How to Adjust Your Training Plan for COVID-19

author : k9car363

comments : 2

Coping strategies, and timing and strategy for altered triathlon race timing

What a crazy few weeks this has been. As you are all surely aware by now, Coronavirus is here and impacting our daily lives in ways that many of us could not have imagined. While this is being written with athletes in the United States in mind, the general sentiment of my comments will apply equally to those of you that might be reading overseas.

I’ve received questions from a whole bunch of athletes that can be summarized by, “What does all that is going on mean for me?”

Several races where I am, here in the Indiana/Kentucky area, have been canceled. Indeed, races nationally and internationally, across all sports, have also been canceled. The Ironman Group said in a statement, “We expect that there are going to be substantial and widespread event postponements in the coming weeks and months.” Clearly the race schedule for many of you will be different than planned. How long the uncertainty will hang over the race schedule is unclear at this point and largely dependent upon how effectively the government and society, in general, respond to the outbreak. I think it’s reasonable at this point to anticipate disruptions at least 10-12 weeks into the future. However, if we look to China as a guide, and recall that China essentially locked-down 1.2-billion people in a way that is unlikely to happen in the United States, life is just now beginning to return to a more normal routine. That’s 3 ½ months after the first case of COVID-19. That implies we should all be prepared for a lengthy disruption in the race schedule.

I was texting with one of my athletes the other day and he pointed out that “No one can stop me from using my trainer.” I love that attitude! Many of you have heard me say, “Control what you can and forget about the rest.” This is a situation where, to some extent, that directive applies. We can’t control what’s going to happen to the race schedule. We do know that at some point, racing will return. We can’t control what’s going to happen at some of the training facilities we use. It’s highly likely many will close in the coming days and to that end, I just received a text from an athlete indicating the pool he trains at will be closing tomorrow. We do know, however, that at some point, normalcy will return. We CAN control our training. Most of you are preparing for ‘A’ races that won't be held until the summer months. Considering that fact, I submit nothing has changed. Racing will return, and if you are planning to participate, you need to be ready and should continue training. Training for a triathlon, almost by definition, IS social distancing. For those of you that are into a build for an early season race – you likely have a very high level of fitness at this point. With the return to racing uncertain, you may want to consider a mini-break, or at least reduce your volume for some time. You can easily find yourself in a situation where your fitness level is unsustainable. If you continue training at the same volume, you’d simply be inviting a plateau.

Here’s a link to the CDC webpage where you can learn the most recent information and find guidelines on how to best protect yourself and your family - https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.

Folks, we WILL get through this. It is a fluid situation that may require constant adaptation, but brighter days will return. I welcome your thoughts and comments on our training forum.

Coach Scott

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date: March 31, 2020