Road to Tor des Geants - Part 5 (Covid Strikes)

After 8 weeks of perfect training, I tested positive for Covid just under 3 weeks before Tor. This threw a wrench in training and the last few big workouts I had planned. I worried about losing fitness. But most of all, there is no margin for error at TDG, and I could not toe the start line unless I felt 100%. With a wide range in what Covid recovery looks like, I was worried about even getting to Courmayeur to start the race.

While it took longer than I would have liked, I made a full recovery with plenty of time before the race. I was even able to do some good last workouts 1-1.5 weeks before the race. Based on resting heart rate, blood oxygen, and running performance, I can’t tell any different pre and post Covid.

I feel fortunate to have recovered well (hooray for vaccines!) and in the end think it was for the best, not that I’d want to repeat the experience though!. After 8 weeks of pushing the limits, I needed the rest and a big taper before TDG. While I felt lousy, I slept great while I had Covid, and my body really did recover.

It isn’t uncommon for things to happen during a taper. When you take your foot off the gas and body lets down its guard, many people catch colds or minor illnesses. I took a hard fall before a 100, which limited my training. Last year, I managed to tweak my neck before UTMB and had to dial back running faster than planned.

I am writing this post in case it benefits others who have a similar experience. It is important to embrace rest and trust in your training, especially if something goes sideways in your taper. I also wanted to write this in case it is helpful for athletes who contract Covid. Covid is different for everyone, and I am not a doctor. But having gone through the experience, I would approach training post Covid differently, and it will certainly help me better coach athletes through it.

Week of 8/22

  • Monday: 8.3 miles with 1,600 feet and hill strides. I felt fine on this early morning run but tested positive in the afternoon and felt terrible by the evening.

  • Tuesday: rest day. Very sick with flu like symptoms.

  • Wednesday: rest day. Still felt lousy - basically had 48 hours where it was at its worst.

  • Thursday: 5 mile treadmill hike + 20 minutes of light strength work. Low heart rate and testing out the system. Seemed to go OK.

  • Friday: 4.3 mile very easy run. Continued feeling better.

  • Saturday: 10.3 miles with hill strides and some vert. In hindsight, this was too quick of a ramp up. With any other illness (cold, flu, etc.) after 2 days of easy exercise and feeling good, I can usually pick training back up. But Covid seems to linger and demand longer rest and a slower build. I’m not sure if the longer run triggered it, but I seemed to have a rebound for a few days and felt worse again.

  • Sunday: rest day after the rebound

  • Total: 7,900 feet of vert / 29 miles / 20min strength

Week of 8/29

  • Monday: rest day. Playing it safe after the rebound and planning to build up slower.

  • Tuesday: 3.2 very easy miles with 21 minutes of light strength work

  • Wednesday: 5.7 miles easy and 16 minutes core. Starting to truly feel normal again.

  • Thursday: 11.5 miles with 2,300 vert and a 30 minute tempo push. I took a bit of a risk with this one but decided it was worth it given I was 10 days out and feeling back to normal.

  • Friday: 5.1 miles easy. Finally tested negative on day 11!

  • Saturday: 15.7 miles with 6,200 feet of vert. Slow and steep with intentionally low heart rate at TDG effort. Continuing to feel totally normal.

  • Sunday: 6 miles with hill strides and 27 minutes of strength with heavier weights again.

  • Total: 10,900 feet of vert / 47 miles / 1h05min strength

In the end, the week of 8/22 (2-3 weeks prior to the race) ended up being significantly lower volume than planned. The week of 8/29 was right about on track. This was likely for the best with the hard start to the first week of taper being what my body needed after the big training block.

Knowing how Covid lingers and the importance of extended rest, I would do a few things differently next time. I would take at least one more day of rest at the start. Then I would ramp up more slowly and keep volume / intensity low for longer. Saturday was only day 5 for me, and I did too much too soon.

I am not a medical professional, but this seems in line with the research and guidance I have seen. As symptoms become mild, most recommend you can return to easy exercise for 30-45 minutes max. But it should be at least 10 days before increasing volume, duration, and intensity.

I hope your tapers go more smoothly than this one did for me. But if not, embrace the rest, and you may just be better for it on the other side!

Will Weidman