Before the pandemic I was running four or five days a week. I ended up with an injury that cut way back on that and was getting physical therapy when the lockdown happened. My PT’s office has opened again but I haven’t gone back. Between the heat and the general low-grade hum of worry that occupies my thinking, I’ve been running just two or three days since the spring. I’m slower, I run shorter distances, I look forward to it less but am always happier when I’m done.
Part of what’s happened is the change in routine. I used to get up early to drive my daughter to school. I’d park the car and run on the trail then head home to shower and get to work. But when they stopped school we started sleeping in, which continues to be a grand choice for everyone’s mental health. Then I quit running on the trail because other runn