First run outside yesterday.
First ride today.
More than 70 days at home.
It seems a strange, in some way, horrific story, but it’s neverless what it happened to most of the people, here, in Lombardy, Italy.
It was February 25th when my company decided to send everybody home: smart working was the key word. Coronavirus was just at the very beginning, but the infection was already spreading and it was safer having people working from home instead of commuting on public transport in a big city like Milan.
Smart working for 2 weeks: that was the initial plan
It’ll be 3 months on May 25th.
In the meantime my stream of thoughts went from an initial positive reaction passing through a strange feeling of extraneousness, ending (in the last days) in some negative sensations.
The positive moment of the beginning included working more hours (commuting time reduced to 0 minutes helped a lot), trying to continue with a normal routine, waking up at the same usual time of the day, getting dressed and not staying in my pajama all day long, having breakfast, training even more using the lunch break (which it’s usually not my training slot working far from home) and feeling lucky of having treadmill and bike interactive indoor training at home.
Training platform such as Bkool, Rouvy and Zwift helped me to feel part of the community in a moment in which the Triathlon Family got a bit lost.
We were supposed to start a new season, we were training hard to be back in our best shape to tackle all the challenges of the new races, we were ready to meet new and old friends and to feel again, part of a family which has a huge beating heart.
But it was clear, day by day, that it won’t happen soon.
Italy was, initially, the centre of the storm, and Lombardy, where I live, the core of this centre.
We went on the balcony of our homes to sing our national anthem, we did a long standing ovation for our doctors and nurses, we tried to be a strong population facing something bigger than us.
Looking outside Italy from the insider perspective, we knew it that it would have happen: a virus doesn’t respect borders or nationality.
When most of the European Countries went in lockdown, for us it was already the 4th week inside our houses.
My husband and I, we are both triathletes, were taking turns in training on the treadmill and on bike smart trainers
Races were progressively delayed and then cancelled. A small hope still for the ones scheduled later this summer or early this fall.
The most important sport events of the world were not taking place or they were cancelled: the soccer leagues of most of the European Country, the European Championships, the Olympic games.
The whole triathlon season seems to be gone.
But my first ride outside after such a long time was unbelievable. It’s a thrill of life, powder of happiness… moreover arriving in my place in the heart.
I’m not a hater of the smart trainer, I think they are always useful, above all if you live in a place in which, during winter, the bad weather is quite common, and they were absolutely crucial during this lockdown. They helped my body and even my mind to stay healthy!
But the bike is meant for moving!
Pedaling is the freedom of raising your eyes to the sky or keeping them on the road, in front of you, it’s changing the position on your…, it’s listening your sore legs, refreshing thanks of the wind or becoming super hot under the sun
Biking is approaching a turn faster than ever before, it’s pedaling harder and stronger to arrive to that hairpin bend quicker, it’s watching closely emotions and road flowing and sliding.
Riding a bike is all those stuff. Either you love it or you hate it.
Not indifference, not so and so, not cold reaction.
Just passion.We’ll be back to our life, we’ll be back to swim in the open water, we’ll be back to our races, friends and family.
We’ll be back to triathlon.
Soon
Cate – My triathlon in Style
