Athletes’ Rest and Recovery in Pandemic Enhances Performance

On Aug. 1, Valarie Allman, 25, set the American women’s discus record with a throw of 230 feet 2 inches, or 70.15 meters. Remarkably, it was nearly a 10-foot improvement over her personal best.

When the Olympics were postponed and other meets were canceled, Allman said, she nearly gave up on the season. With no prize money available, she would have had to “puzzle piece” money from sponsors, training grants, her personal savings and help from her family to keep going.

“I felt lost,” she said.

But her coach, Zeb Sion, challenged Allman to reset her goals and to remain as strong and fit as possible at their training base in Austin, Tex. At the beginning of this month, Allman competed in a tiny meet in Rathdrum, Idaho. It was her first competition since last October, at the world track and field championships in Doha, Qatar. Allman had finished seventh there to conclude her first season on the professional circuit, feeling worn down from the travel and the pressure and logistics of competition.

The meet in Idaho was tiny, intimate, by comparison. Six or seven competitors, 20 or 30 spectators. No international flight required.

“I felt there were no distractions,” Allman said. “I could just focus on performance.”

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/30/sports/olympics/pandemic-olympics-training.html