I have a lot of questions from my athletes recently, regarding my thoughts on the season ahead and whether or not there will be races as we know it. I thought I would share my thoughts at this point in time. While I don't claim to have all the answers, this can help to keep you staying positive in these uncertain times:
Obviously, none of us know if there will be races in 2020, or if races will be postponed to late summer and fall. I suggest planning out a couple of scenarios in your head, so you are mentally prepared for anything!
Scenario #1) Races are cancelled for 2020.
Prepare yourself mentally for this to happen and make a "what if" plan. Everyone is going to be different here! Some people will look toward 2021, some will need a break, some will work on weaknesses, some will continue as normal...
For me, I have been working on bringing back some speed in the run and working on strength on the bike. I have personal goals that I have in mind that I will continue to work on. In the meantime, I will continue to race the Iron Fit Endurance Virtual races that I have set up for my athletes. I also plan on hopping into other virtual races (like Rev 3) from time to time. I feel like this will give me an opportunity to test myself.
I encourage my athletes to do the same! For example, our Iron Fit Endurance April Virtual Duathlon was a huge success! Iron fit Endurance athletes really stepped up to the plate and pushed themselves! We have an IFE Strava group set up so we can see what everyone is doing and encourage one another. There was a real "race feel" to this event and I will be making up new events monthly for my athletes to test themselves and encourage one another!
I personally feel great satisfaction in working hard and pushing myself, so I will continue to do so even if races are cancelled for 2020...What will your 2020 look like if there are no "official races?"
Scenario #2) There are late summer races and races in the fall:
Perhaps races do end up happening in the late summer and fall...what is your plan then? Do you still plan on training for your big "A" race? Do you keep yourself in good enough shape to make that decision at a later date? Do you just hold off on focused training for another year? Do you keep up with training but race in 2021 instead?
Again, this will be different for everyone!
Having a PLAN helps to keep us focused and on track no matter what the outcome is!
2020 may not be what you had originally hoped for but being flexible and readjusting goals and plans will help to keep you in a positive mindset!
Happy Training and racing and Stay Safe!
Dee :-)