Will you still be traveling/riding

[Wayne pudding Mol]

I am riding . Wide open spaces and riding on my own most the time .

this is how I roll regardless

[T_Boss]

 

An article by one of the UK coaches I follow

 

My club are still doing weekend rides, we are normally small groups. I still run and usually run alone. Swims at the gym I will do outside of the usual busy hours.

 

COVID-19 - Training through the Pandemic

We are in uncharted territory right now, but the one thing that I keep saying to all athletes is that it is so important to get out in the fresh air and sunshine to help your mental and physical well being.

Obviously we have to maintain the social distancing regulations that have been put in place and stay away from squad sessions if showing any symptoms of the virus. To maintain peace of mind, however, and help to bolster your immunity and recovery, it is vitally important that you keep your training going and give your body the best chance to stay strong and resilient as you move through pre-season into your specific target race training phases.

Races will start up again in the near future, and it is in the best interest of every athlete to drop back training load and intensity to a pre-season build style phase with the focus being on fun and interesting training without FOMO.

SWIM

While I feel that pools will be closing sooner rather than later, while the pools remain open, then we should encourage swim squads to continue.

Chlorine is an effective killer of the virus so all in-water activity is safe.

Recommend that swimmers come to the pool already in swim-wear, then at the end of the session, towel dry and put on some clothes and shower and dress back at home or work. This will remove the need to congregate in change rooms.

Recommend that all swimmers maintain 1.5m between each other when finishing sets and resting.

Reduce the intensity of the sessions to help reduce the respiratory output of the athletes.

Once the pools do close, then shift to the open water where possible.

Where open water is not possible due to location or temperature, then land based swim-specific S&C and mobility is an excellent way to maintain or improve both swim technique and strength and Yoga classes to help deliver each athletes training goals direct to their lounge room if required.

BIKE

Getting out with your bike and mates is a great way to maintain your fitness and sanity. A group ride almost self regulates given that you are rarely in close contact with other riders. A few key points to consider though would be as follows:

Maintain a distance of 1.5m between every rider both while riding and while stationary at lights and when stopped.

I wholeheartedly encourage you to head to the local cafes for coffee and breakfast. These small businesses are really going to need our help right now. However, it is advisable to maintain the 1.5m rule when inside the cafe.

When inside a cafe or stopping for a toilet break, leave all helmets, gloves and any other equipment out in the open air, preferably in a sunny spot as sunlight is a great killer of the virus.

Ensure that you have all the necessary tools and skills to fix any of your own mechanical failures from a flat tire to a broken chain.

Be sensible around the size of the group ride. If necessary, break the group up into two or three separate bunches.

RUN

Running is a great way to get out into the open air and see things that you have taken for granted in your local area.

It is a bit easier to congregate closely together in a run squad than it is to do in a group ride, so be consciously aware of how close you are standing to one another, and maintain at least the 1.5m rule while running and while stationary.

Some other ideas to help with social distancing in a run squad are as follows:

Break up into smaller groups to do your active and dynamic warm ups.

At the end of the session, ensure that you do not give high fives or pats on the back to your team mates, regardless of how well they have nailed the session.

When doing warm up or cool down drills that require touching a stabilising object, try to adapt the drill so that no contact with external objects is required.

When discarding outer layers such as jackets or beanies, place them on the ground rather than on other objects like fences or benches that are more likely to be touched by others.

Never share drink bottles

Find a safe and secure location for your valuables that does not require pooling into a central location.

Outside of these recommendations, I cannot stress enough the importance of attending your local small businesses and keeping your eyes peeled for people in your community that may be struggling.

Stay safe, listen to the credible medical advice being given, be kind, maintain your own mental health and jump into your physical health with intention and enthusiasm.

We will get through this. We cannot physically stick together, but if we are there to support our friends and to support anyone who looks like they need it, then we will all be a better society on the other side of this.

Thanks for sharing this. This is great advice. I think the UK is currently the most level headed country with regards to this. In the log term, herd immunity is the only way to control this thing.

[Slowbee]

We will be doing a short camping trip - to the Karoo.

 

Need go get to a place of no reception with few people and a big open sky. Will be good for the soul to escape from this madness.

[Vetseun]

Sorry, it wasn't directed at you.

 

I'm easily triggered by the 'if I catch it I should be fine' attitude that people seem to have. It's a typical 'piss on the fire, my steak is done' issue that permeates through our culture.

 

Sorry. I really didn't mean to seem to be having a go at you.

If I catch it, I should be fine.

[Jewbacca]

If I catch it, I should be fine.

hahahaha stop being a Richard...

[Vetplant]

I'm not sure where you live but I'm going to assume a big city (JHB/Pretoria/CT) with high prevalence of international travellers. (If not please ignore my question below.)

 

With that assumption in place, aren't you concerned that by going on holiday from a city that is highly likely to have infected people, to a small town, you could be assisting the virus to spread?

With Easter holidays coming up I've been wondering whether the small coastal (and other) towns are about to get a potentially unwelcome influx.

 

As someone with aged parents in a generally aged coastal community this is something that concerns me.

To be honest, never thought of it that way.

 

Thought we would be getting away from it for a while actually.

