It seems like everyone wants to be a runner, now that social distancing
has become a thing.
Regular runners definitely took the lead on this. Keeping up
with running and avoiding contact with others (and possible Coronavirus /
COVID-19 exposure) is something of a balancing act, isn’t it? From race cancellations
to gym closures, runners are taking to the trails (and streets) to keep moving.
Virtually every race director is coming up with virtual races to offer the
running community at-large.
Hey, we’re still free to lace up our sneakers and go pound out as many
miles as we want.
In these crazy days of pandemic uncertainty, scores of other
folks are stepping into sports shoes and hitting the bricks or tracing out
trails to escape cabin fever and burn off some of those shelter-in-place
calories.
If we’re heeding the warnings, we’re running (or walking) solo.
Or we’re pairing up, but trying to stay 6+ feet apart (per federal guidelines).
Maybe we’re wearing face-masks or stretching neck gaiters / buffs or lycra headbands over our noses and mouths.
Then there are those
devil-may-care hotshots, who think they’re tougher than anything Covid-19 can
throw at them.
Those are the hard-core runners who still post Instagram
photos of their running crews with arms draped over each others’ shoulders. They’re
the ones who jog three or four across on single- or double-track paths.
Take a look at these photographic examples. (Disclaimer: These stock photos were taken
before the pandemic hit. So these individuals were not violating any current
health standards.)
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| An active worldwide pandemic makes running a whole new game. |
Tons of runners have posted photos depicting the lack of social distancing in favorite running spots. Chicago's mayor has now closed the city's scenic lakefront paths, for example. On the other hand, Wisconsin has waived fees for state parks and trails, urging people to practice safe social distancing.
Experts tell us
COVID-19 can spread like wildfire. Would you run through wildfire?
Have you encountered others along your running routes, who
crowded your Coronavirus-avoidance personal boundaries? How did you handle
this?
I have darted into the street to cross and put appropriate space
between me and them. Two days ago, a pair of runners came up behind me and
passed me on a local trail. One actually shoulder-bumped me, as he crowded
past.
Seriously, folks?
Call me germophobic. OK.
I just want to stay healthy, so I can keep running and doing
the rest of life well (or reasonably so). I battle a chronic medical condition
daily, which threatens to sideline me, if a serious illness throws my immune
system into overdrive. I have family members and other loved ones who could
likely not weather such a storm, if they became infected.
Bet we all do, if we think about it. Because when it comes
right down to it, it’s not just about us. It’s about who our lives might
impact.
Images:
Photo collage created by this user from public domain images
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zippy
