The New Normal

Six months ago the winter came crashing to a close and we were made to stay at home; ‘unprecedented’ times it was indeed, all in the name of Covid-19.

It’s now been 3 months since ‘strict’ lock-down has been lifted here in Morzine. Over the last 12 weeks we’ve adapted to the ever changing regulations, and today Morzine is busy and bustling with life, tourists, and a lot of cars and bikes.

This new normal; a normal where masks, hand-washing, hand gel and social distancing will affect our lives for a while yet. And although I know many businesses have suffered, I believe this time has also offered us opportunities.

The consequences of the virus, despite all it has taken, has given us time to reflect and adapt the way we work and how we live our lives, and to re-assess and move forward, hopefully with a positive outlook. I know for some, this year has been the catalyst to end something they’ve been meaning to and/or start something new; courageous, but also seizing this opportunity to break the norm.

I suppose if there is ever a time to live in the present, then now is it.

Training

‘What are you training for?’

Life. Enjoyment. Satisfaction. Challenges. My mind. My body. Sweat. For something to do, to have a focus, a goal and a purpose. And I guess race day, whenever it arrives.

Swimming

I’ve swam my longest distance to date, finally making the 4k mark. We’ve been spending much more time in the lake, to begin with lac Léman and now regularly at lac de Montriond. I’m thoroughly enjoying being in the water and the speed is gradually coming back.

Cycling

As the UK deals with apparent national weight gain, I’m here feeling all smug that yet again I’m faster than I was last summer. I can’t quite believe it all the time, but now that I’m back riding the roads on my bike, I can see that all those hard turbo sessions have really paid off. Strava tells me just how much improvement I’ve made and I can’t always quite believe it. I’m stoked and dead chuffed with myself.

I’ve also been playing on a new TT bike. Yes, I now own two bikes. My cycling abilities have soared since becoming involved with Buzz, but nonetheless the idea that I now own a TT bike and would have to actually ride it made me feel a little nauseous and sweaty palmed.

Early one Sunday morning, I woke early with butterflies, snuck out of bed and took my new toy for a spin up and down the straightest and flattest section of road around town, la route de la Plagne. A little wobbly in the beginning, but I pulled up my socks and told myself to get on with it. I came back, injury free, bike intact, and beaming from ear to ear. Needless to say, my weekly 30 minute spins ‘to get used to it’ are a highlight of my week.

Keeping up with interval sessions, occasionally on the turbo, but now lapping the route d’Avoriaz or col de Joux Verte, adds the intensity each week to keep building on strength and fitness.

I’m a fan of graph-studying when I get home, seeing the spikes and troughs of a working heart, or seeing efforts reflected also in cadence and speed. This also goes for running.

Running

In May I completed a timed 10k run in exactly 50 minutes. This was pretty encouraging for me. I’ve since continued with regular intervals sessions and long runs, including running with friends up mountains, which I really wanted to do more of this summer. Then I rolled my ankle, again. There aren’t many ligaments left holding it together on one side so it’s been a bit sore, but better now and I hope to get running some more (careful!) kilometers. We’re so lucky in Morzine to have such an array of excellent professionals to help keep our bodies in one piece. I just wish my body could be a little less high maintenance. I wonder if I didn’t exercise as much whether this would still be the case!

Work

Buzz Performance have seized this summer to head in the direction it really wants to, creating a weekly timetable of sessions for holidaymakers and locals. Swim sessions, bike rides, interval sessions, triathlon training combined with the continuation of our online classes – there is most definitely something for everyone and most importantly it provides a well rounded programme for the body.

Buzz has also done a few trips away – the Tour de Mont Blanc and the Route des Grandes Alpes. The latter I completed last year, Morzine to Menton. This year however, I stayed home helping Amelia whilst they completed the route in reverse. More challenging I hear, but it looked like a great trip. The Tour de Mont Blanc, back in early July, was an almighty challenge over 3 days. I did not cycle it all as I helped drive the support vehicle, but watched in admiration as the team kept pedalling right to the end. It was also nice to get out of Morzine!

I’ve ticked over with a few personal training clients and enjoyed putting people through their paces in person, including helping my cousin touch her toes through the power of Zoom.

I even in July had time to go on a few hikes with my dad and friends, go to the lake and have a ski and play in the water with the dog; reconnecting and doing things that I haven’t had the time to in recent years.

Life is different, but this new state of normal is actually okay, as you can see! I’m excited for the future and to see what happens and how we’ll all continue to adapt and change.

And on a final note:

Don’t forget your mask!

Phone, money, keys and MASK! It’ll take a while to always remember to have it on me but adding it to my ‘leave the house’ list is helping.