No Race? No Problem

No Race, No Problem

By Tyler Veerman

Since the spread of the Global Pandemic life has been at a standstill. Businesses are closed, parks have temporarily shutdown, and even worse…races have been postponed, if not cancelled! As society slowly trickles back to normalcy it is still uncertain as to whether races will happen soon or continue to get postponed. Athletes are forced to adapt to different racing schedules while their season gets pushed farther and farther back. No doubt, this can affect an athletes motivation to train. However there are plenty of ways to keep that fire going!

Here are 4 tips that have kept me motivated during these uncertain times

Allow yourself flexibility

Having structure in a training program can be extremely beneficial for any athlete however I’ve found that lately its been more beneficial for me to have a little flexibility in my training schedule. Right now performance isn’t necessarily my number one goal but rather having fun with my training, learning to enjoy the process, and still staying fit. Getting outside and being active in a multitude of ways has been my priority whether its sport specific or not. I usually enjoy activities like hiking (with & w/o weight vests), biking, and scrambling over massive rocks! That’s what I love so why not do what makes me happy? You can still find ways to include it into your training so don’t be afraid to mix it up!

Substitute races for FKT’s

FKT’s or “Fastest Known Time” is a term used to describe speed records that are set on any given route. These routes can be trail or road, on flat or mountainous terrain, and are usually well known throughout the area. These can be great alternatives for races since you are still competing against other athlete’s times. Since I live in Colorado I am privileged enough to have many exciting FKT’s around the area. I am currently planning on attempting one called the “Tenmile Traverse”. The goal is to stay on the ridge of a large mountain range and run all of the peaks as fast as possible in one push. Go onto the website fastestknowntime.com and see for yourself!

Explore new trails

There’s nothing worse than running on the same trail or road over and over again. In my opinion you aren’t giving your body the ability to adapt to new types of trails which I think helps tremendously especially if you train for Spartan Races. That’s why variety is the spice of life! There’s plenty of great resources out there to help you find exciting new trails like Alltrails, Trail Run Project, MTB project, or Strava. Some of these apps even allow you to create your own route so you can get as creative as you want with it. Check it out!

Hold yourself accountable

I don’t know about you but if I plan on doing something epic (like finishing all 58 of Colorado’s 14,000ft peaks) I let people know. One of the ways to keep yourself on track and stay committed is to hold yourself accountable for any goals you have. Tell your friends. Tell your family. Post on social media. Get it out there that you have something exciting planned and it will make it that much easier to stay motivated. Talk the talk then Walk the walk!!

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A little bit about Tyler: 

Born and raised in Illinois, now living in Colorado for 5 years.