I was sitting around the other day, thinking about my “new normal” amidst a pandemic. In an atmosphere where it is easy to succumb to feelings of fear, loneliness, panic & “when will this end”, I realized I was actually doing alright. I thought to myself: “why am I dealing with this so well while others are freaking out? Is there something wrong with me?” True that it’s probably easier for me as an introvert to recharge my batteries when I’m away from people, but it’s not natural at all for human beings as social creatures to isolate ourselves from one another for an extended period of time.
This got me thinking, and I realized I have learned a lot of lessons thanks to bikes. Coaching, training, racing, coming back from being sick & injured – these experiences have instilled in me the skills that I continue to use in everyday life, many times without realizing it. These lessons have been very valuable, although some were painfully learned, and I’m sure you can leverage them for yourself, too.
When I initially reached out to Robin, it was because I didn’t know how to improve any further with my racing. I knew I was ready to commit to training. Of course, when the first workout actually popped up on TrainingPeaks it was a bit nerve wracking, because suddenly it had become real and I had to figure out how to do it! I remember my friend Susanne writing my target HR zones on a piece of blue painters tape and sticking it to my bike’s stem. She was already in a routine with her training and had a system that worked. I realized I had committed to doing these things every day, and I’d better find a way to do them. Developing a routine for training took both discipline and consistency – finding time in the day to do each workout, preparing the night before, fueling well, maintaining my equipment. I was in control of each of those things, and I made them happen. Clicking in each piece of the puzzle week after week eventually replaced the anxiety of wondering if I was on track for a race or event to the comfort of knowing that I was.
Establishing a routine was important for my sanity when I found myself home recovering from a TBI after a bike accident in the summer of 2013. Tired, confused, anxious, depressed and suddenly not able to go about my normal day, with no clear end in sight, was overwhelming.
I had to establish a new routine with things that I could actually accomplish to help me measure progress. At first, all I was good for was waking up, taking a shower, and then lying on the couch like a slug. With my husband working,I spent a lot of time home alone getting lost in my own head. Due to vertigo / vestibular issues, migraines & vision problems, biking was out of the question. I couldn’t watch TV, I couldn’t read. Light and music bothered me. Funny enough, restaurants were out of the question and social distancing was naturally happening for me back then, too. I had to think about what I could do instead of focusing on all the things (seemingly everything!) I couldn’t do. I began putting together a routine. I added in time that I would sit in the yard and play fetch with my two dogs, then a lunch break sitting out on the lawn eating a sandwich – enjoying the smell of the grass, closing my eyes to listen to the wind and feeling the warmth of the sun. I would get up and walk 10,000 steps a day as slow as I needed to around the yard. I would do the dishes. By mid day my senses were shot, my brain was scrambled and I surrendered to it and took a nap. Then I would diligently do my vestibular PT exercises, which brought me to dinner time. It felt like forever and the unknown of how long it would last was one of the worst feelings. The first 3-5 months were the worst, and after a year I found myself back on the bike. The similarities to our current situation sound eeriely similar as I type them out, but I have to say I will take this quarantine and my health gladly over recovering from another such injury. It is good to have a dose of perspective.
When I found myself suddenly working from home mid-March, I spent exactly one day unshowered in pajamas on my laptop working sprawled out on the couch. So much more time to ride my bike and do workouts! Work from home, livin’ the dream, right? Wrong. I knew immediately that things were going to go downhill if I didn’t get a handle on this and establish a routine – like getting up to work out, shower and put on clothes that weren’t pajamas. I made small changes over the course of the first week, and designated the dining room as my work office. I hooked up my IT and borrowed a bluetooth headset from a friend. I boosted the WiFi signal. I tried to manage ergonomics. I knew the kitchen table was encroaching too much on the main living space in our open concept house. By the first weekend, my husband and I had cleaned out the “bike room” upstairs and established an office space. I made it as inviting as possible by dragging a bunch of houseplants into the room, and worked to set up my desk as ergonomically as possible to avoid any preventable injuries. By the following Monday, I found myself in a much better place. I commuted up the stairs into my new office, turned the lights on, opened the shades and closed the door. The separation of work and home now complete, I was able to focus and in as little as a couple weeks I have adapted to my new routine.
Having a routine and focusing on controlling all the things you can provides some stability and comfort in an uncertain time. We all have our workouts to fit in and need to keep prioritizing ourselves, even if it does mean some initial change. If you’re like me, you lost your access to a gym. I’m not able to do back squats and deadlifts anymore, but I’ve designated a space in my basement and have been doing mostly bodyweight strength instead. Sure, sometimes spiders crawl on me, but they usually don’t bite (thankfully I’ve maintained my sense of humor through all this). Pushups are a weakness, so I’m working on those. I’m filming some of the workouts to add some fun and engagement for RoFA athletes. Since I had to sacrifice my nice sunny upstairs bike room to serve as an office, I’ve enhanced my Zwift space in the basement with a 46” TV, and crank up the music as loud as I want without worry of waking up my husband, who works nights & sleeps during the day. Since I have no commute, I take my dog for a walk either before work or at lunch time. Take the change and spin a positive to make it work for you.
I start each day with a notepad split into two columns: Work on the left, and Home on the right. I will list important things I need or would like to accomplish each day to give me something to focus on. I’m not even kidding when I say week 1 had entries such as “put on clothes” and “take a shower”. I am disciplined enough to make as many of them happen as I can, which helps me feel like I’ve achieved something meaningful each day. Sometimes, a task needs to be re-prioritized or is missed altogether, and that’s ok. I think we can cut ourselves some slack right now. But make sure you are not making excuses either. I really believe you will be happier if you control the things you can, try to keep on track with your routine, put things in perspective and be grateful for what you do have. You can find some purpose each day in chipping away at making yourself better & making things better for yourself.
– Jen Murphy
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