I waited for writing this article for a long time, hoping for the best that the world as we knew it only one year and a half ago, would come back. Unfortunately, things were harder than expected. I will not write a post discussing how this pandemic disrupted all our lives: we all know it did.
The most unfortunate of us lost some relatives, or experienced the virus in different forms. We had to give up some freedom, changing our way of working. We also had to stop traveling for a while. And for runners, we had to say goodbye to the pleasure of running in new and beautiful cities with thousands of others. A disaster for a website celebrating traveling runners! As a runner, a virus attacking our vascular and respiratory system is something very serious. We learned also that long term effects (the so-called long covid syndrome) could affect our health – and for a runner, performances – longer than the time we had to spend in bed.
Running in lockdown
During the first lockdowns, where many countries – starting from Italy in Europe – had to restrict freedoms, a lot of people chose to run as a way to get some freedom and personal space. It was nice to see more and more casual runners (you recognize them from their outfit!) hitting the road.
But this post is not about making fun of them: on the contrary they should be celebrated and greeted! Whoever discovered the joy of sport and healthy habits in these tragic moments, deserves a big high five!
For me, going out during the lockdown (that in Denmark have never limited the chances to run) had the taste of doing it for last time. Who could know the evolution of this pandemic, and the consequence to our daily habits?
Running became a way of surviving. We trained without the motivation given by running events, affirming that we will always be there, free.
The vaccines gave us a leverage against the disease. A lot must be done yet, and evolutions are unknown, also due to the presence of mutation of the original virus.
What can we do?
Many things! Keep training, because a healthy body is always important. And be safe: there are many things we can do, starting from the vaccination campaign. The vaccine does not mean, that we should drop all the habits that helped us reducing the spread. Washing hands, using disinfectants, avoiding unnecessary contacts are all weapons we should keep considering.
Let’s enjoy the slow and hopefully steady comeback of normality, and let’s keep ourselves in good shape for it!
Stay safe!
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