The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic have been immense and far reaching for people in all parts of the world. One of these consequences has been the cancellation of races and, although this could be considered a minor sacrifice, it can be extremely demotivating for athletes not to have a race to train for. In this blog post, I describe the impacts it has had on my training and other aspects of my life.
When the lockdown began, I was weeks away from competing in an ultra-marathon and the longest race that I would have completed up to that point. I had just come off of winning a 45km trail race and my training was in a good place. When the lockdown was enforced I was gutted by the thought that I would not be able to test myself in a race that I was really looking forward to. Soon after, I went into a few months without any running due to strict lockdown restrictions.
Unexpected Opportunities…
All of a sudden I was stuck indoors. Within the confines of my two-bedroom apartment, I decided to work on my muscular strength (thanks YouTube HIIT workouts), and increase my running knowledge. Upon reflection, this had a major impact on both my running and my career. Much like getting stuck into a bag of Maltesers (let’s be honest – who doesn’t love a Malteser), the more you have, the more you want. I became absorbed by the idea of developing my knowledge as a runner to increase my running performance. Around this time I decided that I wanted to take my running one step further and become a running coach. I registered to complete my running coaching certification and the desire to learn more continued.
Back to Basics…
When running outside was allowed again I felt a renewed sense of motivation to train, and I was equipped with an improved understanding of training concepts to maximize the reward for my efforts. When there are races around the corner, it is easy to be solely focused on the next race on the calendar. As such, one often spends more time focusing on the more exciting runs like interval/tempo/fartlek sessions. I decided to use this unique situation to develop my running in a more balanced way and created training goals in the absence of training for a specific race.
Room for Improvement…
1. Increase my aerobic base – Increase my running mileage at a lower intensity (which I had previously neglected)
2. Rest and recover – Use the extra time available to get the rest I needed
3. Strength and mobility – I identified areas of weakness and developed them, so that when races start up again my body will be more prepared for the challenge
4. Improve my knowledge – Understanding how training affects my performance has had a massive impact on my motivation to get out the door for my next run
5. Exercise vs Training – Give myself the freedom to try new activities, forget the training metrics and enjoy the exercising. There will be a time when races start again and I will need to be more diligent with my training. Until that time, I relish the opportunity to try different forms of exercise.
I am now a few weeks away from my first race in over a year with a new sense of appreciation for lining up at the start with fellow athletes. We have all endured a very challenging period, but one that has increased our appreciation for the sport we love.