How Staying Home is Changing Fitness Routines
We are going through interesting times now. Many of us are adjusting our lifestyles in ways that we have never had to before. This is the time to look after one another.
I have asked some athletes about the impact of COVID-19 and changes to their lives. All forms of athletic activity are undergoing changes and restrictions.
The new balance includes furloughs, working from home, daycare, and homeschooling. And somewhere on the list is fitness.
Here are some comments about changes from coaches and athletes themselves.
Joe Puleo
(Coach of the Marine Corps Marathon team and co-author of the book Running Anatomy with Patrick Milroy)
I have noticed an increase in my athletes’ resting heart rate over the past four weeks. Since I control the programming of their workouts, I am confident that they aren’t over-training, and they report feeling healthy and not unduly fatigued. I hypothesize that the emotional stress from dealing with the changes in their work, training and racing, and family schedule, plus any possible financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, are elevating their resting heart-rates due to increased adrenaline and cortisol levels.
According to the Mayo Clinic, ‘Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure, and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. When stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on.’
To address the elevated heart rate, I ask my athletes to slow their normal pace or take extra rest days. The most difficult aspect of this issue is that the athlete rarely feels excessively fatigued…until they do. It’s like high blood pressure in that it’s insidious and relatively silent. I suggest monitoring your waking heart rate each morning. Most Garmin watches have this function.
Another suggestion regarding training during the pandemic is to incorporate strength training and movement (pilates) training given that racing season is put on hold indefinitely. Most runners lament that they don’t have enough time to fit in all the supplemental training they’d like to do. Now, without racing commitments is the perfect time! My book, Running Anatomy, is full of strength and movement exercises.
Leslie Knidling
Since the gym and pool are closed and we cannot exercise in a group (and since I’m recovering from a stress fracture), I’ve been doing more walking, exploring the woods around my home with short runs sprinkled in every other day. I’ve made conscious efforts to look around and appreciate nature. I heard whip-poor-rills yesterday morning and spied redheaded woodpeckers this morning. I’ve found wild blackberries and learned how to find the ripest, sweetest ones.
Denise Knickman
The pandemic has affected my exercise routine in a few ways. I normally do a combination of running, biking, and swimming. I cannot swim because the pool is closed. I would normally start biking outside with the Baltimore bike club about this time of year, but all club rides have been cancelled, so I have continued riding indoors with my bike on the trainer. I have been biking a bit more than usual since I cannot swim. There has been less impact on my running in that I can still get out of the house and run and feel some freedom, but I started to avoid the parks because it can be a challenge to keep social distance and I don’t want to run in a mask. It has impacted the social aspect of running since I cannot train with my Falls Road running team and can’t run the races I signed up for this spring that have since been cancelled. I do miss the social interactions from all forms of exercise but my phone, and things like Facebook and Zoom have helped to fill the void.
Megan DiGregorio
For me, our business was deemed non-essential, so we have shortened hours and fill online orders. Because of that I have been exercising more. As there are no races, I have set a goal to run 100 miles in one week, and this is helping to keep my mind off what is going on.
Note: Megan did achieve the 100 miles in a week.
Craig Greene
I can’t go to the gym for weight-training, so I have to be creative. Going to the gym may not safe for a while. For instance, I went to the park to run the long hill for 30 minutes on Wednesday. Afterward, I decided to do my core exercises at the top of the hill along with bodyweight workouts. It was nice to be at the top of the hill in the fresh air and to see the mountains. It brings you closer to nature, and it was very peaceful. I do my runs early in the morning, alone to avoid other runners. However, I do see other runners at times, and out of respect with eye contact, we all move to a safe distance. We want to adhere to the social distancing rules issued by our Governor.
On my track workout days, I get to the track by 0630 to avoid other runners. I try to get done before other runners get there, because a lot of people are using the track now. So far things are going well. I am enjoying my time off to train. It’s nice to see so many people taking advantage of their time off to use the track to get healthy. This will be a long process with the virus, but with patience and faith in God, we will get through it. Be safe and stay healthy.
Major Kelly Calway
I am honestly thankful every day that I get to go out for a run. I rely on running for more than exercise; it is my stress reliever, and I feel so fortunate to be able to continue to practice the sport I love during this challenging time. Many athletes are unable to practice due to gym closures and other restrictions, so I am aware of how lucky I am, despite some small changes to the way I exercise.
The biggest change to my exercise routine has been a lack of variety since I am only running from home now. Luckily, I have a few different areas to explore from home, but they are all quite hilly, so I will be improving on hills whether I like it or not.
