A long run. A long post. And a snot-rocket. - Bridge to 10K

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A long run. A long post. And a snot-rocket.

ktsok profile image
15 Replies

Dear Virtual Buddies,

It’s been 13 days since my son and I went into self-isolation following his father contracting the virus - we think. Despite being a GP, he wasn’t tested. Go figure. He seems fine now, back at work, where he has been chomping at the bit to be. NHS workers are a breed apart in a crisis and are fully deserving of all the praise heaped on their shoulders. I sincerely hope we remember them when this has passed.

I am lucky enough to live on a private estate, surrounded by fields and rural lanes. I still have a job. And I have my son. Self-isolation is hardly hardship for us. I can only imagine the situation for those suffering from overcrowding, living in flats without outdoor space, homelessness, domestic abuse, poverty.

Despite knowing all this, perhaps because of it, I have been wobbling myself. My sister-in-law in America has been diagnosed with the virus. She and my brother have both been made redundant without severance packages from their companies or as yet, the US government and the job market in their fields (education, in her case, and something ridiculously hard to understand in his) has stagnated. Their health insurance runs out next week. Hopefully they can get a mortgage holiday but they are facing the very real possibility that they will lose their home. And now she is ill, with two daughters at home and a husband who is taking moments to cry behind closed doors.

I have been having a good cry at times myself. And that’s ok, actually.

There is lots of laughter, too, and things to be incredibly grateful for. My son is excellent company. So easy to be around, funny, good-humoured, relaxed, able to entertain himself. Sod the homework. At some point we will perhaps need some routines, but we don’t at the moment. Apart from Joe Wicks ‘The Body Coach’ at 9am every morning. We have bounced around being bunnies, been sumo wrestlers doing squats and Spider-Men zapping enemies as we lunge. We have collapsed onto the floor and compared our aching muscles the next day.

Our daily walk has been a wonderful thing. We sometimes hold hands, and chat about life. Or climb a tree - carefully. We were panthers lying on a branch the other day. We notice things and stop to look at them.

Not having been able to go to the shops, our neighbours have been kind enough to give us bits here and there. We were given a chicken the other day! On the same day our vegetable box order arrived. We were both dribbling by the time it was cooked and my son said it felt like Christmas. He had been dancing around the kitchen two days earlier when another neighbour had given us half a loaf of bread and said his chocolate spread sandwich was the best thing he had ever tasted. My previously food-fussy child also gobbled up the dahl and flatbreads we made together this week. I think we are both learning to be more thankful and thoughtful about food.

Running has taken a back step as on day 1 of self-isolation my left knee ‘went’. It looked swollen so I iced it night and day for several days and strapped it up. Walking in a straight line was kind of okay, but if I put any sort of twist into it whilst weight bearing, it was agony.

So my last ‘proper’ run was on 16 March. I tried to do my bit for the Vitality World Cup, doing a limping 3K on 21 March. The knee tweaked and twinged a bit, so it seemed best to rest a while longer.

So today dawned, Sunday 29. My son is at his father’s house for the weekend, as everyone is symptomless or appears to have recovered. I found myself scrolling through the HU posts, which as they do often do (thank you), kindled that little spark of motivation. At the same time, my eye was caught by a News article advising joggers to give dog-walkers more room in these contagious times. I found myself cheered by the descriptions of heavy-breathing joggers ‘bursting past unsuspecting walkers in an unhygienic flurry of panting and spitting... clearing the nasal passages with a so-called “snot rocket”.’ Now, I do hope I have never launched a ‘snot rocket’ at anything other than a tissue, and I am not a spitter... but I can certainly identify with the mental image of a jogger in an unhygienic flurry, panting, and heavy breathing. It actually felt quite reassuring to know that there is tribe of joggers I belong to. It was time to rejoin them - whilst giving the walkers an extremely wide berth, of course.

