A backlash against runners
is building and it’s essential we all practice
common courtesy and advanced precaution or else, like
we’ve seen in France, Italy and Spain, our right
to run outdoors will be taken away. We bother civilians
when we close their roads and they laugh at us in
our tight florescent clothing. These eight things,
practiced by each of us, will help us maintain something
that, at least for me, is very central in keeping
me sane. “We’re all in this together,”
everyone keeps saying: so let’s us runners protect
this, or else we’re going to be cooped up—without
end—inside. (Plus, no one wants beans thrown
at them, right?)
8. No running in groups.
And this is serious. And people are watching. Three
people from my run club were out together and someone
called the store to complain. You have to do this
alone right now, or with one other person—at
a distance. Big groups of runners will be ticketed,
or worse: They’ll ruin things for everyone else.
7. Stay away from walkers.
I’m guilty of this all the time, and I’m
training myself to get better. It’s not cool
to bare down on a walker and narrowly miss hitting
them, just to avoid breaking stride. As bikes don’t
belong on the sidewalks, unfortunately, right now,
assume the same goes for runners.
6. Don’t spit.
Right now, spit is assumed to be lethal. In the best
circumstances, it’s gross (although certainly
understandable at a race, or even a hard workout).
But these are the sort of things that civilians are
looking for, and if we’re pegged as out-of-control
spitters, we will be vilified and even, perhaps, shut
down.
5. When running a virtual
race, don’t run the race course. It would be
wicked, of course, to race Around the Bay on the actual
legendary hills, but we can’t do it because
it would invite a crowd. If you must, try it before
6 a.m. or after 10:30 p.m., when you know no one else
will be out. We have got to practice social distancing
while long distancing (besides, do you really want
to run those Around the Bay hills without your time
winding up on Sportstats?)
4. Take it slow. The
last thing we want is runners getting injured, winding
up in the hospital, and adding a drain on the system.
If you’ve never done speed work or 20 kilometres
at once, don’t do it now. Get some air. Get
some exercise. But you don’t have to go crazy.
Pace yourself. COVID-19 is a marathon. And we know
from marathons, right?
3. Forget the high five.
And don’t share water bottles. And wash your
hands when you get home. (But now I just sound like
your mother).
2. It’s not more
imperative for a runner to wear a mask than anyone
else. And this is the controversy we’re all
currently embracing. André Picard told me we
don’t necessarily need to wear a mask when running.
If you want to wear it, wear it. If not—at least
according to Canada’s most in the know journalist,
a runner and a 25-time marathon finisher—that’s
fine.
1. Smile at the people
you encounter. What civilians will think of runners
is however we behave towards them right now. If we’re
courteous, respectful, patient and sane; if we’re
generous, watchful, alert and calm; if we’re
approachable, solo, composed and self-contained, then
we’ll be able to run outside, no matter how
long this lasts. And we won’t have a country
of non-runners who call us joggers thinking we’re
jerks.
One
more thing. Don't go
into a prohibited area.
Closed access to Laurantian U.
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