Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020

COACHING CO R N E R By the Coach Parry Team SEVEN WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED While the entire world is grappling with COVID-19 the running fraternity globally is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the goal races we’ve been working hard towards have either been postponed or cancelled. – BY COACH LINDSEY PARRY 1. Make the most of Strava If you’re not on Strava, now is a great time to get on. Strava is the athletes’ social media platform that allows you to follow what your running mates are up to. Also, one of the awesome features within Strava is segments. You’ll notice on your running routes there are sections or segments where you can track your times compared to previous runs over time. Target a segment or two on your route, get out there and smash them as hard as you can… even if it is a very short segment of a lockdown run. 2. Watch inspirational running movies and documentaries I love a good running documentary, and it seems the runners I’m in contact with on Facebook and Twitter do, too. I asked for suggestions and was flooded with replies, so here are a few of the inspirational movies and documentaries that were recommended: Where Dreams Go To Die Gary Robbins and the Barkley Marathons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDZdsqbcGTU Man on a Mission Br O’Connell and the rise of Kenyan Athletics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmXN-kQZ04M Run For Your Life Fred Lebow, founder of the New York Marathon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMK7e7uP-TY The Why Running 100 Miles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YWyac1ZdsU INEOS 1:59 Challenge Live Eliud Kipchoge’s game-changing run https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-XgKRJUEgQ 3. Enter a Virtual Race or Challenge Virtual races have been around for many years, and now is the perfect time to try one out if you haven’t. At a time like this, it’s a great way to train alone, but 44 ISSUE 129 APRIL 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za together. Here at Coach Parry we’ve just launched our very own virtual race series. It gives you the chance to ‘run’ in downtown New York and ‘see’ the sights of the Big Apple you may never get to see on foot. You can discover more about and sign up for our City Series - New York virtual race by clicking here. 4. Start a run streak Nothing breeds consistency more than consistency itself. Seeing how many consecutive days you can run without missing a day is a fantastic way to stay motivated, too. Of course, the danger is that you’re not allowing your body to rest, so W hile the fallout from this pandemic will only be fully known years from now, it’s important to try and keep some sense of normality in our lives. For many of us, our work and home life have been upended, but the one thing we can do is run. Last month I wrote an article that resonated with a lot of people about running in uncertain times. I wanted to follow that up with some practical tips and advice to keep you motivated and training, so that when normality returns, you won’t have to start from scratch. So here are eight things you can do to keep you running and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 129, April 2020 | Page 44