I need to caveat the rest of this post with fully admitting how ridiculous (and even selfish) this will all sound as people have truly suffered with their health and livelihoods during this time.
The event cancellations have really hit me hard as this was supposed to be 'my running year'. I had all 9 of my NYRR qualifying races registered and my travel planned. I only ran one event on March 1 before the pandemic hit (which I'm feeling really grateful for because it went really well). Besides being absolutely frigid cold out, Fred and Kara weren't kidding when they said to sign-up for the 'Washington Heights Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K' - it was super fun! I was still breastfeeding at that point, so luckily we had an awesome spectator who carried a backpack, and more importantly, cheered us (thanks Ali!) I was also super thrilled with my time of 0:28:57. Though not a personal best, still exceeding my expectations at this point postpartum, the elevation, and the cold temperature.
At this point, all NYRR events through mid-August are cancelled. Graciously, the organization has decided to give everyone credit (who wants it) towards the marathon next year. That means I already have 7 of my 9 races completed. The next races I'm already registered for that have not been cancelled (yet) are the Staten Island Half on October 11 and the Abbott Dash on October 31. It seems like getting into the marathon for next year is a sure thing at this point. I should be happy about that, but I'm not. Not under these circumstances. And I wanted to earn it. But here we are.
Many lofty goals have been put on hold, and my fitness goals right now are just maintaining a baseline. In an effort to not feel as disconnected with the community, I've been finding new ways to engage. In the most simple way, since most of my running has become extremely localized, taking the opportunity to explore Waltham deeper. Finding more paths and interesting stuff to look at. I'm so grateful we live in this beautiful city.
Running with a mask has been a more recent thing and challenging. At first it made me really angry, but I've decided that it's best for me personally and for those around me who I run past who may not be protected. There's an especially vulnerable population here and a concentrated number of cases. I basically keep the mask on when I'm running down main streets and then take it off for some breaths of fresh air when it's safe to do so in less crowded areas.
Another way I've been connecting with others is through virtual races. Not a new concept, but now the norm. On May 2, my friend Bobby organized a virtual 'Fuck Coronavirus' event with varying distances. We had 25 people participate! I choose to run the 10K distance and found an awesome path along the Charles River on a very sunny day, with a time of 1:06:41.
I'm about to gear up to go run the Harpoon 5 Miler, alone, but hopefully connected. With a cold beer waiting at the end back at home.
Stay active, stay safe everyone.
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| March 1st - Washington Heights 5K |
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May 2 - Fuck Coronavirus 10K |
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| View of Boston from Waltham Prospect Hill |
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| My running buddy |
