Lockdown - Day 69 Running

I used to run three mornings a week in the gym before going into work and was missing that badly.  I’ve gained a stone and the effect on my morale was stark.  Every other day, I would go for a walk but it doesn't cut it.  It stretches the limbs and gets the circulation going but that's about it.  Yoga classes resumed via Zoom and that helped to keep perspective.  I missed the running because nothing beats running for the effect it has on your metabolism, your brain, and your mood.    I could, at any time, just put on my big-girl knickers and just step outside but I managed to find a range of reasons why it was not a good time e.g. 'I must avoid the sun because of my skin', 'running on the roads is bad for your joints' and as I got fatter, I was just plain too embarrassed to step outside the house in jogging pants.

Then, last Thursday morning, before our bi-weekly staff meeting, while we were waiting for colleagues to join us, my boss casually mentioned that she had gone for a run that morning.  I was stunned with envy.  I’m an early riser, I have no excuse. On Friday morning at 7.30 am, I put on my runners and walked out the front door.  My Hubbie opened the bedroom window and shouted up the road to ask where I was going.    I turned right at the top of the road to keep the sun at my back.  I walked down the Carrigaline Road to warm up and soon as the road levelled into Douglas Village, I started jogging.  Sticking to the shady side of the street was easier than I expected and in fact, running early in the morning is the perfect time to go because the sun is still low and there is always shade.  I was out for 50 minutes in total.   I came back with my circulation pumped, a big red head on me but totally energised.

Over the weekend I went for two long walks, no running but on Monday, I headed out again.  The slight drizzle did not put me off.  I noticed more cars on the road and the house building project on Carrigaline Road has resumed.  That was good to see.

I feel great.  I’ve taken the first step.  It's about taking back control in a situation that sometimes feels rudderless.  I hope to do it every work morning before work.    Yesterday afternoon, listening Newstalk and Sean's Moncrieff's, So you Think You're an Adult, a man wrote in concerned about his wife's drinking since the Lockdown began.  The man explained they had four children who had to be home-schooled, both he and wife worked from home and even though he contributed 50% towards the housework, he was alarmed that she went from one glass of wine at the weekends to a glass of wine every night.  The advice from Sean and his team was for the man to show compassion for his wife rather than judging, he should get the older two children to help with the homeschooling and to babysit while he went for a walk with his wife, get a take-away coffee and discuss in ways she could de-stress rather than drink.  Loads of people wrote in questioning his '50% contribution.'  Declan's advice got my attention.  "Ask yourself, what did you do before the Lockdown to keep you grounded and see if you can go back to that."  Running on the road is not too bad.  As long as you're not pounding the pavement and locking your knees, damage should be minimal.    Doing it first thing in the morning before you have time to think about it and start anything else is ideal.  And it sets you up for the day.  That's what I say now.  But, one day at a time.   

Last night, the whole family watched the final two episodes of Michael Jordon's, The Last Dance.  Fantastic series.  At the outset, I wondered how they could fill ten fifty-minute programmes about one man but in the end, I felt I could have watched ten more.  What was interesting was the observation of one of the journalists interviewed the extent of Jordon's fame worldwide without the 'help' of Facebook and Twitter.