Starting Lines
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
-Arthur Ashe
By Tower 26 Coach and Athlete, Danielle Liubicich
This has been an unprecedented year filled with challenges and struggles that will continue to impact us in many ways for years to come. It has also been a year for communities coming together, listening and learning from one another, supporting those in need, and collectively being grateful for the opportunities we’ve been given.
As we continue to move through the 2021 race season, the different experiences we have all had over the past year will become more evident as some will be racing hard and others may not be able to make it to the start line. As we embrace the hope brought by the arrival of the 2021 season, we may also want to take a moment to reflect upon where we have been, where we hope to go, and how we may continue to support others along the way.
Here are a few thoughts to get us started on this journey, together!
#1 Gratitude
Even if this race season looks very different from those in the past, you need to miss an event, or are not able to race at this time, we are all still part of the Tower26 family and can still contribute to the sport as supporters, fans, and teammates! We can train together virtually or in person, join team meetings, track our teammates on race day, cheer in person, and volunteer at events. Approaching the season with an attitude of gratitude for what we have been able to do in the past year together, and are still doing as a team, will make all the difference on the toughest days or while watching races from the sidelines. Please know that you being a part of this community means something to your teammates, and we appreciate you regardless of your times on race day.
#2 Listen to your body
As we increase our training intensity, it will be really important to keep checking in with and listening to our body, this year more than ever. Appreciate that we are all in different places along our fitness journey this year, regardless of prior racing years or notions of where we may have been at this time of the season in previous years. Do what you can to keep moving forward and use the strength of your team whenever you need a boost!
On a serious note, if at any time during your training you do not feel well, have developed new or unusual symptoms or are experiencing anything that concerns you, please back off the effort level and focus on recovery. Visit a professional who can help determine whether your symptoms are caused by overtraining, illness, or some underlying condition of which you may not have been previously aware. Please reach out to others for assistance in accessing the resources you may need to maintain your overall wellness. Please count on your teammates and coaches to be there for support too!
#3 Empathy
Although everyone's experience has been somewhat shared over this past year, in many ways what we each went through has been incredibly unique. The things many people have faced, or are still dealing with, may not be visible to others, but they are there and are very real. Be mindful of everyone’s diverse life experiences always, and appreciate they may be very different from your own. Our team has done a fantastic job supporting one another all year, so let’s keep moving forward together and continue to be there for one another through 2021 and beyond!
#4 False starts & hope
I have been so fortunate to participate in this wonderful sport for many years, and as much as I know this is an activity I do for fun, I really do love to race. I may not be the fastest out there, but I enjoy the training process and the experience of race day, regardless of the results. I truly do smile every mile while I am out there because I know how lucky I am to get to do these things!
On a personal note, this season will look dramatically different for me as it will for many athletes, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts so that others who may be struggling will know they are never alone. Over the past year I have had many false starts to my training as I have been dealing with some ongoing health issues that are consistent with what medical professionals have described to me as post-COVID-19 syndrome as it presents in many athletes they have seen. I am incredibly grateful to be as healthy as I am at the moment and to be able to continue exercising, be part of the team, and support others as a coach and teammate. I am super thankful for those who have helped me, especially the medical professionals working tirelessly throughout the past year. I am also hopeful there are many more athletic adventures ahead!
One of my mantras has been, and will always continue to be, “Do the best with what you’ve got on any given day” (similar to the wonderful Arthur Ashe quote above). This has helped me focus in the past year and always adds valuable perspective no matter what I am going through or what challenge lies ahead. Borrow one of these quotes if they are ever helpful in any way or find one that resonates with you more! Remain hopeful and continue to move forward, together, using the strength and support of your team!
Coach Danielle :)
For an overview of current knowledge of what many people refer to as long COVID-19, please check out this review article from Nature Medicine (highly reputable, leading scientific journal). It offers an overview of the various body systems potentially impacted, suggestions for patient care (need for interdisciplinary teams), and draws from all current studies published at the time. It is a great reference for anyone wanting to learn more.
Nalbandian, A., Sehgal, K., Gupta, A. et al. Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. Nat Med 27, 601–615 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-021-01283-z
For a great article with some athlete stories, please check out this NY Times Article:
Helping Runners with Long Covid Get Back on Their Feet
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/09/well/move/long-covid-recovery-runners.html?smid=url-share
More from Coach Danielle:
If you are wondering why I started doing all the virtual climbing on Zwift… it was one of the only activities I could find where I could challenge myself both mentally and physically (like racing!) while keeping my HR in check. I could monitor my HR the entire time and adjust my effort accordingly.
Even though the athlete in me wants to keep pushing myself (especially at this time of year), and even though I am guilty of feeling down about my ongoing streak of event DNS’s, I also completely appreciate that mental and physical health is much more important than any season or race. I will always be thankful for the ability to be involved in this great sport, even when I can’t race.
