“How did I train through COVID-19? I didn’t”, Canadian pro triathlete Cody Beals’ answer is straight to the point. It can be a difficult question to answer, though, because nobody can tell you exactly how (fast) you can continue your training after a COVID-19 infection. One thing is clear, with the risks of a heart infection or “long covid” it’s not recommended to train while you’re sick from COVID-19. It’s a strict recommendation, and that means even a pro triathlete like Beals listens to it and takes his rest. “I rested for five days to recover properly”, he says.
And – as is often the case with these things – the timing was inconvenient, because the Canadian athlete was supposed to race Ironman 70.3 Oceanside earlier this month. Due to his COVID-19 infection, Beals had to miss out on that race, but with Ironman Texas longing, he was still tempted to pick up his training again soon. “The younger/dumber me would proudly train through everything. I had entire years with less than five days off. It was misguided and compulsive and often set me back. A lot of endurance athletes and other driven people conflate work ethic with ‘#nodaysoff’. Not sure who needs to hear this, but sometimes the most productive workdays are rest days.”
Yes, Beals couldn’t completely rest it out, because on day six he hopped back on his bike for a six-hour ride. “I would probably keep resting if I didn’t have Ironman Texas in 26 days. Pro triathlon is an extreme sport”, he stated.
In the meanwhile, Beals has ticked off the most important training sessions for Ironman Texas, and he looks forward to kicking off his season with a Long Distance on April 23.
