Pandemic Survival Kit for TriathleteS

With training events and races getting cancelled left and right, it’s easy to feel unmotivated. But, now is the perfect time to reflect on your accomplishments and goals, build up your strength and endurance, give your body some TLC, and do all those PT exercises you were supposed to be doing all along. Plus, the living room is a great place to practice transitions! See below for some ideas and resources to keep you tri-ing. ​

Fitness

Strength exercises & suggestions from Coach Will of Tri-Hard

​

1. Level changes (squats, dead lifts, lunges, step ups etc – anything where your center of mass moves vertically.)
   
2. Pushing (pushups, shoulder presses, chest presses, dips etc – anything where your upper body is pushing a weight away from you. Every 3-6 weeks consider swapping from a vertical to a horizontal press which will help keep your development balanced.)
   
3. Pulling (rowing motions, pull ups, standing cable/band pulling/rowing, etc – any exercise where your upper body is pulling something towards you.)
   
4. Connectors/core (frankly, this is debatable. Not that your middle should be neglected, but that good exercise selections like those above are training it simultaneously. That said, I like to see folks include some things like planks up to 30”, various “crunching” motions, trunk rotations, back extensions etc to help improve your coordination and ability to transfer force through your body.)
   

Yoga

• Do Yoga With Me (videos)
  
• Yoga for Swimmers (videos)
  
• Yoga with Tim (videos)
  
• Yoga with Adriene (videos)
  
• Yoga poses for runners (poses)
  

Dry Land Swimming Exercises

• Long list of dryland workouts at home (links to videos)
  
• Pallof press/functional core strength (need bands)
  
• Finis dryland workouts (need bands)
  
• US Masters Swimming cross training resources
  

Be sure to check out USA Triathlon’s Instagram Feed for a laugh!

Cycling Workouts

• Five sample workouts for all levels of training
  
• 3 Indoor Cycling Workouts Under 1 hour
  
• Ultimate List of Indoor Cycling Workouts
  
• Sufferfest (offering a free 14-day trial)
  
• Fulgaz (also offering a free 14-day trial)

Running Workouts

• Three Hill Workouts (treadmill)
  
• Six Fartlek and Hill Workouts (treadmill)
  
• 18 Ways to Change up your Running Routine
  
• A zombie survival app is sure to keep you running…. ​
  

Workouts for when you REALLY need a change of pace:

• Zumba
  
• Retro Aerobics 
  
• Cardio Kickboxing Workout
  
• Heavy Metal Yoga
  
• Richard Simmons: Dance Your Pants Off!
  

Entertainment

Podcasts

• Humans of Triathlon https://anchor.fm/humansoftriathlon 
  
• Crushing Iron https://crushingiron.com/podcasts/ 
  
• TriDot https://tridot.com/podcasts/ 
  
• Yogi Triathlete https://www.yogitriathlete.com/podcast-yogitriathlete/ 
  
• Swim Bike Mom https://swimbikemom.com/podcast 
  
• I’ll Have Another with Lindsey Hein https://lindseyhein.com/podcast-2/ 
  
• Ali on the Run https://www.aliontherunblog.com/ali-on-the-run-show-podcast/ 
  
• The Rambling Runner https://anchor.fm/theramblingrunner 
  
• Tough Girl Podcast https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com 
  
• The Cycling Podcast https://thecyclingpodcast.com 
  
• The Velocast Pro Cycling Podcast http://slowride.wideanglepodium.libsynpro.com 
  
• Slow Ride http://slowride.wideanglepodium.libsynpro.com 
  
• Effortless Swimming http://effortlessswimming.libsyn.com 
  
• Kick Set https://www.usaswimming.org/utility/landing-pages/club/kick-set ​
  

Jams

Some teammate-created Spotify playlists to pump up your workouts!

• Tri Spin (by Alyson) 
  
• Don’t Stop (by Lindsay)
  
• HTFU (by Jillian)
  
• Bike Trainer: 80’s ​
  

Reads

• Check out WWMS’ virtual bookshelf on GoodReads for recommendations! Join us for our next “choose your own book” club meeting to chat about what you’ve been reading lately.
  
• Becoming a Mindful Triathlete (great article by Coach Will)
  

Other Activities

Bike Maintenance

Wheelworks is still open, by appointment only. Drop your bike off for a tune-up or pick up some extra accessories. 

Cooking

Check out our new WWMS team recipe book here, and please feel free to contribute your own favorite recipes!

Our Teddie PB baking competition at last year’s Tri-Night was a hit! Now is a great time to experiment and tweak your recipes for Tri-Night 2020. Who will be the champion??

Crafts

Here are some DIY ideas for displaying all those bibs and medals

Shopping

If you are able, now may be the perfect time to do a little online shopping and support our wonderful sponsors. Several of them are local businesses and may be especially struggling from the current closures. Discount codes are available for teammates via our website. 

Staying Connected

Isolation can feel very, well, isolating. Below are some ways you can stay connected with teammates from a distance. 

• Join our WWMS Strava “Club” - share your solo workouts, give each other kudos, and stay motivated! 
  
• Share pictures and workout ideas to the team’s FB or IG (you can use #WWMSquaranteam). Let’s see who will have the best social distance selfie! We also love seeing how our families are staying active. Share what you’ve been doing with WWMS mini-teammates (did you hear about this dad who put his daughter through NFL combine drills?!) 
  
• Keep checking your email for info on virtual team Zwift rides, virtual book clubs, and more fun. Virtual team social? Plank-off competition? It’s all possible - stay tuned! 
  

Covid-19 has turned our world upside and is affecting people in many different ways. For most of us, triathlon is not at the top of our priority list at the moment. However,  it is encouraging to see the support this community has shown for one another during this difficult time. I am proud of our team for doing our part to stay at home and flatten the curve, as difficult as it may be. I hope that this guide can provide a small respite from the worry we are all feeling and a reminder that you are not alone! Be well 💚

​