Hi everyone. I know we are all understandably a bit stressed by the constantly changing coronavirus news messages, the panic shoppers and maybe the self isolation too. I've been looking to try and see the positives in my days where they do occur. Some of my upcoming races have been cancelled, so for now I took my race budget for the Spring/Summer and applied it to some new road and trail shoes which were really needed. A local shop had a great sale and the sales people were really helpful too having run many of the same races I've done in years gone by. I know I will get plenty of use from them.
I also have a pile of inspirational run vids that I go to every so often. There are about 50 and counting - largely trail focused, since that is what I've been looking at lately. If you like you can peruse the full list here to pass some time:
This event has also given me some extra hours in my day, so once the family errands and work are all completed, I have the chance to draw and read a bit more than I normally do. And with the kids home we also talk more which is a nice change. Finally, I had the chance to run in the weekday sun this week which I thought was going to be gone for the length of my fulltime work contract and which I now very much appreciate as I worked from home this week. Our run group was cancelled for awhile but solo runs are still possible - at least for the moment here in Canada. I am so thankful to have this discussion board and the people that keep it going. We are here for one another in good times and bad. There are a lot of things I am thankful for right now. Nature outside is still as beautiful as it was last month - the leaves, stones, trees, water and occasional creature just going about their business. People out walking or running still manage to smile and say hi sometimes, and when they do, I smile back. Hope that in the midst of all the things we have to do to manage during this crisis, that you are able to find the time to do a little of what you really enjoy - whatever it may be. I think we always feel a little stronger and in control if we can spend some quality time on ourselves and our loved ones. That's all I wanted to say - no message here Be safe, and happy running
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Decker
Ultramarathon
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Thank you for this Decker, and of course you are so right. 🙂 We need to look for the little things that ground us and perhaps make us smile...oh and to run of course, we need to run when we can.! I went out this evening with a poorly charged Garmin that would not lock on to a satellite. This turned out to be a good thing - I just ran by feel and enjoyed the run so much..didn't look at my watch once! That's a first for me, I think!
Oh I have such a hard time not looking at my watch. Well done! I want to train myself to just run to time and effort this summer. Need to figure out a new run setting. Take care out there Sandra.
A great post Decker. Amid all this chaos, there is lots to be thankful for. I must say, I really enjoyed my solo run yesterday in the dark, listening to my Run Runaway playlist on Spotify, since run, runaway is what I wanted to do. I feel more grounded today though and am really looking forward to the rest of my runs this week. We need to take everything one day at a time (yesterday was one hour at a time since everything changed and turned on it's head in the blink of an eye) and be thankful for the small stuff.
One day at a time makes sense. I am looking forward to a long run this weekend too. I’ve no idea where to go but Saturday looks like decent weather and we’ll see how it goes. Take care on your runs too.
Lovely post Decker and all so true. You’re right, it’s all too easy to dwell on the negative (of which there’s plenty around, don’t get me wrong), but there are positives too. We have all our “kids” living back at home again. It’s lovely having a houseful. My daughter read about how the world’s carbon emissions are way down 🌍 ❤️ which of course must be the case. 👍
We are so lucky to have our running. I’m hoping to be able to go out with my dog regularly. If we’re forced to go on full isolation, our garden is a good size, but ...... please no! 😅
Take care of yourself. Enjoy your new shoes (another positive!) and we’ll all get through this. 😀
I didn’t think about the carbon emissions drop. That is genuine good news! Enjoy your full house and the time you have with your family and yes, we will all get through this.
Great post Decker. It's a time of year when Nature at least is perking up and full of life and vigour. I live down South which is notoriously antisocial (I'm a Northerner at heart) but I swear more people were smiling and saying hello than usual. 😊
I live up north and our peeps are very chatty anyway but more so now. My family stayed with me recently and my niece said that her husband couldn’t get his head round that people wanted to speak to him 😁. People just engage you in conversation whether they know you or not It’s free, and round here we don’t have much 🙂
I am getting desperate for shoes. I was saving my pegasus’ for races 😔
When I can finally afford some it’ll be all the more sweet 😃🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
I am usually not a big talker either but it’s nice to connect every so often with someone with everyone so geared up now. As for the shoes my road breakthrus had around 900k on them and the trail shoes were held together with duct tape and love, so it was time.😁 I LOVE both my new Hoka Cliftons and my Saucony Peregrines which were half price since they are coming out with a new fancy model.
I don’t usually. I leave them to dry then bang them together outside
After a particularly filthy trail race I did machine wash the mizuno’s. On sports wash after an initial rinse I then took the insoles out and hung them up indoors for a week
I might be doing a half marathon in them in Sunday.
Ok that drying and banging method is what I usually do too. Thought you may know a special cleaning technique 🙂 But trail shoes are supposed to be a bit muddy anyway aren't they?
