Another month of 2021 ticked off – and yes, I do feel like I am ticking days/weeks/months off at the moment on the unknown countdown to some form of normality. February has however seen the Government’s ‘roadmap’ to a return to normal life outlined, with a strangely specific date of 21st June earmarked as the day we shall be able to do whatever we want without Covid restrictions in place. I am skeptical though, and judging by the behaviour I have witnessed since the roadmap was announced, I am not sure how far we shall get through the 'map' without set backs occurring. I wish I felt a little more hopeful, but as a colleague put recently, I think we are almost tired of hope now, clinging onto something only for it not to happen. I am still of the mindset of taking things very much a day at a time.

The ‘roadmap’ did offer some indication of when my running club sessions could return, which will be fantastic to connect with our club community more widely again, and possibly a notion of some races/events being able to happen, but again I shall wait and see how things pan out. My rather ‘realistic’ outlook was challenged however by the announcement that parkrun intends to resume on Saturday 5th June – that news actually excited me and instilled positivity about the thought of spending my Saturday morning’s back down at Boultham Park, the home of Lincoln parkrun.

February itself has seen me continue to run regularly, getting some good mileage in the legs across some longer runs, a few sessions, and some always appreciated miles with friends. I have logged mostly 40-mile weeks, and this week actually tipped over the 50-mile marker, with 52 miles logged over the seven days. My entry into the Ashby 20 virtual event is serving me well as a good motivator to add longer miles in, although I would not say I am ‘training’ for the event as I would train for a ‘normal’ race.

​As February has passed by the weather is also beginning to turn slightly warmer and the lighter, longer days are making it more appealing to get out and run earlier, which I do not always need to do anymore whilst I am working from home – long gone are the 5:30am alarms! It also means some of my favourite routes to run intervals can be accessed again in daylight hours. February did however have the week of snow and ice – which I hated with a passion! It made running tough as surfaces never really thawed and kept constantly freezing, but I muddled through with a few uninspiring runs running loops of the same ‘safely thawed’ streets, and wrapping up in three layers (unheard of for me!) to face a couple of bracing runs into bitter winds.

Looking ahead, March will be fairly similar in both running and life senses, although I will have my virtual Ashby 20 to log (I am earning that hoody!) and my run club is also taking part in an inter-club virtual 10k event, so I need to pick a good day to have a go at seeing where my speed is at the moment! March will also hit the one year anniversary of Covid entering all our lives - safe to say its been quite a year! I think we are all feeling the strain of 'covid life' now, but whilst I am uncertain of the 'roadmap' dates which Boris and co have put together, I am still positive that the future will eventually be better, and if we have navigated these last 12 months, we can navigate the weeks ahead. 

2021 – it already feels a lot like 2020 in many respects! The New Year has brought new restrictions, another lockdown and many of the same challenges. I am working from home – as I have been since March 2020 – only leaving the house once a day to run or walk, and seeing just a handful of people each week. However, perhaps unlike 2020, this way of life no longer seems a shock to the system; I know what it feels like and the things you must accept are part of living through a pandemic.

Thankfully, the Government’s recognition of the importance of being able to get out for daily exercise has remained into 2021. At present we can even buddy to exercise with one other person, which for someone like me who lives alone, is a huge bonus. I am not sure how long that will last, but it is something positive for now.

As this year has started, I have therefore enjoyed being able to get out and meet friends for some miles. As lockdown now means my Run Club cannot meet, we have also set a virtual challenge to our members with various points awarded for finding certain objects on runs, step counts, healthy food choices etc. It has given some focus and a distraction from the going’s on in the world – plus a bit of healthy competition!

In a wider running context, I have no real goals for this year – there are still longstanding running goals I want to achieve – but I see little point in pinning them down at this moment in time whilst Covid still remains rampant. Some races are on the calendar, mainly those which I transferred places from 2020 – but whether those due to take place in April/May will be possible, I will wait and see. I have entered the virtual Ashby 20 in April (mainly because I love the hoodies!) and hope this will give me some further focus and an extra reason to enjoy some longer weekend runs again.

​In the weeks ahead my plan is to therefore to continue just to enjoy running, keep a good base of fitness and mileage, and where possible relish running with friends. Simple goals, but realistic at the same time. I believe there is a brighter period ahead during 2021, but for now we just need to take each day at a time… and keep running!