Kilimanjaro marathon race week 2 days to go
February 28, 2020
Every cloud has a silver lining- Covid 19- race cancellations, travel bans, self quarantine- managing your training by David Thuo
You have trained hard for months. Some of us had even tapered, suitcases ready, body packed with energy ready for the blast. Then Kaboom..Your “Race is cancelled.”
If yours was amongst the first ones to be cancelled (mine was-Tokyo 2020), the news could have been devastating. If it was not amongst the first ones, you have probably been anticipating it but at the same time have been walking with your fingers crossed. Then eventually the bombshell is dropped. You mostly get to hear of it via social media in one or more of your running groups. Even then you sink. –A lot goes into race preparation, time, energy, emotions, name it. Having a race also gives some focus. Something to work towards, something to bite on. Now you are unsure about how to proceed.
I had quickly booked Vienna when Tokyo was cancelled, then booked Lewa when its registration opened. Now we don’t even bother try. We know the story, Vienna, Paris, Two Oceans and many others cancelled, Boston and London postponed and now we have most of the major races weeks apart.
Precautions to take as runners. Health and safety of runners is important-
- Wash your hands very frequent
- No hands shaking, no hugging
- Keep a social distance in public areas of 5 feet
- Stay at home with any first indication of flue, fever, Cough etc.
- When you have to Cough, don’t do it in your hands, but in your elbow
- Wash your cloth, cups more often than you do now, clean the surfaces you frequently touch regularly (iPhone, Desktop)
Immunity,running and nutrition
- Studies show that moderate exercise boosts the immune system so it is in your best interest to keep on running.
- There is also plenty of research that shows that hard training can cause a dip in your immune system so take note
- Focus on your nutrition to boost immunity. Eat colorful vegetables and fruit to boost vitamin C.Eat fresh and give your body lots of nourishment.
- Take more vitamin D-We have lots around us here in Africa but supplements too will help-It appears to be helpful in upper respiratory Most of us, and especially athletes, are deficient in Vitamin D.
- Stay Hydrated. We all tend to live in an under-hydrated state and that weakens our immune system
How do we then proceed. How do we train….
We must step back and ask ourselves why do we run. Why do we keep fit? Some of my reasons
- Our health is our greatest wealth. We run for good health-The greatest asset we can ever have. Many have destroyed their health looking for wealth and eventually spent lots on treatment.
- We enjoy the runs. Especially the runners high
- Running helps in maintaining good body shape and size
- Stress relief-Runs are very therapeutic
- For a greater course-Charity etc
- Improved energy levels
- To test our capabilities
- To be part of a greater community
Lets keep running. The race and medal is just but a cherry on the cake.But a sweet cherry.
Medal collection courtesy of @Runfit Club
How can we make use of the time in our hands
More often than not, we find ourselves with limited time to train as much as we would love to when there is a race. As a result we pack too much in a short period and even then can only do so much. This is a golden opportunity to work on your weak areas while maintaining your strong holds-
- Work on building your endurance gradually without pressure
- Is your Core strength a concern, Have a program? Strengthen it
- Many of us say “I’m not good on hills” or this or the other. Find a hill, add this to your training program
- Do you have a nagging niggle or injury? Take rest. Heal well
- Do you have a certain goal? Sub 3,sub 3:30,sub 4,Sub 4.15 on the marathon. Sub 1.30,1:45,2hrs .Get help, Have a plan, work towards it, have little milestone runs to check progress. Plan for a test run, plug into the races or club runs that would work as your race.
- There are challenges available on Strava, garmin etc that keep the training fire going. Plug into some of them.
- If not training towards any particular run, scale down the intensity and volume to avoid injury
Stay ready, be prepared,The training you do today lays a foundation for your future runs.
The races will be back…Some day.Stay ready
In Summary-Every cloud has a silver lining.Find the silver lining in the thick of the cloud.When the races do eventually get back,you will be in a way better place
Courtesy/Related articles
https://www.runnersworld.com/training/a31555466/race-postponed-due-to-coronavirus/
