At the time of writing this blog, it’s the morning of Saturday 23 May 2020. I’ve kick-started the weekend with a 5K run, had breakfast, and shared my run on Strava and social media all before midday. It’s a warm May day. I’m in a good mood, as the post run endorphins continue to do their thing. Nothing unusual there. But, also at the time of writing we have been experiencing lockdown for about 10 weeks in the UK due to the covid-19 pandemic. As with everyone else, it has taken some time to adjust to the new ‘norm’. I celebrated my one year working anniversary with The Running Charity mid March on my last 1-2-1 mentor run along the eerily quiet Thames Path near London Bridge. It’s an image that will stick in my mind for some time. Almost like a strange dystopian futures film, with hardly another human being in sight. I have come to love the London skyline more with this job, so I am missing it a lot at the moment. I also miss the numerous parks and green spaces we explored during sessions. For now, I am just grateful to still be running, even if it is just round the block from home for about 30 mins to an hour at a time. With my main 2020 goals (marathon and ultramarathon) currently out the window I am focusing on just enjoying my running. I have also set myself the task of maintaining a run streak for as long as we are allowed out for daily exercise. I am currently on day 58 (will hit 66 days by the end of the month). It certainly feels easier than when I completed a 30-day run streak in September 2018. We’ll see how it goes over the coming weeks or even months. The way we are delivering sessions at The Running Charity has obviously changed too. Everything is being done via phone, Whatsapp and Zoom to bridge the gap left by not being able to meet up for sessions. It’s not without its challenges. But it gives us the opportunity to still keep in touch with the young people we have been supporting prior to lockdown as much as possible.

It’s not all doom and gloom

There are positives to come out of this time of uncertainty. Our London, Manchester and Leeds hubs have been brought closer together, despite the physical distance, via technology. We are drawing on the expertise of our staff and volunteers to broaden the scope of what we offer to everyone in the week to provide a routine. From George’s mindfulness sessions, Claude’s high intensity exercise classes to getting the women’s only sessions going, we are trying to provide something for everyone. Today, we hosted our eighth virtual parkrun event, which has been well received across the #TRCfamily and continues to include more people as the week’s progress. We have also been setting challenges for each other. Claude in particular seems to be showcasing his circus skills with some requiring some feats of gymnastic flexibility and contortion. When I get a chance to step outside for my daily run I am taking in the bird song, the numerous rainbow drawings by local children in windows, the chalk drawings on the pavements to name but a few things. Spending less time commuting and more time indoors also means it is important to step away from the computer or phone for a few hours in the day. Self-care is even more important at this stage. For me it has been about getting back to my other hobbies and interests. Yes, the ones us runners aren’t supposedly allowed to have.

Cross training: So, I am an avid Strictly fan and have been jumping on online dance lessons held by my dance teacher, as well those held by Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse. It is a great form of physical exercise, as well as mental exercise through learning routines and having to remember my left from my right! With every routine I try to copy I feel I am picking up the moves more quickly. I am also catching up on my yoga, pilates and strength work. As I am unable to see my sports massage therapist for the foreseeable future the onus is on myself to listen to my body and keep it feeling strong by cross training.

Origami: I have been into the Japanese art form of paper folding since about the age of 12, 13 years old. It’s a great form of mindfulness. Sometimes you just need to tune the world and negativity out for a few hours to reset. It’s not to say that folding paper can’t be stressful sometimes. But I love how once piece of paper can manifest itself in various forms through creases and folds.

Lego: My memories of Lego go back as far as my grandparents having a box of random pieces, which we would dig through to create buildings and whacky ideas. In the past few weeks, I have brought out my own collection of parts to build parkrun sceneries to share with the parkrun community and use on our social media feeds.

Baking and Cooking: Being in London meant I had a wide choice of cuisines to pick from, especially if I was out all day for sessions and meetings. I miss being able to go out for the odd meal. That being said I am enjoying making things from scratch. It’s an especially interesting time when it is difficult to get certain ingredients, so you have to be inventive with what you have. It makes you re-evaluate previous cooking and shopping habits. You find out that making certain things isn’t that difficult, just that a bit of patience is required. I’m very partial to baking cakes and bread at the moment.

Singing: I certainly don’t claim to have any sense of musicality in the slightest. But sometimes you just need to turn up your favourite songs and belt out the lyrics to improve your mood. Some of my favourites are The Greatest Showman and Mamma Mia soundtracks, plus songs of the 80s and 90s that hark back to my childhood days.

What I look forward to

One of the hardest things right now is not being able to socialise due to lockdown and social distancing. As much as I like my home comforts and time to myself, I do miss social interactions. So, I am really looking forward to giving hugs and high 5s, as well as seeing friends at parkruns and races, and the #TRCfamily when normal sessions resume. In the meantime, stay safe everyone and look after yourselves.