No Run Is a Bad Run

Today I am blogging about my running. Yes I run. I run to lose weight and to keep mentally and emotionally balanced. I run in the foothills of Jamaica’s Blue Mountain & John Crow Mountains National Park. Nothing beats rising at dawn and running up and down these mountains slopes, as I did for this morning’s 8 km.

First run of 2021

That’s the ideal situation. The fact is, between October to December I ran a grand total of 6 km (and that was on Tuesday). This is a substantial decline compared to May to September, when I ran over 330 km. The highpoint was the seven weeks in May/June when I ran a total of 167 km after I got the all-clear from my cardiologist (that’s another story).

Why the decline? As we all know, 2020 was a very unsettling year. Running helped me to face the challenges, and when I was running I was coping. I was on top of my teaching and my PhD research. I was a happier, less stressed person.

Then September came with a spike in the COVID-19 numbers in Jamaica. This resulted in all classes being taught online, and paused my PhD research. I had to readjust and figure out how to teach four different photography courses online, which left no time for research. I found myself in a vicious cycle. I was too mentally and physically exhausted to run, but because I was not running I remained mentally and physically exhausted. And of course, I gained all of the weight that I lost in summer.

Fast forward to the Christmas break. Thank God I have been able to get some rest, and I have run twice this week. My times are down from my peak of last year, but I’m glad that I’m back at it. After all, based on what I intend to achieve in 2021, running is an integral part of my physical, mental and emotional well-being.

Who knows, I might continue to share my progress – watch this space.