Obviously taken after a run... Pre-COVID single-track trail.
While most of my running friends are mainly trail runners, the percentage of road miles logged has increased exponentially. This switch from dirt to asphalt has taken place because most of the trails in this area are single track. With the closure of theaters, restaurants, pools, and other entertainment venues, people who normally don't spend a lot of time on trails are heading out with their families to hike. So the single track trails are much more crowded than they had been. Passing a hiker (even with both individuals wearing masks or buffs), is a close proximity affair - a bit too close for some of us. And running on the trails with friends also leads to the issue of slipstreaming. Kansas in the summertime is a sweaty, dirty affair. I definitely wouldn't feel particularly safe slipstreaming my friends. And I pity anyone who might be slipstreaming me (and not just because of COVID).
So anytime 2-4 of use want to get together for a run, we pick roads that allow for wide lateral spacing. We run when we know there will be little traffic. And we try to pick routes that will involves as few encounters with others as possible. And when coming across another person, we give wide berth.
The trails will always be there, and are something we can look forward to running again. But for now, single track runs are usually done solo and are few and far between.
Same trio as above. Photo taken recently during a road run. Note all three runners are spaced more than 6' apart even for the pic.
Another aspect of COVID is that it has caused almost all races to postpone or be canceled. This has created a real crisis for some runners. A certain segment of the larger running community needs to have a goal in order to train. Races of all distances are the goal that many runners use to get their training into high gear. I've never been a big fan of racing. I don't like running with large groups of people. But even I have cut a few runs short since the outbreak. I think why push it? I'm not training for anything. When one of my running buddies verbalized this thought during a foursome run a couple of weekends ago, I knew that I was not alone. Most of the running I've undertaken over the past 4 months has been maintenance. 3-4 miles a day. Maybe 7 and change for a longer run. With no 25K - 50K races in sight for me or my friends (even if I didn't plan to participate), there is no incentive to really run outside of my comfort zone.
While cancellations and postponements have curtailed enthusiasm for some, there has been an uptick in virtual races. For some (especially those who had already been training for races that were cancelled), the virtual race proved to be good enough to keep up the training momentum. My buddy, Mike, for instance, had planned to run the grueling Rockin K marathon (and trust me, it is grueling - see one of my earlier posts about it). Instead of having the race, the organizers laid out the course and let runners complete it at their leisure. Mike drove out to the country and ran the gorgeous, yet brutal, course and received his finisher's schwag a few weeks later. Virtual races have been, I'm sure a saving grace for those who run for exercise, a sense of community, the chance to compete against themselves or others, and endorphin junkies. Since safety should be our primary objective as a running community and as a nation, these races set a good example of how we should responsibly move forward for the coming months (year?) of running during the pandemic.
Special thanks to Rube Miley for taking the selfies.