Fab post Decker. I am convinced that yes we’ll see the good and bad sides of human behaviour in the coming months but fundamentally we’ll see a return to a simpler way of life and there will be many who will find their creative side surface as they will now have time to explore talents they either didn't know they had or didn't have time to pursue.
It does make you focus on the important things in a way that nothing else does. Just before this outbreak I was in the middle of a “dispute” with a retailer about a pair of curtains. I’ve since let that go because..... well honestly how could I....?
Stay safe, healthy and sane and enjoy the extra time with your loved ones x
Yes my wife and I were talking about how this relates to all the other things we’ve seen here (911, SARS, H1N1, the NA East coast power outage, the van attack just down the road from here) and in times like this it is an opportunity to live a bit more simply like you say, be decent with one another and just ride it out.
Ah Margot! I loved her. I remember that episode, she was so serious and didn’t know how to laugh .... in fact I’m sure I saw my husband watching that one the other day...
I’m browsing through gardening books/sites looking for inspiration and just because looking at beautiful plants makes me happy 🌹🌻🌸🙂
My father lived through two world wars, survived near starvation in the winter of 1913/14, dodged the Spanish Flu, the Scourge of TB, several Recessions/Depressions, kept his cool during the Cuban Crisis and - by some miracle - kept most of his sanity during the wilder years of my youth.
My mother much the same except only one World War
I myself have beaten pretty long odds to still be around, so quite honestly I am rather bemused by it all - it's a grim situation, but not hopeless
As you say - having the will to hang in, hang tough and see it through is the best way to weather the storm
We will all run many more happy miles in our futures
true. Im a complete worrit, but i try and am trying to do this I was listening to Jack Savoretti the other day (Maybe not the best choice to try and uplift me!!) anyway i cant remember the exact lyrics, and i think i've kinda changed them... but it was something like 'keep looking for the sun, and brighter days will come' so i'm keeping this in mind. hope all is OK with you
You are so right. The world is unbelievable at the moment. I feel like Im in some weird Sci fi movie!! 😱 Ive been on hols few days and now off work sick... Just a bug I think. So been watching lots of news, which I've decided isn't good and I need to limit my time on this as its just mind boggling. I did a little 2k run Monday (all I had time for and didn't feel to good) did also use the park loos (and there was toilet roll!! 😂)
Looking foward to running again soon hopefully, if we still can
Things are a bit crazy and some people are panicking, but many, many more are being reasonable, taking the appropriate precautions, and looking after one another. I just finished a long run and it has really cleared my head to handle this next week. My children and my wife are safe at home with me now. My parents are finally listening to me about isolating and so I’m not as worried as I was last week this time Also saw many people walking on the trails. We almost all said hello (from a safe distance ), which rarely happens otherwise.
I am ordering a few board games and getting the children into arts and crafts
We are allowed to run outside, individually, at the moment and to walk the dogs, so I am attempting to get the children to run a bit, just to stop them going stir crazy indoors for weeks
jigsaws, catching up on reading, spring cleaning, binge watching boxsets, etc.
I spent the weekend rearranging furniture to permit homeschooling without fighting between the 3 of them when they get too frustrated
Show us some pictures of the outdoors in Canada please Decker! How’s that ultra training going? I’m aiming for a 3 day mountain marathon, just been postponed from May to August. Plus a 20mile 1 day event in Brecon Beacons looks doubtful...🤔
That sounds awesome Dave! My ultra will be quite flat. Its not until Oct so I’m hoping this craziness will have all blown over by then. I will post some pics if you like. I just had a lovely short trail run this aft. Working from home does have some perks!
Thanks for that post. Springtime ( nearly) in Canada. Thats got to be special. I'll take a look at the videos and I can also some feel some shoe purchase coming on..... How long to you keep yours for. I have a pair of Saucony's with 600km on the clock. Justifiable replacement?
I live north of London, pretty much out in the country and the trails are a bit less muddy now and the flowers and spring blossoms are coming along too.
Yes I found some green growth yesterday on my trail run so we should see more as it warms up. Re:shoe purchasing, I use my Garmin to track my shoes, and they recommend somewhere around 600-700km usage. I think with certain shoes you can go for longer. It largely depends on how hard you are on the shoe too I would imagine, also the sole content and the type of foam etc. I have a pair of older Kinvaras that are super light and fast but they wear fast too. So they are just kept for short runs or PR attempts
Thank you Roger, lovely post. Yes, I try and look for the positives too. My summer in France has been postponed or cancelled, not sure which, and while I was looking forward to a change in scenery, I still get to do some lovely flat runs here in Cambridge, and I haven't had a summer in UK since before I took up running, so I reckon I've got some treats in store. I usually only see the tail end of Autumn and bare trees! I think if I am still allowed out to run I can cope with all the social distancing.
Yes I recon you’ll encounter some nice surprises at home this summer. Cambridge must be beautiful in the Spring. Would love to see some photos if you get out there. I also really hope they allow us to keep up the solo runs at least. It is my lifeline right now
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Be safe, and happy running
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