… the last post I didn’t make was in the morning on October 12, the day Eliud Kipchoge ran the marathon TT in 1:59:40. I’d gotten up at 3:30 to watch it, I was on my second pot of coffee, I’d been talking and texting with my friend Ralph who there in Vienna, and I was pumped.
Six months later: the shoes – perhaps fairly enough -- became a bigger story than the run. I turned my personal life on its head and moved into tiny temporary quarters. I was running well, and then in two strides in early March my left ankle decided it had had enough, so I’m on the DL for months. And finally, the pandemic. Which kind of dwarfs all the aforementioned.
Back to the run, just to recall it. There’s a lot of debate about how significant it was, given all the artificial circumstances – and the damn shoes. But it was still a remarkable athletic feat, and Kipchoge is a beautiful runner, and watching someone like that run for most of two hours is mesmerizing. Even better, seeing him running and flanked by seven other elite runners from a wide range of specialties was a running form showcase.
Back to now. I’m among the lucky ones: I’m healthy, I have a job, and I can do the job from “home”. And of course, it still sucks, the isolation, the not seeing people I want to see, the inability to go somewhere else. One response to this, which I’m sure is common, is to commit to goals for the weird period. Here are some of mine, some better quantifiable than others:
· Not go too crazy, despite:
· PR for longest time without touching another human
· Manage work, at least ok
· Write
· Rehab my injuries, so I can run on the other side
· Get my weight right and keep it there
· Since I can ride, get in some decent bike shape
Best of luck with your goals — see you on the other side!