For the May athlete of the month in the backdrop of the CoVID-19 pandemic, T3 selected six T3 athletes who are also medical professionals. T3 Coaches Kevin Crossman and Carl Regenauer interviewed Rachel Waller (Emergency Room Physician Assistant, Ellis Hospital), Amanda Williams (Emergency Room Physician Assistant, Ellis Hospital), Kim Kilby (Regional Medical Director, MVP Healthcare), Tom Williams (Emergency Medicine, Glens Falls Hospital), Mark Aierstock (Orthopedic Surgeon, Orthopedic Associates of Dutchess County), and Luis Castro (Equine Veterinarian) on a variety of aspects of life in this time.

A:  KK: It has made me think about the effect or burden that the medical support for a large race has on the medical system. What level of support for a race is reasonable from an infrastructure standpoint?
LC: I've always needed a race to motivate me, but now I'm using this time to build up my base, which hopefully make me a better competitor next year and hopefully help prevent injury... stay safe, follow CDC guidelines, take care of each other. As triathletes, I feel we have a leg up on some of these things.

A:  AW: A 10k run with intervals.
MA: I’m enjoying running rather than dreading it, even track work!
TW: Track workouts, sprints.
KK: I have a new treadmill with inclines from -6% to +40%. It has the capability to simulate race courses and hikes.
LC: I am enjoying riding my bike quite a lot. The weather in Florida and the relative lack of traffic have been tremendous. I would normally be enjoying my OWS, but they closed the beaches and parks, although they just announced a May 18th opening of Palm Beach County Beaches!

A:  TW: Avoid misinformation. Be careful who you trust with respect to treatment.
RW: Watch for treatments or actions that appear to be politically driven.

MA: Crisis brings innovation. Don’t be paralyzed by the barrage of talk of the “new normal”.

A:  RW: Maintain good basic hygiene. Wash your hands carefully after returning home.
AW: Be more conscious with respect to hygiene control. I use a separate door for entering the house and change clothes on entry.
KK: Recognize that masks are a last line of defense. Maintain good hygiene first. Don’t go out when you are sick. However, this doesn’t preclude verbal greetings when out and about!

A:  (RW, AW, TW): ER volumes have been lower by approximately 50%, slowly coming up in early May. However, the cases have had a greater acuity, reflecting the trend that people have delayed or avoided coming to emergency rooms when health problems are less acute. We’re seeing about 1 CoVID patient per shift. Many have been nursing home patients.
LC: Since I treat thoroughbred racehorses, and racing is still happening in Florida, albeit without any spectators, I am very busy. Much more so than I would normally be this time of year. I would already be in Saratoga, taking care of horses in training.

A:  KK: We have been taking family walks. My son, Caden, has now ridden his bike on the bike path without training wheels.
MA: Spending more time at home with children.
TW: My wife and I have taken time to work on extensive yard and garden projects.
RW: I still get to see my friends from work. Work is less stressful. I have been cooking more and experimenting with it.
AW: I have had more time, including times when I’m on call rather than at work. That has made it easier to fit long workouts in. I’ve also been mountain biking – a safe thing to do.
LC: Spending more time with my family has actually been quite a blessing. We are able to exercise, watch movies and even cook together.

A:  RW: A snack every 2 hours.
AW: Don’t go near my food!
MA: I need work and busy time.
LC: My weakness has always been easy access food (fast food, convenience stores), but now I plan my meals, bring enough with me to work and never go into any of these "evil" establishments, lol.

A:  Consensus: No. Maybe later in the year, probably not in New York.
LC (perspective on horse racing): This is quite difficult to answer right now. As of now, downstate racing COULD restart as early as June 1, although we should know more this coming week (based on whether or not the Pause is lifted or not. Saratoga racing is a whole other subject. The best thing we have on our side is time... but the question boils down to 2 possibilities: 1) to have racing at Saratoga without patrons or 2) run the Saratoga meet at Belmont. Either solution is a big financial hit on the town. Although we have veterinarians at Belmont now, I'm not sure I would personally go to NYC. I would most likely stay in Florida, where year-round racing would be occurring.