The next challenge I have found is increased pedestrian traffic on my running routes. I am happy to see people out enjoying the areas that I run through daily. The parks and trails where I normally see no more than one or two other people have come to feel like my own private spaces over the years. Now, they are bustling with people out enjoying the flowers and kids learning to ride bikes. It’s a new challenge for me to adapt my routes to spaces where I can leave a six-foot or wider gap between myself and others. When in doubt, I just turn around to avoid getting too close to people. It’s tough for a calibrated runner who is used to running a route one way, but it’s the least I can do to help keep everyone safe!
Speaking of people, I normally don’t run with others too often because aligning schedules is too tough. Now everyone has the time and we are not able to run together! However, one special development that has come out of this pandemic is that my preteen daughter, who is normally exhausted from hours of swim practice each week, has taken to running. We have enjoyed many runs together, and I cherish the time I get to spend with her.
The lack of races to train for actually feels like a gift to me. I adore competing, but I often ignore my body and push through injuries to get to the starting line. I am constantly looking toward the next goal race and the cancellation of races has forced me to refocus a little and allowed space to listen to my body. I am fortunate to have other cardio options in my house, so I can get my workout in other ways, or not! The revelation that it’s OK to take an extra day or two of rest, particularly in this stressful time, has been beneficial to me.
Alisa Harvey
With my work hours being cut to zero due to the pandemic, I have had the freedom to complete fully-involved workouts. My fitness has improved. I have lost body fat and gained muscle.
Before the pandemic I was working five days per week from four to five hours per day. Also, I coached clients on weekend mornings. My workouts consisted of either a 30-minute distance run, a 20-minute aqua jog session in the pool, or a 10-minute stationary bike session and a few minutes in my gym’s weight room. On average I spent approximately one hour working-out, six days per week.
Lately, my daily training is relaxed and planned. As soon as I wake-up in the morning, I grab some fluid and a sports gel or fig bar. After I get dressed I either head to my garage where my home gym is located or go out for a run. In my garage I can run on the treadmill or use my stationary bike; I then complete a 40-minute strength training routine that consists of hand weights, ankle weights, kettlebells, bands, exercise balls, and a Roman chair. My runs vary from 30 to 50 minutes. I either go down to the local park and do my running drills and strides after or before a run. I might also go to the local school track and do a 30-minute interval workout, not including the warm-up and cool-down.
Chuck Engle
Most of my personal focus early this year was on my opportunity to race at the 2020 70.3 World Championships in Taupo, New Zealand. After suffering a broken wrist at last year’s 70.3 World’s in Nice, France, I was hoping for a much stronger showing during the 2020 season. I began a rigorous biking campaign on Jan. 1 with my first indoor 100-miler. I was able to amass more than 2,500 miles on the bike during the first three months of the year on an indoor trainer using the ZWIFT app. Many of us who have been using this interactive app watched the number of users soar as COVID-19 took hold of our planet. The pandemic forced cancellations of events and travel restrictions quickly became part of the day-to-day norm.
My wife and I had scheduled multiple marathons and triathlons as part of our training regime. With the introduction of COVID-19, our schedules were completely erased. Trips to races in Las Vegas, Kona, Roanoke, Orange County, Quantico, and other cities were no longer an option. We turned most of our personal focus to higher mileage on the bike, believing that soon enough we would return to the starting line. We still believe that we will race soon.
Despite travel restrictions we have used this “staycation” to spend significantly more time, at a safe distance, with many of my fellow community runners and extended friendships via virtual rides and runs. I’ve been blessed to share local parks and my love of running with many folks who would normally be at work or preparing to go to work. But due to furlough or permanently closed business doors, some have chosen to get outdoors and explore with me. Most have seen this as an opportunity to challenge themselves and improve upon fitness. I have been fortunate to act as a guide and coach for many locals as they sort through the next chapter after COVID-19.
Like many others, the race schedule was mostly eliminated for the first half of 2020, and racing has always been a big part of my weekly training program. But we have taken our open weekends as an opportunity to share our love of fitness with our local family and act as a resource for those who need an outlet. My mileage, overall, has remained the same. The quality of those miles, now being shared with more friends, has certainly been more memorable.
Michael Wardian
I am unable to meet my personal trainer, I am no longer doing group runs, my coaching business has basically dried up, travel and speaking is cancelled, and of course, all races are postponed or canceled.
That said, I am staying plenty busy doing virtual races, fastest-known times, and CrossFit, and my normal volume of running is remaining about the same if not bigger.
