First COVID, now war – just keep running

Two years. We’re now two years into this freaking global pandemic.

I know I am not alone in saying the last two years will be etched forever in my mind as a time of confusion, anxiety, loss and loneliness. It’s been challenging and exhausting.

While the pandemic is far from over, life is starting to return to some weird version of normalcy here in Alberta. Restrictions have been lifted. People are returning to offices.

It’s almost business as usual except Russia decided to invade Ukraine three weeks ago. So if you’re keeping track – We’re gone from a global pandemic to the threat of nuclear destruction in less than two years.

Sigh.

This may sound glib but I am thankful I have my training to keep my mind off things. Of course we shouldn’t ignore what’s happening in Ukraine or the ongoing pandemic. Support emergency and relief agencies when you can. And continue to be safe and mindful of COVID protocols. I am just saying it is important to have an outlet for your own mental health and well-being – more now than ever.

Training

I continue to build mileage slowly. I wrapped up a third week of 75+ kilometres without any major issues. That tells me my training program is working. Being patient is paying off. I know I still have a long way to go but it feels freaking awesome to see the progress (however small). I was part of a group for my last two long runs so that made the runs more enjoyable.

One of my goals this year is to join more group runs. It’s challenging for me to find people to run with because I am still relatively new to Calgary but I am just going to put myself out there and hope for the best. Yes I have written about how I love to run alone in the mountains. But one thing this pandemic has taught me is that I am still a social person. We are all social beings.

Gas prices have skyrocketed because of the war and the resulting geopolitical tensions. As I write this post, gas is about $1.67 per litre here in Alberta.

Remember when gas was 45 cents per litre in the beginning of the pandemic? The price of living just keeps going up. I may have to scale back my mountain trips even more if the prices continue to climb. But as I said to my colleague last week – the price of a tank of gas is still cheaper than what I need to spend in therapy for my mental health.

That said I will be more careful with my spending so I can afford to make my weekly trips to the mountains.

I tested my pace on a shorter run on asphalt one day last week. Generally I was able to keep my targeted pace without too much effort. My right leg got a little twitchy while I was running but nothing too bad. Every time I run “hard” on asphalt I remember why I turned to trail running. Thankfully I wasn’t too sore the next day. Success! For now I will keep the minor speed work sessions limited to once a week.

Run commute

I have returned to my office – three days/week. My company was bought in March 2021. The good news is that my new office is only a three-kilometre commute. I can either walk, bike or run. It hardly seems the effort to bike so I have been trying my hand at run commuting.

The first few days were a bit uncomfortable – running awkwardly with a hiking backpack. I’ve figured out a weekly system where I only need to use the pack on one run home and one in the morning. I am still trying to figure out the work clothes thing etc. So far I am loving it especially the early morning commute to the office.

How is your training going? Do you run for you mental health ? I would love to hear from you in the comments below.