Coronavirus is changing life as we know it

Let’s start with the elephant in the room… or the “hot topic” at the moment: Coronavirus or Covid-19. Not something we wished for, but this is the sad reality we are living at the moment. Coronavirus is changing our lives at the start of 2020 in terms of social contacts, health, economy, sports and probably in many other aspects that we couldn’t have imagined. Governments announce states of emergency, school close, people work from home. And this is just the start of what is coming.

I see runners being disappointed or sad because of their running event or marathon being canceled or like in Bath Half Marathon just carrying on. Cyclists having their competitions canceled as well and being forced to retreat indoors. And the whole professional sports calendar turned upside down. On an amateur level Coronavirus hits also pretty hard, because competitions motivate us to be the best version of ourselves and to train hard for a goal.

But my question is, isn’t it a luxury that we can attend these kinds of events? There are worse things in the world than not being able to participate in a competition or rescheduling it. We should accept what is happening and act responsibly for us and for the others surrounding us. And most important we should act now by having no social contact with others. Definitely, this is a test for our modern society bigger than any crisis. We are forced to rethink how we live on this planet and to reset our values, reset our traveling. The planet will thank us for that as well.

As we watch with interest and maybe anxiety about how the situation develops there should be no place for panic. It only does worse! Instead, we should be all cautious and responsible with our hygiene and our social encounters. Stay inside at the moment for a better world. It’s good to make educated choices. It’s good to seek information from reputable sources, such as the World Health Organization or local authorities. It’s good not to put yourself and others in danger by spreading this virus. It’s good if we put less pressure on medical services at the moment. It’s at least we could do now.

What my plan was…

Now about what I had in mind for this year, not many things actually. The plans for another ultra (2 Oceans Marathon) were delayed until another year in the future. Maybe because of pure luck or maybe by providence. Just one thing was getting shape. Secretly, I was also planning to run my 10th marathon in the city where I run my first marathon: Rotterdam. That would have been nice. I even thought of carrying my own water and food and avoiding contact with others as much as possible for obvious reasons. But now that ‘the mooiste‘ is canceled, for good reasons, I am being more reserved on making any plan B or C or whatever plan. In 2018, when I couldn’t run the Chicago Marathon, I learned it the hard way that long term plans can sometimes unfold in ways that you cannot imagine. So, it’s better to be happy when you can accomplish your plans, enjoy it and make nice memories. There will be enough chances to run in an organized marathon once all this pandemic is behind us. And hopefully, it will be!

In hindsight, I don’t regret running 4 marathons and 2 ultras in 2019. That was me enjoying running in organized competitions. But now are different times, so require different measures and different behaviors from us all. What is sure is that for the coming period, the running will be less social, because it is good to restrict the spread of Coronavirus.

How can we go on?

Even with Coronavirus wandering around, it doesn’t mean that we cannot keep on running or training individually. Of course, having some social support is beneficial, but it doesn’t need to be physical for now. Just put your activity on a social network, or in a running group where peers can still encourage you.

Physical activity can give a boost to your immune system as long as you practice it with moderation. Too much training can, on the other hand, weaken your immune system. It is a fine line in between. And this is supported by various sources: Strava, Guido Vroemen, Rob Veer, Susy Q&A

What I aim for in the following period is to improve my fitness base. However, will skip very long endurance runs or rides for now. As I assume there will be no marathon for a while, it is not necessary to stay in a permanent standby phase or to reach a peaking phase. For sure (or at least is what we all hope), the second half of the year will be busier and that requires also to be physically well prepared.

On another note (for those taking part in the Abbott Marathon Majors), this year could mean a fast track year: Boston – September 14th, Berlin – September 27th, London – October 4th, Chicago – October 11th and New York November 1st. Only Tokyo missing from the list.

These times open up possibilities to do what has been delayed for a while like learning something new, reading the books that we often put off, or cooking, cleaning up the house, watching a few series, exercising with our own body weight or maybe just taking a run on your own. Or just to turn this terrifying and isolating moment into an opportunity to master the art of solitude.

Coronavirus is changing and challenging our life as we know it but it doesn’t mean we need to give up! This can mean a blank page for a new begining.

Stay healthy! Stay safe! Reduce social contact but keep sporting! 🙂 You own this to your body and to your mind!