Welcome to the Pandemic zone. As we all know, the past week or so has been crazier than anything I could even dream up to write. Obviously, like much of the world, my life has been in a constant state of upheaval for the last two weeks - there's no school, my husband is out of work, all the races are cancelled, and we look out the windows with a sense of trepidation...and at our news outlets with the "Alright, WTF we doin' now" sense of disbelief.
It's been unreal. Welcome to COVID-19. While I am in no way, shape or form, fit to give anyone advice on how to make it through this time, I've learned a few things along the way about living for the moment, appreciating the small things, and taking deep breaths. We could get into a great discussion about that. But it wouldn't really be my style, would it?
One of the things I really am grateful for is the ability to run and bike andswim. Aside from the fact that all pools closed as of Saturday and I'm not (quite) nuts enough to jump into the lake, I am still in full swing biking (indoors) and running (outdoors, as long as they let me!). I'll be honest...last week I had a few days of WTF am I doing out here, as all of my 2020 races are uncertain. What am I training for?? Then I realized how damned much I love what I do, and rather than training for an event, I was Training for LIFE.
I went on a gorgeous 14 mile run yesterday, and in the sunshiney goodness, I spent a few glorious hours reflecting and thinking about how darned lucky I am. And I also realized....it's gonna be okay. I'm gonna be okay. I'm sure you all will be as well, but I have to be honest here, as a triathlete, I have a set of very specific skills that make me a primo candidate for pandemic survival. It's just science.*
You know what it's time for....some good ole confessions! It's been a long time since I've posted a confessions blog, so in case you forgot (what a dork I am) here are a few goodies:
Confessions from an Ironman Mommy (Then vs. now)
Confessions of a Triathlete with a baby!
Confessions of a (Very) Pregnant Triathlete
And now, it's time for Confessions of a Triathlete: The Pandemic Edition
I posit that MOST triathletes are well equipped for Pandemic Survival. Here's why:
1. We Social Distance EXTREMELY well: You all know I'm an introvert. I can happily not talk to anyone for days. Honestly, this is true for most triathletes (as far as the ones that I know!) We ride for 4-6 hours at a time, solo, lost in the middle of desolate roads, usually with very few cars even passing by. We spend hours in the basement, riding a bike trainer, ALONE, and NOT GOING ANYWHERE. We disappear for two plus hour long runs without a word to anyone. We log solo miles on the hampster wheel treadmill. When forced, we also spend hours at the pool, where its pretty much impossible to talk to anyone during a 10x200 set on the 3:10 send off (I've tried. It doesn't end well). Social distancing for us is....uh...normal life.
2. Our Sport Mandates that we go at it alone for the largest portion of the race. During a triathlon, we can swim right on top of each other (though most athletes really don't get into deep conversations while jockeying for space in a small lake), we can run together (albiet by the run *most* of us don't care to really carry on conversation (I do. But I'm weird. You knew that)), but the longest portion of our race is the bike leg, which, according to triathlon rules, you must keep 12 meters of space between your bike and another athletes bike unless passing them (which you must do within 25 seconds). So, for an Ironman bike of 112 miles, we practice excellent social distancing for 5 plus hours at a time. We have plenty of practice to prevent the spread of this virus!
3. In general, we really don't like the swim anyways. One of the first steps taken during this outbreak was the closure of all gyms...aka....pools. Triathletes were sad about this for maybe 30 seconds until we realized that most triathletes suck at swimming and are, in fact, horrible swimmers to begin with. This provides a great excuse to escape the most hated discipline of the sport and focus on the other two that we actually do prefer to do....bring on the biking and running....sorry coach, I really CANT swim!!
(Note: I actually miss the hell out of the pool. I'll turn in my triathlete card now.)
(Note 2: Out of the three sports, I prefer the bike the least. This pandemic has given me no absolutely no excuse to opt out of that one...in fact...I'm now biking six days a week. Whoops. So much for #3).