 

But there is a real possibility that any one of the 4 of us could be asymptomatic carriers. We don't do malls or any of the high traffic stuff and we stay in a flat owned by the family, so wouldn't be infecting a hotel or B&B, so guessing we won't be super spreaders.

 

If we don't go, we'll just be doing that in our local community and contributing to the spread there... So potato/potato I would think...

 

No?

[NC_lurker]

To be honest, never thought of it that way.

 

Thought we would be getting away from it for a while actually.

 

But there is a real possibility that any one of the 4 of us could be asymptomatic carriers. We don't do malls or any of the high traffic stuff and we stay in a flat owned by the family, so wouldn't be infecting a hotel or B&B, so guessing we won't be super spreaders.

 

If we don't go, we'll just be doing that in our local community and contributing to the spread there... So potato/potato I would think...

 

No?

Thanks for the candid response.

 

It's definitely a scenario that I'd like to understand better.

 

From my (limited) understanding there isn't really a distinction between a "super spreader" and a "minimal spreader" when you're talking about possibly exposing a new area to contagion. Once there's one incidence of contamination exponential growth/spread will happen, just potentially at a different speed. Which is part of the logic behind flattening the curve.

 

I'd think it would be preferable to try keep the contagion in an area already hit than to create new areas of contamination.

 

What does worry me, is the limited health services in the small towns which will very easily become overwhelmed.

Edited March 18, 2020 by NC_lurker

[LBKloppers]

I'll be out riding. It is not the "kiem" you have to be afraid off, it is people. I ride alone, so no threat.

[Vetplant]

Thanks for the candid response.

 

It's definitely a scenario that I'd like to understand better.

 

From my (limited) understanding there isn't really a distinction between a "super spreader" and a "minimal spreader" when you're talking about possibly exposing a new area to contagion. Once there's one incidence of contamination exponential growth/spread will happen, just potentially at a different speed. Which is part of the logic behind flattening the curve.

 

I'd think it would be preferable to try keep the contagion in an area already hit than to create new areas of contamination.

 

What does worry me, is the limited health services in the small towns which will very easily become overwhelmed.

I'll definitely keep that in mind.

 

Allot can happen in a week, so maybe by the time we want to leave we could all be on full lock-down, or the George municipality could have a range of cases.

 

So we are obviously very flexible and will adapt accordingly as conditions change, seeing that we are not dependant on flights for this trip.

[gemmerbal]

like my youngest sister, who insists on going up to Jozi for her weekly pomp, with our mom still around and prone to asthma and my other sister who just had her first child.

 

Im trying to talk sense into her, but its usually "you dont want me to be happy" thrown back at me...

 

36yo and still a child...

[Skubarra]

Thanks for sharing this. This is great advice. I think the UK is currently the most level headed country with regards to this. In the log term, herd immunity is the only way to control this thing.

 

Two problems with your herd immunity theory. One is that if the disease spread too quickly and overwhelm the capacity of the medical facilities far more people will die than necessary. The second (and I'm really hoping this is not valid) is that you are assuming people will be immune once they had the disease and not get it again (soon at least) - a dangerous assumption at this stage. I have noticed that the UK have largely abandoned their "herd immunity" approach to the disease. 

[Jewbacca]

Two problems with your herd immunity theory. One is that if the disease spread too quickly and overwhelm the capacity of the medical facilities far more people will die than necessary. The second (and I'm really hoping this is not valid) is that you are assuming people will be immune once they had the disease and not get it again (soon at least) - a dangerous assumption at this stage. I have noticed that the UK have largely abandoned their "herd immunity" approach to the disease. 

I was under the impression that as it's a virus, the rapid mutation could make it impossible to immunize against successfully.

 

But I'm sure there are plenty of smarter people than me with relevant experience working on this.

[eddy]

.

I'd think it would be preferable to try keep the contagion in an area already hit than to create new areas of contamination.

What does worry me, is the limited health services in the small towns which will very easily become overwhelmed.

Food for thought, and has probably changed my mind about travelling.

[porqui]

 The second (and I'm really hoping this is not valid) is that you are assuming people will be immune once they had the disease and not get it again (soon at least) - a dangerous assumption at this stage.

 

Fortunately not an assumption but a medical fact.

 

 

 

(flame suite on)

Edited March 19, 2020 by porqui

[Prince Albert Cycles]

We will be doing a short camping trip - to the Karoo.

 

Need go get to a place of no reception with few people and a big open sky. Will be good for the soul to escape from this madness.

Try Abrahamskraal 38 km outside of Prince Albert

[MDJ]

I'm practicing social isolation, cancelled travel plans, cancelled social events with bigger groups - but I am riding as per normal. We generally ride in smaller groups of less than 10 - as a bonus the roads are traffic free and the weather is great atm  . We've cancelled our post ride coffees in restaurants though.

 

Riding keeps me sane, the groups are optional - everyone can make their own call on if they want to join or not. If I was in contact with someone who was on the higher risk profile I would not do group rides, but my family is far away - so I think I'm probably more at risk going to the shops.

 

Who knows how long this will go on for - your approach needs to be sustainable IMHO, that means physical health and mental health too