(Image by David Mark from Pixabay)
“I am trying my hardest not to act how I feel”.
(Anonymous)
The COVID-19 pandemic hits just keep on stacking up! I have been bombarded with emails from the Rock N Roll marathon race organization identifying the cancellation for future races. Please note, I fully expected the remaining 2020 races to be cancelled but the Rock N Roll folks have begun cancelling races in 2021!
Oh, how we have failed society with our lame government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
I moved from Tallahassee to Fort Pierce in April with the full understanding this country would be in better shape in October. We are in worse shape today (8/20/2020) than we were in April. Shocked I had to write that last sentence, but it is unfortunately true.
Races lost so far
The first 2020 race I lost to COVID-19 was the 2020 Nashville Rock N Roll half marathon in April. This is my favorite race of the season and one of my favorite cities to visit. Love the Nashville course, culture, food, and country music on every corner. Always look forward to my country line dancing lessons at the Wild Horse Saloon, eating barbeque, and listening to new country artists playing. Wanted to visit the Ryman Auditorium for the first time and explore the historic venue.
Got the news the 2020 and 2021 Philly Rock N Roll half marathon races were cancelled two days ago. Fully expected the 2020 race to get axed but never thought the 2021 race would be on the chopping block due to COVID-19. Not sure the race organizers are predicting COVID-19 issues for 2021 but this may signal running tourists will have limited options in the future. I was looking forward to getting back to Philly and hang out with my friend, Lauren Apgar so we could explore the city and get some more of those cheesesteaks. We planned to explore the Reading Terminal Market in-depth this year to sample food from the different vendors there. We will have to put off our Philly cheesesteak adventures now.
I signed up for the inaugural 2020 Clearwater Rock N Roll half marathon scheduled for October. This was going to be the first Rock n Roll race scheduled in my home state in years. The excitement for me was most of the race is run near the beach and I would not have to travel so far. I would get the opportunity to enjoy more sights and sounds and not have to rush back. The course is flat and would have produced a fast time and October in Florida would be cooler with less humidity. The race organizers cancelled the 2020 and 2021 Clearwater races. They project to run the race in October 2022, but we will see what happens that far out. I do not have a good feeling all the cancelled races will come back—some may but believe COVID-19 will eliminate how we travel, race, and interact for a long time.
The Orlando Utility Commission (OUC) 2020 half marathon scheduled for December is still on the books, but most races hosted by Track Shack have been converted to virtual races. Believe the OUC race will be virtual as well so I have not signed up.
The 2021 New Orleans Rock N Roll half marathon was cancelled today and now the race organizers project to run this event in February 2022. Turns out New Orleans was the only Rock N Roll race I was able to run in 2020. The race was completed in February right before the country realized how bad COVID-19 was and we started shutting down. Had a great time in New Orleans so guess it was only fitting this would be my only half marathon race of the year. We will see if this race ever comes back because of the close interactions of Bourbon and Canal Streets. Love the food and atmosphere but it may be hard to host large-scale events there and keep people safe.
Virtual options
Most running organizations are bridging the race gaps with virtual options. Runners can still race, compete, and receive race swag (t-shirt, medal, etc.) while running in their hometowns—just sign up and sync your running application to the race. I am sure this is a great option for some runners, but I enjoy the in-person interaction associated with the event. I joined the Rock N Roll Virtual Running club and signed up for my first virtual race—a 10k which I completed on 8/22/2020. My time was not great—I signed up on a Friday and ran the 10k the next day without additional mental or physical preparation. I may explore this option more especially when the weather gets a bit cooler. I need a competitive outlet for my running program so may reach out to my tree branches to join me on some of these virtual adventures (Apgar, Forges, Kume). 😊
Note: My first Virtual 5k was completed on 8/29/20.
https://www.runrocknrollvr.com/
Training
I still get out and train but not logging the same number of miles I put in last summer. I get my runs in on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays but not committing to extreme long runs with no races on the horizon. I run as a form of therapy and to keep my weight in the range I want. I have not done any speed work since early March, so my training goal is to keep my heart rate up and enjoy the views I get in Fort Pierce.
COVID-19 Training miles (run, bike, elliptical):
| April 2020: 79.45 miles | May 2020: 90.57 miles | June 2020: 130.72 miles |
| July 2020: 78.15 miles | August 2020: 74.57 | September 2020: 46.16 |
Realize there are more important things happening in the world than me not being able to be a running tourist. Hoping we can get the COVID-19 pandemic under control so we can all get back to the things we enjoy without worrying about the air we breathe. Look forward to bringing you reports from new travel locations when it is safe to do so again.
Until then, here is what happen in Nashville in 2019! 😊
https://walkintothefuture.blog/2019/05/23/nashville-and-the-wild-horse-saloon/
“Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that is how we know life is finally finished”.
(Patrick Ness)
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/17/some-marathon-races-may-not-survive-coronavirus-pandemic.html
Walk Into the Future 