4. As runners, we figured out the "No TP" thing a long time ago. It's a matter of fact. When you run, your mid section gets....um...jostled. Especially when you run fast...or long...or both. Every runner has a story of a long run potty stop gone wrong. (Mine just happens to be better than most, as it involved using Poison Ivy as TP. Note: I DO NOT recommend this). Either way, we have all popped a squat or used leaves as emergency TP (even if most people are, um, smarter than me with their choice of leaves). Lack of TP does not stop us. I should mention at this point that most of us a pretty gross anyways and lack any sense of normal human decency like wearing real clothes or showering at regular intervals. I do feel sorry for our significant others (but that's another story entirely).
5. We are Highly Equipped for this whole "Work from Home" thing. We basically hate pants. We have no fashion sense. Most of our wardrobe consists of race shirts, anyways. With the lack of expectation to go to an actual office, we can justify wearing our workout clothes 24/7. Showers optional (see above for the whole "pretty gross" reference.). 90% of my work wardrobe consists of running shorts, a sports bra, and some marathon shirt from 2011. Why do you think they call me "Pants"? (That's um....actually another story too. But now's not the time for that).
6. We can live off of food that expires in 2033. Our entire diet basically consists of sports drink, Gu's, and other pre packaged "Sports beans....gummies..." etc., AKA simple sugar digestibles that last forever. We can subsist off of these...um...culinary delights for up to 17 hours at a time for an ultra, and of course, use them judiciously in training sessions so that we can prep our stomachs for racing. Clearly, we also have a highly developed palate. Or...not. But we can certainly survive off of whatever scraps the masses have left behind at Wegmans. I'm also not afraid to eat the powerbar from 2011 I found at the bottom of my tri bag. True Story. I'm not that bright. You also knew that.
7. When we F*ck Up Social Distancing, at least its only with Avatars. Right now, our state is on lock down and you MUST exercise alone. I did a great social distancing run in the snow and sleet this morning. Seriously, not a soul out. Score. My husband (who really is smarter) decided to stay warm and get his workout in indoors on the bike trainer. Let's just say that these guys on Zwift....don't follow social distancing well. At all. Look at those avatars. Riding right next to each other without a care in the world. At least the Corona doesn't spread virtually. Yet. (Oh no...).
Aside from all the jokes, I hope everyone is doing as well as can be right now. It's been a tough time and at our home, we are dealing with it with a ton of togetherness, understanding, deep breaths, laughs, and as much snuggling as we can (we live together. It's ok). We also really are practicing social distancing and following the guidelines set out by the CDC and NYS as they come out. We will all get through this together (separately, in our own homes) and I am here (virtually) if anyone needs to chat, vent, or a bad meme to get them through this (I'm really good at the last one. Please pick that one. )
Stay safe!
*Note: All "Confessions" posts are meant to be tongue in cheek. Iswear I'm not this big of a jerk in real life.
**Though....to be fair.....you'll have to take my word on that for a pretty long time #socialdistancing
It's been unreal. Welcome to COVID-19. While I am in no way, shape or form, fit to give anyone advice on how to make it through this time, I've learned a few things along the way about living for the moment, appreciating the small things, and taking deep breaths. We could get into a great discussion about that. But it wouldn't really be my style, would it?
One of the things I really am grateful for is the ability to run and bike and
You know what it's time for....some good ole confessions! It's been a long time since I've posted a confessions blog, so in case you forgot (what a dork I am) here are a few goodies:
Confessions from an Ironman Mommy (Then vs. now)
Confessions of a Triathlete with a baby!
