Runners love to plan months ahead towards key races and focus their energy and efforts on that goal. For many runners, this is usually what keeps us going.

But unfortunately, the Covid-19 coronavirus global pandemic has cancelled all of the running races in the horizon for at least the next few months and we don’t know exactly when the covid-19 coronavirus will go away and when running races can resume again.

Looking Back To Your Reason for Running

Nonetheless, with this in mind, Covid-19 provides us with a good opportunity to take a step back from our usual running routines and goal-chasing exploits and focus on why we originally fell in love with running. What was the catalyst to running in the first place?

Runners usually start running for a reason, be it fitness or health or to lose weight, but many get caught up in the chase to improve their personal best timings and focus too much on the clock, that the original reason for running tends to get lost.

Now is the perfect time to reignite that passion that you first had for running and forget about the running goals and number-chasing.

Explore New Running Places

In our quest for chasing the numbers, we may have been putting off exploring potential new running routes. Now that there is no race goal in sight, why not take this opportunity to get out there and see the places that you have always planned to on foot, but have previously never had the time to do so?

For instance, if you are predominantly a road runner who usually runs along the park connectors and pavements, why not dabble in some trail running at your local area?

This too, may help you re-discover your passion for running and realise that this sport is much more than purely about numbers and goal-chasing.

However do bear social distancing in mind. If you are heading anywhere to run, always make sure that you go alone, and do not “jio” your buddies along, much as you might want to do so.

More Spare Time

As well, due to covid-19, social distancing has become the hot topic and members of running clubs are no longer meeting up for training sessions and catching up over post-run meals.

Instead, if you are living in a country where we are still allowed to go outdoors for a run, such as Singapore, it has to be a solo one rather than a club or group session.

And this now means that for many runners, the time that would usually have been spent commuting to training sessions and the idle chit-chat at the cafe, is now your free time.

So what have you been doing with the extra time on your hands? Perhaps it would be good to use the opportunity to discover other new hobbies and find new interests in addition to running. For example, reading that book that you have always wanted to get down to, but haven’t managed to find time previously.

Conclusion 

Bearing these in mind, I hope you will find that running is much more than purely a numbers game and chasing that new personal best or a Boston Qualifying time. This sport has so much more than that to offer and this is a great opportunity to rediscover that.

Photos: Pexels