Before all this madness, back in January, I was getting ready to take on my first real year of racing Spartan elite. I got offered a spot on the Spartan Pro Team for 2020 and I had left my calendar wide open to make sure I could do my best at the SEA series and to try to qualify for world champs in December, excited about the move to a warmer terrain.

Then the world was blown apart by COVID. But we didn't lose everything at once, I actually think if I'd been told back in January that the races weren't happening and to come back in 2021 it might have been easier for me to process. Instead, we were hit with disappointment after disappointment (and I was one of the lucky ones- making a last minute decision to fly to the Philippines for 24hours to take on the 'Helvetia' race. The first series race in Vietnam was moved to May then slowly other races were postponed / pushed back to later in the year. We are relocating to the UK in August so the movement of each race was another dagger in my hopes of competing in the series and I have now had to accept that that will no longer be a possibility for me. Currently we don't know when we will next see a race (technically the reorganised Vietnam race is still in the calendar but with most counties still banning non essential travel I can't see that happening) and I feel like I've transitioned through all emotions, ending up with currently just feeling a bit numb, confused as to which day it is and battling between feeling like I’ve lost so many opportunities and trying to to keep the perspective that I still have my health and a house to quarantine in.

I had a few weeks of despair and too much pizza (read more on that here) and I seem now to have settled into some semblance of a daily routine that involves not eating my body weight in chocolate and sticking to my training program. I'm not sure when the races will come back but for now I'm doing my best to be prepared for them and to make the most of a more flexible routine so I thought I'd take the time to share this incase anyone could take a few tips from it, especially with the increased lockdown dates we've seen here in Singapore. With us at home until at least the 2nd of June; if anyone can take anything from this at all I'll just be happy to have helped!

7am: Wake up.

7-7.30am: ROMWOD with Sean. This is something that we have started as a result of COVID and we do it every morning now. We've been doing it for 2 weeks now and I am really enjoying it as a way to start my day. I struggle with the “fluff” in some standard yoga programs so as a result I tend to not bother doing it. ROMWOD seems to be focused on getting right to the point and I am already seeing huge benefits in my mobility! Not sponsored by them in any way so go make your own decision here: https://romwod.com I bought Sean a year's membership for his birthday but they have a 7 day free trial if you want to give it a go!

Strawberry & Vanilla are my go to for smoothies!

7:30am: Time for a cup of tea and a smoothie. I have a smoothie every day because it's a really easy way to get in some protein and some essential nutrients.

Smoothie Recipe: ¼ cup of frozen banana, cherries and spinach, 2 scoops of Nuzest Clean Lean Protein, 1 scoop of Nuzest Good Green Stuff, almond milk, water, cacao powder & a pinch of salt.

I am an ambassador for Nuzest and have been using their products since going more plant based two years ago (I actually met Scott down at the Singapore Stadion Spartan Race). In my opinion their protein is the only vegan protein that doesn't taste like dehydrated Egyptian mummies and I've sworn by the Good Green Stuff since before COVID was a thing. I'm a teacher so I'm normally surrounded by lots of germs and it's managed to keep me from getting sick since I started taking it!

You can find out more about the range and get yourself some free samples at: https://mailchi.mp/nuzest/smiley or use JessM-10 to get yourself 10% off any order (free delivery in Singapore & Malaysia).

8-11:30am - Work. I'm a teacher so I'm currently working out my own reality with home school teaching. The thing I am doing to avoid sitting down for hours on end is setting reminders on my phone to get up and do a lap of the apartment / a few pull ups on our pull up bar so that I don't end up sitting down all day. I've also constructed a “working desk” in our kitchen so I can mix it up a bit.

11:30am- I use my lunch break now to get out and go for a short 30min Z1/2 run. This is actually one of the changes I'm really excited about as it means I've added a good chunk of base building to my training and I'm hoping I'll see the payout from this when races come back to normal! (If you want to find out more about HR training and base building I'd recommend ‘The Uphill Athlete’ as a great read to educate yourself).