Confessions of a (Very) Pregnant Triathlete
And now, it's time for Confessions of a Triathlete: The Pandemic Edition
I posit that MOST triathletes are well equipped for Pandemic Survival. Here's why:
1. We Social Distance EXTREMELY well: You all know I'm an introvert. I can happily not talk to anyone for days. Honestly, this is true for most triathletes (as far as the ones that I know!) We ride for 4-6 hours at a time, solo, lost in the middle of desolate roads, usually with very few cars even passing by. We spend hours in the basement, riding a bike trainer, ALONE, and NOT GOING ANYWHERE. We disappear for two plus hour long runs without a word to anyone. We log solo miles on the
2. Our Sport Mandates that we go at it alone for the largest portion of the race. During a triathlon, we can swim right on top of each other (though most athletes really don't get into deep conversations while jockeying for space in a small lake), we can run together (albiet by the run *most* of us don't care to really carry on conversation (I do. But I'm weird. You knew that)), but the longest portion of our race is the bike leg, which, according to triathlon rules, you must keep 12 meters of space between your bike and another athletes bike unless passing them (which you must do within 25 seconds). So, for an Ironman bike of 112 miles, we practice excellent social distancing for 5 plus hours at a time. We have plenty of practice to prevent the spread of this virus!
3. In general, we really don't like the swim anyways. One of the first steps taken during this outbreak was the closure of all gyms...aka....pools. Triathletes were sad about this for maybe 30 seconds until we realized that most triathletes suck at swimming and are, in fact, horrible swimmers to begin with. This provides a great excuse to escape the most hated discipline of the sport and focus on the other two that we actually do prefer to do....bring on the biking and running....sorry coach, I really CANT swim!!
(Note: I actually miss the hell out of the pool. I'll turn in my triathlete card now.)
(Note 2: Out of the three sports, I prefer the bike the least. This pandemic has given me no absolutely no excuse to opt out of that one...in fact...I'm now biking six days a week. Whoops. So much for #3).
4. As runners, we figured out the "No TP" thing a long time ago. It's a matter of fact. When you run, your mid section gets....um...jostled. Especially when you run fast...or long...or both. Every runner has a story of a long run potty stop gone wrong. (Mine just happens to be better than most, as it involved using Poison Ivy as TP. Note: I DO NOT recommend this). Either way, we have all popped a squat or used leaves as emergency TP (even if most people are, um, smarter than me with their choice of leaves). Lack of TP does not stop us. I should mention at this point that most of us a pretty gross anyways and lack any sense of normal human decency like wearing real clothes or showering at regular intervals. I do feel sorry for our significant others (but that's another story entirely).
5. We are Highly Equipped for this whole "Work from Home" thing. We basically hate pants. We have no fashion sense. Most of our wardrobe consists of race shirts, anyways. With the lack of expectation to go to an actual office, we can justify wearing our workout clothes 24/7. Showers optional (see above for the whole "pretty gross" reference.). 90% of my work wardrobe consists of running shorts, a sports bra, and some marathon shirt from 2011. Why do you think they call me "Pants"? (That's um....actually another story too. But now's not the time for that).
6. We can live off of food that expires in 2033. Our entire diet basically consists of sports drink, Gu's, and other pre packaged "Sports beans....gummies..." etc., AKA simple sugar digestibles that last forever. We can subsist off of these...um...culinary delights for up to 17 hours at a time for an ultra, and of course, use them judiciously in training sessions so that we can prep our stomachs for racing. Clearly, we also have a highly developed palate. Or...not. But we can certainly survive off of whatever scraps the masses have left behind at Wegmans. I'm also not afraid to eat the powerbar from 2011 I found at the bottom of my tri bag. True Story. I'm not that bright. You also knew that.
Aside from all the jokes, I hope everyone is doing as well as can be right now. It's been a tough time and at our home, we are dealing with it with a ton of togetherness, understanding, deep breaths, laughs, and as much snuggling as we can (we live together. It's ok). We also really are practicing social distancing and following the guidelines set out by the CDC and NYS as they come out. We will all get through this together (separately, in our own homes) and I am here (virtually) if anyone needs to chat, vent, or a bad meme to get them through this (I'm really good at the last one. Please pick that one. )
Stay safe!
**Though....to be fair.....you'll have to take my word on that for a pretty long time #socialdistancing
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