Multisport Athletes Share Tips for Staying Motivated

With races cancelled, MAC athletes have needed to get creative to stay motivated. Some are taking a step back and trying something new, others are finding ways to race virtually or set new challenges for themselves to keep the competition alive. We checked in with a few MAC multisport athletes to hear what they have been up to and get ideas for how to stay motivated and active during this time. Here are some of the ideas they shared.

Race Virtually

With in-person racing on hold, race companies have found creative ways to host events. There are a plethora of virtual races, from relay-style events to virtual runs and triathlons.

Participants in this year’s virtual MAC Mile were asked to run one mile for time anywhere they wanted during a two-week window and upload their results. David Harding raced the MAC Mile on the road instead of a track and participated in five Portland Running Club Bridge Challenge virtual races. “Running virtual races required me to really create my own race excitement and get race feelings but I think it helped me by generally not going out too fast,” he says.

Aly and Nick Wilson have also been staying active via the virtual MAC Mile and the Shamrock Run. “The very first one we did was Shamrock Run, which was cancelled days before the race was scheduled. Nick and I had fun running it on the original date, and we didn’t mind being able to sleep in and avoid the usual crowds!” notes Aly.

Daemon Anastas took on a longer challenge — running four miles every four hours for 48 hours. He wasn’t alone. He put together a Strava (an online athletic tracker and social network) group to track progress as he raced with four others in Europe.

Get the Family Involved

One of the most enjoyable ways to stay active is by getting others involved! Lina Reiss shared: “We have been walking daily with the dogs, playing badminton in our backyard — my husband misses his squash — and coming up with bike-ride outings with a destination enticing enough to drag the 13-year-old from the computer; last time we went to pick up doughnuts.” Don Ollila and his family have been “running in the neighborhood and taking virtual MAC Karate lessons.”

One of the most fun things Amy Henderson has done since quarantine was a running relay with her family put on by Going the Social Distance Relays. “They are structured similar to Hood to Coast,” she explains. “You have a team of four or eight, and each person takes a 45-minute leg. With family members in the UK, Wisconsin, Seattle and Oakland I thought it would be an awesome way to do something together, from afar. Over the course of a day we took turns going out for our run or walk and sharing videos and photos of our adventure.”

Ryan Chiotti and his family have been exploring on bike, and it’s turned competitive. “My daughter started trying to race me and the head start keeps getting shorter,” he laments. His family also took on the Virtual MAC Mile Relay. “We battled the MAC Virtual Mile as a relay in an unconventional way using my Garmin watch and the .27 loop that we live on. We were able to run as a family in an event that had neighbors cheering by lap three.” Create Personal Challenges

Some MAC members have kept motivated by creating personal challenges. “I am a very goal-oriented athlete,” notes Amy Henderson. “When races started to be cancelled, I needed something else to focus on. I wrote down a list of all of the Strava segments in Portland that are big hills and common for biking. I have slowly been going for each QOM (Queen of the Mountain, i.e. fastest female time recorded) and ticking them off.”

Aly Wilson put on her own virtual triathlon. “I worked with my coach and some friends to put together a 70.3 distance race on the same day that Victoria 70.3 was supposed to take place.” She explains: “A group of five of us swam in Hagg Lake, then biked a 56 mile course to Sauvie Island, where we ran 13.1 miles. Having this as a goal on the horizon was really helpful in keeping myself motivated to stick to my training plan after Victoria was

“Strava, or some other social connection for workouts, is key when you don’t have a team to workout with. Or when COVID shuts down your swim team!” —Ryan Chiotti

cancelled. I’ve also set dates for a few other personal challenges: completing my first century ride and climbing the elevation of Mt. Hood (11,000 feet) in one ride.”

Daemon Anastas and one of his sons set a daily push-up goal for themselves, aiming for 100 per day. And if you’re looking for something more artistic and less competitive, try drawing a picture with GPS! Wilson did a festive run for the Fourth of July, drawing an American Flag on the field of a track.

Explore Open Water

With the pools closed, MAC members have been taking advantage of the openwater workouts. Lina Reiss was able to find a warm enough section of the Willamette River in early May that allowed her to swim without a wetsuit. “I swam back and forth from an outcropping to a rock, kind of like laps.”

Wilson and Anastas have both enjoyed swimming at Hagg Lake throughout the summer and, now that the Willamette River has warmed up, they have been swimming weekday mornings out of Sellwood Park with some fellow MAC Masters swimmers. Anastas has also been leading a few small groups on swim-runs, where they run from Sellwood Park to Milwaukie, and then swim downstream (with their shoes and everything!) back to the start.

Aly Wilson at the finish of her virtual Half Ironman distance run.

But there’s more than just swimming. Ryan Chiotti shares that he went surfing again for the first time in years! “It was one of the first open water things I’ve done in a while. It’s amazing how incredible open water swimming changes your perspective!” If you want to avoid literally getting your feet wet, you can also rent a kayak or standup paddleboard to enjoy the open water in a different way.

September Scavenger Hunt

In September, the Tri-Run Committee is organizing a month-long Tri to Get Active Scavenger Hunt that includes creative ways to swim, bike and run, plus bonus items like strength and walking-based challenges, so everyone can get involved. Participants earn a pair of Winged M socks. Sign up at themac.com TRN901.