maybe some light reading while you're bored in quarantine.
Lastly, I'm here if you need to talk. Give me a call, shoot me a message. Whatever works for you. If we need to adjust your training right now, let me know. We can do that! I'm here to help however I can.
I miss seeing your faces, but love following you on Facebook and getting your notes in Training Peaks and by email. Keep up the great work and be proud of everything you're doing right now!
Mary
