I think at this point most of us are realizing/accepting that our “new normal” will be here to stay for a while. As communities begin reopening we will slowly get back to doing some of the things we are used to, but they won’t be the same as before. That probably goes for our running too, at least for a little while longer. Even if gyms reopen and races start being held again, will we do those things without feeling constant worry that we will get sick or spread the virus? We may need to think about shifting our running focus during COVID-19.
Why and How to Shift Your Running Focus During COVID-19
As I think about the future of running, for the next few months to a year or so, there are many questions and unknowns. I try to stay positive about most situations but I also want to be realistic. I don’t want to get myself excited for a goal race this fall if chances are that it won’t happen (or that I won’t feel comfortable running in it). If I was already signed up for a race this fall I may feel differently.
In my virtual discussions with others I get the sense I am not the only one who feels this way. It can be discouraging to feel like you have no direction or goal with your running. I love running “just to run” but I feel like that will only last for so long until I either lose motivation, get bored, or overdo it and end up getting injured or burnt out.
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For today’s post I wanted to share some ideas for how and why to shift your running focus during COVD-19. These are all things I have been thinking about for myself and I have a feeling others can probably relate to.
Why Might You Want to Shift Your Focus?
As I said, we may be in this situation for the long haul. And by that I mean needing to stay at least 6 feet away from others, wear a mask in public, and only gather in small groups. This could impact group fitness activities and races. Here are a few reasons you may want to shift your focus.
- You are struggling to stay motivated without a race to work towards
- You are not enjoying running as much as you usually do
- You’ve stopped running, even though you want to continue
- You are running high mileage/intense workouts for no real reason and are putting yourself at risk of burnout
- You are feeling lost without a training plan
I’ve experienced many of these over the past 2 months. I’ll actually spend a few weeks doing higher mileage and harder workouts and then lose motivation for a few days or weeks. I definitely feel a little lost without a plan, although in some ways it’s nice to go with the flow.
How to Shift Your Running Focus During COVID-19
So if you are experiencing anything I listed above, you might want to consider shifting your focus temporarily. By this I mean not focusing quite so much on your running/training, although you certainly can and should continue running if you want to!
Focus on Strength
This is such a great time to build strength! Consider getting a few items to have at home, and spend a few months making strength your main focus. Usually runners will run first and then strength train, so their legs are fresh for their run. Try strength training first, so you can really put in the work there. Try to work towards lifting heavier and not worry so much about your legs being tired for your next run. You can take it really easy or skip it if you are sore. If you usually strength train 1-2 times a week, try bumping it up to 2-3 times.
Conquer your Weak Spots
We all have those areas that give us trouble, and we may even feel like we are often toeing the line of injury there if we do too much. Take some time to really address your issues. I’ve always had issues with my hips and low back, and after my c-section my core is even weaker so I know that I will continue having back issues if I don’t strengthen these areas. Now is a great time to do some prehab/rehab for those trouble spots.
Educate Yourself
Use this time to learn more about running by reading and researching areas that interest you. It’s helpful to know why you are doing certain workouts even if you are following a training plan that was completed for you. Maybe you also want to learn more about mental training or injury prevention. Just make sure if you are using the internet for information about injuries that you are going to a reliable source.
Improve your Nutrition
I have really slacked off with my nutrition over the past year. It’s not that I eat junk food all day or anything like that, it’s more that I just grab things that are quick and I usually don’t eat something soon enough after I work out. I’ve been working on meal prepping more and even trying to bake some healthy snacks that I can grab after a workout. I know many of us have struggled with our eating even more while being quarantined for various reasons. We need to remember that in order to run well we need to fuel our bodies well. 
Determine Your Long Term Running Goals
I think that most runners think about their running goals for about a year in advance. Often at the end of a calendar year we start planning out our races for the following year. Maybe you do half-marathons a few times a year, or one big marathon a year. Or maybe you just like to jump into local 5ks as often as possible. But what about your long term running goals? What do you want to accomplish in the next 5 years? 10 years? By the end of your running career? Do you hope to run for as many years as possible, and what will you need to do to make that happen? Thinking about long-term goals can help drive some of the things to focus on now, and can also help us to put things in perspective.
If you are happy with how running is going for you right now, that’s awesome! But maybe you want to just keep these things in mind if things start to change for you in the coming months. While I hope we can all be back to happy, carefree running sooner rather than later, I think it’s important to have a plan in case that doesn’t happen.
Are you struggling to stay motivated with your running right now?
Have you shifted your running focus at all during COVID-19?
Have you set any long-term running goals for yourself?
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Excellent points, thank you, Lisa!
Perhaps the one that speaks to me most is having long-term running goals. For me, it’s being a fit and healthy 70-year-old runner.
I have always loved running for running’s sake. I just enjoy being outdoors and pounding out the miles – races or no races.
Yes, I agree with that! It helps me to put things in perspective when I think about running for many more decades. It makes the day to day workouts, paces, and races seem less important.
The risk of burnout is real, especially with the high stress of everything else during the pandemic. I’ve removed most intensity from my training and focused on building up my weekly mileage and strength training consistently.
Exactly! Each time I edge towards burnout I need to back myself off. I think by focusing on strength (lifting heavy) it will force me to keep my runs on the easy side and not push my mileage too much.