12-4:30pm- Back to work, much the same as above. I eat while I work and since we've been in quarantine I've got into the habit of making a giant salad that lasts two days in the evening when I'm making dinner so it's prepped and ready to go when I'm back from my run. Initially I was finding staying on track of my food a huge challenge but I've found that this really helps. For me routine is key so I've been planning the weeks worth of food on a Sunday and sticking to it (we have made some rules on when we can order delivery and Saturday means a big workout so we get pizza on Saturdays- it's a highlight!).

So far I've made:

Thai salad with a peanut dressing.
Warm sweet potato and kale salad with a tahini dressing.
And a chopped salad that was basically just what I had in the fridge with a chipotle yogurt dressing that I made up and was surprisingly good!

4:30pm- Once I've finished work I'm much in need of a brain break so I tend to head to workout. Sean does my coaching through True Coach so that looks different depending on the day but at the moment that's a highlight of the day for me and I'm really happy we can still go outside for a run. I've also decided to set myself the goal of doing a handstand push up by the end of this (I'd really recommend setting some small goals to keep you accountable or repeating a chosen workout so you can track progress. Check out our coaching section if you're looking for a more specific goal / the help of a coach for your programming). I'm using the @pamelagnon program for the HSPU and would highly recommend checking her IG out if you're into CrossFit and looking to make gains there. You get a great app to check your progress and all the sessions are super clear.

7pm- I'm normally back and preparing dinner by this time. Again, using a list at the beginning of the week means I know what I'm cooking and don't just end up eating crap because I'm feeling overwhelmed (something that is happening a lot at the moment and I know for me I'm a real emotional eater so this is one to keep an eye on for me). I've enjoyed pulling out the cookbooks and using Pinterest for some inspiration and have been trying to get more creative with my veggie recipes. Sean's the best lockdown buddy as everything is “delicious” to him and he'll eat whatever I give him haha. I'm also loving @thelazyplantbasedkitchen - one that's worth checking out on IG if you like plant based food!

8-9:30pm - I use this as my downtime and used to watch something on Netflix or do some work for Team Grit. Being attached to a PC all day has meant that by 4:30pm I'm not too keen on being attached to a screen so we've bought a few new books and some puzzles that I've actually been really enjoying. I normally end the day of food with a decaf tea and some dark chocolate from The Source because it makes me happy. I think this downtime is really important at the moment and it's a good time to rekindle a love for something or to find a new passion! I also always have dinner sat in my Recovery Systems legs and find this a super simple way to get in recovery daily - it has helped me so much in staying injury free and is even more crucial for me while we’re on lockdown and the Stretch Clinic is closed so I’m not getting any maintenance work there.

9:30pm- Bedtime. Yes I legit go to bed at 9:30pm (sometimes this gets pushed to 10pm if I've been super busy but never later). I bought some blue light blocking glasses that I wear in the evening if I'm using a screen too and saw some benefits from them. I get pretty detailed readouts from my Oura Ring regarding my sleep and with everything going on at the moment it's an area I'm struggling with. To combat it and because sleep really is key, I'm making sure I'm sticking to my bedtime even if I'd rather stay up because I need all the recovery I can get to wake up ready to face another day.

And that's about it- rinse and repeat. My weekends obviously look a bit different and feature much more working out and puzzle time haha. I'm trying to remain as positive as I can in the current situation and I'm keeping a real focus on what I can control and keeping perspective. A friend recommended this podcast which is a good one to give a listen if you're finding yourself slipping into despair or just need some tips on how to survive all of this! https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/special-episode-how-to-fail-mo-gawdat-on-how-to-cope/id1407451189?i=1000469228528

I hope, whenever you are, whatever your situation, you're managing to find your own new normal in all of this. It won't last forever but that doesn't mean that it isn't going to be bloody hard to get through so if you’re feeling crap make sure you allow yourself that. If you want more detail on anything I've mentioned or you just want to chat, drop a comment below or reach out at @smiley_spartan_racer!

Jessie x