Disclaimer: I received a pair of Knockaround sunglasses as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!
As spring begins to bring nicer weather, I don’t think this season is unwinding quite how anyone expected it to… I for one, looked forward to my spring races, running with my friends, and a slew of other activities, none of which have happened.
I was excited when Knockaround and BibRave partnered to start a plogging campaign, to encourage us to each do our part to clean up the planet a little bit while getting outside. Now you may be like, “what the heck is PLOGGING???” Well, plogging is picking up trash while jogging. I know that when I head to local parks, I often spot trash that others have left behind, and try to discard it properly when I can.
But even plogging has gotten riskier in the times of a global pandemic - trash that I spot on runs has shifted from food containers and plastic bags to medical masks and rubber gloves. These are weird times.
At the start of this campaign I was excited to help clean up, but that excitement shifted to fear, as I worried that I would wind up sick from collecting trash, especially when that trash looks like medical waste.
While plogging has taken a back seat for the time being, I hope to be able to participate in clean-up days in my local parks in the future. But for now, I am just thankful that I have the ability to get outside and run. Right now, the only time I am leaving the house really is when I head out for some miles.
Usually when I head out to run I am following some sort of training schedule, preparing for a race - but with race cancellations, even that has changed. My daily runs are shorter, but often sweeter. I appreciate them more, as they get me out of the house for a little while, but still let me maintain social distancing. I can enjoy all of the trees that are blossoming, the colorful chalk drawings that litter the sidewalk, and sometimes the happy puppy that is running with me. Riley, my mother-in-laws dog, may be the happiest littler runner I have ever met, often plopping his head onto my leg at 5 pm each day, when he knows I finish work (which is also at home right now).
I miss my family and friends, I miss my Dad biking along with me during my runs, I miss going to the gym and watching my favorite shows with my Mom, I miss long runs with Mike and track nights with the merrick bicycles tri team - But thanks to social media and cell phones, I can still be in touch with them all, and we can cheer each other on as we each get out on our own terms. I can’t wait until I can share my runs with my people again, but until then, I will be thankful that I can get in some runs outside, and watch spring unfold one day at a time.
At the very least, there is a certain silver lining to still having the great outdoors through a time when we must stay at home to stay safe.
I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there.