I’ve still got a race on the calendar, so that’s a goal for me, even though it’s likely not to happen. If I didn’t have that, I’d probably work on maintaining my base. I’ve always been ‘just a runner’ first and that is motivation enough for me!
Its nice to have something to work towards, even if it may not happen! While I’m ok with maintaining my base I think what makes it hard is not knowing how long I will be doing that before I can do another race.
I hear you! The virtual race series that you and I did at the beginning of the pandemic was a nice distraction, but I struggled a bit finding the “next” step. There are always things to work on, and when all else fails, just running to run is legit. This week it’s really hot and at first I was put out that I couldn’t do speedwork, but now I’m embracing a week of short, easy runs. Oh and strength, really got to get on that.
I think all of this was a little easier in the beginning, and now we are all like, ok, now what? I think the excitement of virtual races has worn off a bit. I guess we just all need to figure out what motivates us through this.
These are great tips.
It is really tough to stay motivated without a race to train for. Even if it’s a virtual one. For me it’s just not the same.
I have just run to enjoy being outside. I walk, take pics. I haven’t worn a watch since my last race on Feb 14. I’m trying to go to different places that I wouldn’t have done if I were training.
The challenge for me will be getting back into serious running. But again that may be a long time away.
Thats a great idea to not wear your watch! I am addicted to mine and never run without it. (Although I dont always look at it especially when Im doing an easy run).
I could definitely get back into focusing on strength as that is something that has fallen by the wayside. I also think that I could do more reading about running.
I really enjoy reading about running, strength training, and injury prevention. I end up getting alot of ideas that guide my training!
As you know, I have been struggling with running the past few weeks. It’s just not the same anymore. I am taking advantage of strength training and cycling for a few weeks to see if that helps at bit. I have also signed up for a training. Good tips thanks and dreaming of running w friends again soon
Sorry it’s been tough for you! That sounds like a good plan to focus on strength and cycling. I hope you can get back out with your friends soon!
For me, races have always been the motivating factor. It’s definitely been a shift since all this got cancelled. I’ve managed to stay motivated by taking on smaller monthly challenges which has kept me going even when I wanted to stop running. I do enjoy the extra time to build strength and have definitely taken advantage of that throughout this quarantine. I am signed up for a few fall goal races and hope they stay on the calendar, so I’m training as if I’m going to race this fall but will adjust if it becomes clear that’s no longer a possibility.
Small monthly challenges are a good way to stay motivated! I feel like thats a good amount of time. It hard not knowing how long we will be waiting to race again.
I have two races left for 2020. One is a 50k which is very, very small and the RD said WILL go on, even if he has to run every one of us one at a time. So that makes me happy. The second one is Wineglass and I highly doubt that will be a go. I’m not holding my breath to be honest.
It can certainly be hard to stay motivated with nothing on the calendar. But these are really great ideas to refocus our energy while we wait.
Wow, I love that you will get to do the 50k no matter what! That is really exciting!
This is a brilliant and very timely post! I think this has been the hardest part of this for me – knowing that I have to shift my running focus. This year was about running my first marathon, 20 races, running in new destinations and getting to 15 Half Marathons. So in one fell swoop, everything had to change. I think I’ve done well so far but it still stings a bit!
It’s so hard, and you’ve done really well adapting! I hope you can work towards all of your big goals again soon.
This has absolutely been a time to tighten things up, if you’re so inclined. From form, to diet, to technique, to goals, we have all the time in the world to get it done and figure it out. I especially appreciate that, since I feel zero pressure to get back to the start line, which will end up serving me well with my recovery.
It really is a good time to take a step back and focus on the little things!
While I have found that I’m not super motivated to do things like speed work, I still follow my basic training plan out of habit. I do miss having a race goal, but I don’t race all that much anyway. Good post and I need to take the strength suggestion. My strength workouts have been a bit lackadaisical lately! 🙂
Its weird because I dont race that often either, so its not like that part is much different for me. I guess its just weird not having the option to schedule a few races to structure my training around.
It is really tough to look to the immediate future (fall of 2020) not knowing just how long things will be so iffy. I’ve missed a couple of my usual spring 13.1’s (postponed), and there’s a couple of my usual fall 13.1’s that I’m hesitant to register for. My September marathon is still “on,” but an official announcement is coming in a couple weeks on that. I’ve been using some of last week, and all of this week, as downtime. I’ve been biking more and running less, and it was just the “shift in perspective” I needed.
That’s good! Sometimes we just need to do something different rather than just run week after week (although I know you always do more than just run!) I guess it can just be hard not to have anything to break up our training or give us a sense of structure.
Great minds think alike, I write about switching my focus more to strength tomorrow. Sometimes it kinda does feel pointless to run (and I’m sure my husband thinks so) but at the same time, I also know that if I never race again, there are so many benefits!
I don’t want to have to restart. That’s what’s keeping me running right now.
That’s a very good reason to keep going! I don’t think running now is necessarily pointless, but we do need to be careful of burnout or overtraining (or just losing interest) if we aren’t being careful. Some runners will have no issues right now because they always run just to run. But others may have a harder time if they are used to racing alot or always having a goal.