Running and coronavirus - why it's been a blessing during the pandemic

This time last year I shook hands with whoever I wanted, high-fived strangers, hugged relatives, congregated in large groups, held on to hand rails and shared an office with real human beings. I didn't own any hand sanitiser, the only masks in my home were for Halloween and my children went to school for a full academic year.

Oh, how things have changed.

Let's face it, 2020 has been a car crash of a year. Today, like a dystopian sci-fi movie, we are living by the rule of six and slaves to the R number, dictated to by the undynamic trio of Johnson, Whitty and Vallance and walking around our highstreets like the air itself is poisonous. The world has turned upside down, but there has been one constant throughout the chaos; running.

Like the rising of the sun and Piers Morgan's smugness, there are some things in life you can depend upon. Thankfully, running is one and I have found untold comfort over the past few months in being able to lace up my trainers and head out of the door at a time when so much has been changing around me. My work and home life have become entwined in an ugly Zoom-call mess, my social life has been more or less cancelled in its entirety and my family's plans for the short, medium and long term future have all been put on hold.

Running, however, has been an ever present over the course of the pandemic. I have had to adapt and evolve the way I have run to abide by the rules, but that, I have found, has only opened my eyes to the sport even more. Who knew, for example, that, far from being a machine of evil, the treadmill can actually be a joyous experience for sceptical runners like me. Or, who'd have thought that it would take a pandemic to see my local pavements fill up (albeit socially distanced) with the welcome sight of new runners taking to the streets for the first time. 

This phenomenon has, of course, been replicated across the country, with a Public Health England 'Couch to 5K' app being downloaded 858,000 times between March and July, running footwear sales for manufacturers like Hoka soaring by 75% and even 39,000 people a week running in the (not)Parkrun events. During a time when so many other sports have been forced to closed their doors, it's been the solo, minimal contact sports like running and cycling that have flourished. How many of those new trainers see out there 800-mile lifetime, however, remains to be seen, especially once the inevitable rain, gales and snow turn the pleasant, sunny autumnal runs into finger-freezing, winter endurance challenges.

On a personal level, running has provided me with an escape from the pressure of the pandemic over recent months and allowed me to switch my brain off from the upward curves, second waves, rising infections, new restrictions and virus paranoia that has become part of our day-to-day. And this is important, we all need to be able to switch off from the news. The situation is frightening for many and it seems from reports that, whereas thousands have rushed to Decathlon for new trainers, vast swathes of people have eaten or drunk their way through the fog in a bid to switch off, rather than finding an alternative to the gyms and sporting opportunities that they may have otherwise used.

I find this rather depressing as running is such an accessible sporting activity for the majority of the population. The science has shown that it also supports positive mental health far more effectively than unhealthy alternatives such as alcohol and fast food, so it seems like such a simple solution to lift the nation out of its Covid-induced stupor. And if you've never run before, you don't need to head out for your first run at Eliud Kipchoge pace or attempt the steepest hill you can find. A fast, heartrate-lifting walk might simply suffice and provide the lift you've been looking for.

One of my abiding memories of lockdown was of a long, slow Sunday run in late April through the Hampshire countryside close to my home. The early morning sun was shining, there was no traffic hum, no planes in the sky and no people on the trails. I set off with no clear route, distance or time in mind and with every passing kilometre felt the built up tension from the preceding week dissipate, my mind empty and my body relax. I was running and working hard, but at the same time experiencing a kind of calmness that is difficult to emulate outside of a five-star spa. It honestly felt like I was the only person on the planet, wiped all thoughts of coronavirus from my mind and set me up for the week ahead, or at least for the challenge of homeschooling my children the following day!

So, while this pandemic is horrific and terrifying in equal measure, remember that there are silver linings to its dark cloud. And be thankful, if you're a runner, that you can enjoy the world, mask free, from its pavements and trails, without the need for a gym membership and regardless of what Messrs Johnson, Whitty and Valance say.