The following are some (hopefully) fun alternatives to your schedule:

  1. Keep the fire inside you alive! If your races are far in the future, keep them on your calendar and plot out the course on your home turf. How can you replicate “like” kind of racing where you are?
  2. Set the start time and recruit your fellow friends and training mates to join you. Social workout groups may be canceled but you can still reach out to the people you‘re closest to.
  3. Ask friends to help set up similar transition zones and aid stations on your longer endurance workouts.
  4. Have a race plan for each discipline. You may need to switch the order of your event to accommodate the nuances of your home race environment. The following are three alternative workouts which combine a strength component (S), plus swim-bike-run (S/B/R):
    • (S) of 3 x 20 stretch cord full butterfly pulls alternate with 12 box jumps with rest interval (RI) of 30”
      Do the butterfly pulls + box jumps in succession, then RI 30” and transition to SBR of 20’ of each discipline.
      RI 5‘, then repeat the entire (S) and S/B/R set again.
    • Swim 1500 and get out on the deck after each 500 and pump off 15 push-ups + 10 upward/ downward dogs, then transition to R/B of 30’ event, finish with a 500 Swim on the end.
    • R/B/S of their choice time duration + 3 (S) exercises in continuum for 12’. Repeat the R/B/S and (S) exercises.
      This would be a fun twist!
  5. Can you include a charitable cause and invite others to join you on race day? Race for a cause and incorporate a greater sense of purpose.
  6. Have your friends take pictures from the outset to the finish. Share them!! In this time of uncertainty, we all could use some success stories and compassionate motivation.
  7. You may not have a host of people clapping or yelling but your race day is about you, not the people at the finish line.

Lastly, don’t let the season waste away. The gratification is from the day to day quest to be ready, so do it.