Guest Post: ** Hmmmm ** A Friday Ramble, not a rant... by Pat Walsh

 ** Hmmmm ** A Friday Ramble, not a rant...

Tuesday's announcement was a mixed bag for us runners. From the 12th of April, we can go further within our county but group training doesn’t even have a likely date of resumption so we will have to continue to chat / poison / annoy / rant with the same few buddies and not share your problems with a big gang. It is good to get out and I am happy enough. If in doubt, RUN.

I worry though that some people have a feeling of defeated acceptance of this. Feels like we are running on a treadmill, stuck in the same spot, no idea how much we have done and no idea when we will be finished. I hate treadmills.
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We nearly have lost the ability to question why and what.
How can it be OK to go into crowded Supermarkets and not be ok for 4 people to run in the Country? Last year they were checking numbers in shops and marshalling crowded aisles. Now it is a free for all in shops, yet if 4 of us run together, the curtains are twitching, the Garda alerted and the tut tuts are heard.

The Governing bodies of the various Sporting organizations need to make a better representation to Government and make a case for resumption in a safe and controlled way. Our physical and mental health needs this. The silence is deafening.
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I feel there is a collective loss of spirit amongst us and a sense of loss of belief that we are all in this together. There wasn’t a good April Fools joke anywhere. "The crack is gone" Maybe I am wrong but I do think we have all sunk into very small circles and some people are lost.

What to do. 🤔🤔

* Start making contact again with people you knew but have not heard from. Widen your social circle again.
* Run with different people, so 3 runs a week could be 3 different chats and maybe 3 cuppas.
* After the 12th April, make contact with a runner in another town or village and go to them one day and invite them back another day. Have a tourist competition to show the best of your own area.
* Follow the guidelines but also be ready to question the stupid ones. Do your own thinking and not let the nightly drone of bad news put you into a trance-like state of acceptance. Muppets
* Stick to my plan for a May Bank Holiday run. (plan was in last week’s post)
* Enter a Virtual Run that appeals to you and look forward to completing it.
* Don’t give up and find your spirit again. I am not advocating doing anything against regulation, but give yourself a good shake if you think you are stuck in a rut. Time to get out of it. I would personally give you a good hug or a shake but it is against the rules.
* Act responsibly but do the best you can to make sure you get through this. Go easy on others you may see doing something against guidelines. Who knows what they have been through and why they might actually need it. It has been a tough year and some people are beaten. 2 friends helping a third person through a difficult time is not wrong.

 

🎼🎙 “So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make your heart beat better?
If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather
So, before you go
Was there something I could've said
To make it all stop hurting?
It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless
So, before you go” Lewis Capaldi 🎼🎙

What had all of this to do with running I have no idea. 🤪🤓
Take care xx
🥰🐣🐥🍫🌷☀️
#pwr #survive21