I left the house with no expectations. No route in mind, or distance, just a see-how-it-feels slow run. The wind was sharp and cold, and thankfully behind me - it felt as if I was being lifted, and pushed along. I plodded out of the gates, along a rural lane. At the end of the lane I turned right, then left, up a road I have never run along before. I was as far from home as I had ever run, and was still running away. I felt liberated. Blossom swirled and surrounded me... and then I realised it was snow, or the gentlest hail, quite magical. I plodded on, turning a corner toward home, still feeling wonderful... uphill, straight into the wind. It was pretty hard going. I kept my head down and thought about running as a metaphor for life, telling myself that this was one of the tough moments, it will pass, it was okay to stop, okay to keep going. I slowed down rather than stop but honestly, it felt like I was on a treadmill for a bit. If you had stuck a couple of poles on my hand they wouldn’t have looked amiss - this resembled hill-walking more than running. Eventually, I crested the hill... into a full-blown snowstorm. The gentle snow had turned into driving shards of ice, stinging my skin. In less than a minute, I was soaked through from head to toe. I couldn’t feel my legs and neck, they were frozen. I hadn’t dressed for this. I felt frightened for a moment - knocking on doors isn’t exactly in vogue at the moment - there was no option but to dig in and just keep going... and going... and going...

Stay safe out there, folks x

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ktsok profile image
ktsok
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15 Replies
Katnap profile image
KatnapGraduate10

Did you make it back....

Well you posted so I guess you did! LOL😁😃😅😂🤣

🐱 Katnap 🐱

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply toKatnap

Hehe. I updated the post but with all the glitches it posted twice!!

Katnap profile image
KatnapGraduate10 in reply toktsok

Hence the'why can't I post?' post. 🤔

E27M14 profile image
E27M14Graduate10

So glad to see you are back in good health and good spirits. What a lovely run, you even make the snow sound lovely. At the end of your report I was left thinking “but how far, how fast” and then realised, you know what, right now (or probably ever really) it doesn’t matter! So sorry to hear about your brother’s troubles but it also highlights for many of us, this is an odd time of big changes to what we think of as normal, but it’s not all bad. We have food and a roof over our heads, we have our health and we have each other. And we can run...... who cares how far or how fast as long as it is keeping us happy and healthy. Stay happy and healthy and carry on enjoying the new normal.

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply toE27M14

You are right, it doesn’t matter.

But it was 8K in 55:36 😂

Truly brilliant post ktsok be strong be safe be healthy 👍

Irishprincess profile image
IrishprincessGraduate10

A great sounding run considering you had no expectations. Maybe that played a part 🏃‍♀️🙂

You and your son are making some wonderful memories and I’m sure when he is older and you both look back at this time, you’ll have some smiles and a warm glow.

I’m sorry you also have some worries and sad times for your family members. Let’s hope there will be changes to support them in the coming days.

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply toIrishprincess

Fingers crossed IP x

Jell6 profile image
Jell6Graduate10

Excellent, so glad you got out there, and snow?!, its been glorious here, my neighbours are getting me riled as they seem to think this is a holiday, not a care in the world.

My favourite part of this post.

"We were panthers lying on a branch the other day. We notice things and stop to look at them."

What an image, that and your son enjoying basic food I could almost see him in long shorts and a cap🙂

Much to be grateful for in very challenging times.

I hope you and you family all stay safe and well. 😘

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply toJell6

Same to you Jell. Hope the neighbours calm down a bit x

backintime profile image
backintimeGraduate10

What a great post - I am sorry for you family in America - hopefully they pull through unscathed and the US government sorts our subsidies and gets their backside in gear to help people in their situation. Much has been made of the trillions of dollars that will be going to help, I hope they see some of it and quickly.

The rest of the post sounds wonderful - my children are a bit older I think (17, 16 and 13) and aren't really into climbing trees anymore, but I am trying to make them look back on this time with a bit of nostalgia and hope their frustration is tinged with good memories and times to rebond as a family.

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply tobackintime

Yes, we are all learning how to be together (and apart) under one roof. Teenagers are a tricky breed... but too old to climb trees?!!!! Never! I’m a rock climber in my forties, still find it hard to walk past a good tree without swinging up into the branches 🙂

Roxdog profile image
RoxdogGraduate10

Wow! I'm speechless. What an amazing post - thanks.

ktsok profile image
ktsok in reply toRoxdog

Thanks Rox 🙂

Exbox profile image
Exbox

Thank you for sharing your story , I think we are all having to re-evaluate our lives and what is important . Luckily myself and my husband are retired with enough money to live on , but the possibility is looming of having to assist his children financially . So be it .

I've just returned from my 5k jiggy jog round the lanes and tracks on my doorstep . I'm sure I'm seeing more people than usual , but maybe if they're not getting to work this is their daily one occasion out of the house for exercise.

My husband is in the at risk group so confined to barracks for 12 weeks . I've got to go shopping today - not the quick nip to the shops it used to be.

How dreadful to hear of your family in the US . Worrying times for so many .

Thank goodness for the NHS XXX

Keep on running !

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