Running during Covid

I have been thinking a lot about why I have been running so much during this pandemic. On one hand, logically, being outside is a way to combat cabin fever. But running is so much more than that, I’m realizing. During the day when I am at home, I am often frazzled as I try to work. I am constantly, constantly interrupted and hardly get a chance focus on a single task for ten minutes at a time. As soon as I start to do something, Violet barks and wants to be let out, or Lucy needs my help with something. Or Sam wants to ask about what we are having for dinner. Or one of the kids needs to practice the piano or listen to a video for school. For most of the day, I can’t do anything in a straight, linear fashion from beginning to end.

 

But I can do exactly that when I am running. I can choose a long (linear) road and follow it until my desired goal. I don’t have to stop unless I decide that I want to. I am not interrupted, and I can think about whatever I want to think about. I always am in a better mental space when I finish running, and when I return home I feel more prepared to deal with the multitasking and being pulled in many directions at once.

I know that for many people, it is comforting and relaxing to run because their body moves in a constant, rhythmic pattern. I think that is the case for me too, but I think my mental health really responds to being able to accomplish a goal in a direct, linear, and controlled way.

Addendum:

2/17/21: I was thinking about this post today, as I went on a run along the west end of the Snoqualmie River Trail (starting at Rachael's house). The trail was wide, flat, and very straight; it went ahead as far as the eye could see. And I really loved how the trail was laid out in this very direct way, so that my goal and end point seemed viable.

This is such a lovely and peaceful trail! This is part of Rachel's regular running route (it is about 6.5 miles to run there and then back to her house). I'm glad she gets to enjoy this beauty on a regular basis.

This is just after the Mt. Si Golf Course

I loved seeing the tall trees that lined the path

The end of the trail

I was struck by so many different colors and types of water along this trail. Some sections were frozen, but here the water was a pretty green color

It was invigorating to smell the dried hay in this field as I was making my way back to the beginning of the route

Violet Faces

Sometimes, like earlier this afternoon, Violet can drive me crazy. She was barking to get let outside every ten minutes, and then barking three minutes after I let her out, asking to come back inside. And then sometimes when I open the door for her, she just stares at me and won't walk in. Sometimes she'll come in after a minute, I graciously bow to her in and usher her in while saying something silly like, "Yes, come in! Welcome puppy, please enter your abode!" Today, after being such an annoying pill and yapping so she could be let inside yet again, she had the gall to lie down and just stare at me, without moving a muscle, when I opened the door for her.

She probably just wanted a friend to come out and enjoy the sunshine with her. But I was getting plenty of sunshine myself, as I kept going outside to get her away from barking at Maddie (the neighbor's dog on the other side of the fence). But despite getting annoyed, she is a Snuggle Face and we have lots of fun with her. She gives us the cutest Dickensian eyes during dinner time, so that we will take pity on her and give her scraps of food. She never begs for food by barking or pawing at us, she just s-t-a-r-e-s into our eyes for a l-o-n-g time. I usually say something like "Please sir, can I have some more?" or "Penny for the baby, sir!" (from "Scrooge") when I see her pinpointed, constant gaze. This is what we see when we look under the dinner table during mealtimes:

So even though she can be annoying, she is very cute and we love her. And I'm glad that she mostly just likes to snuggle with us on the couch. She is a fun friend to have while I sit on the loveseat and grade student submissions. Lately she has been perching on the back of the couch cushions, too:

February Anemone

 My MIL gave me some anemone corms for my birthday last year. I soaked them in water to activate them and then planted them soon after, but nothing grew. And then, just a few days ago, I noticed this February flower had popped up in the garden, even beating out the daffodils whose closed buds are just starting to swell:

We are supposed to have below-freezing temperatures this week with a chance of snow, so I'm not sure if this beautiful flower is going to survive. It was nice to pretend for a few days that spring was on its way, even though it isn't. This flower has given me hope that the winter will end, though. And I'm also hopeful that some of these other anemone corms will wake up, too!

A More Balanced Routine and Virtual Distance Challenges

Things have been more manageable for me, work-wise, since the quarter started and I submitted my CAA video presentation. I've been able to relax more in the evenings, and I'm so grateful for the work that I did during December that has enabled me to shift my focus elsewhere this quarter.

I still don't feel like I have a perfect balance in managing my time, but things are better. I usually wake up in time to eat breakfast and get the Lucy ready for school (Sam gets himself ready just fine, but I usually do have to come down and get him started.) If I don't teach that day, then I stay in pajamas and grade/prep for the two hours that Lucy is in class. I change into exercise clothes when the kids finish their morning classes, and we try take Violet for a walk during the lunch break. In the afternoon, I help Lucy with her schoolwork and play with her for a bit, and I work in some time to exercise. I'm usually showering at 3:00 or 4:00 in the afternoon, but it doesn't really matter since we aren't going anywhere beyond the our neighborhood streets, the grocery store or to pick up our library books at the "holds" table at the library's front door.

Since I'm not overwhelmed with work for the first time in several months, I've had more chances to read books and I've also set my sights on some other goals. I discovered The Conqueror virtual distance challenges, and these have been a good way for me to fight cabin fever (through exercise) and feel like I'm getting to "travel" despite the pandemic. I've been using these challenges to set goals for exercising and running. The challenges cover routes around the world, and you can use Google Street View in the app to see what it looks like on the route. I completed the Giza Pyramids challenge last month (46 miles in about 10 days), and right now I'm going the Hadrian's Wall challenge (I'll do 90 miles of running for the month of February) and the English Channel challenge (21 miles in about three months, using the rowing machine to cover 1-2 miles per week). I may to the 480 miles of the Camino de Santiago by biking.

The Giza Pyramids challenge was fun to complete and I liked "visiting" the Djoser necropolis as well as the one at Giza. I learned some new things from the virtual postcards, too! My Giza Pyramids medal came in the mail, and I was delighted to find that the winged scarab opens up to reveal a small scarab pendant inside. I translated the back of the pendant and discovered that it says, "Well done." I love that they made the pendant meaningful and that there is something small I can wear on a regular basis. On the back is a relief of the crocodile god Sobek, which is copied from a relief at Kom Ombo.

I hope to be able to complete the 26.2 mile Inca Trail challenge later this spring, and run my own personal marathon. I hope my legs and knees will be up for the challenge! I've been building up my mileage each week, and I've really loved the runs along Lake Washington. Yesterday, it was so beautiful at Coulon that I kept stopping to take pictures. The textures of the water varied from glassy smooth to frenzied ripples. There were lots of varied colors too, since the sun went behind the gray clouds just far enough to have everything outlined in light. It felt wonderfully motivating to run - feeling my physical body at its most "alive" state with my heart pumping - with such a view. I like I was an active participant in nature, and felt in harmony with the beauty that I saw around me.