Two Kilometers and COVID-19

It's a surreal feeling—waiting, worrying—as I've been home with a four-year-old and two-month-old for over two weeks now. Three days previous I spent with influenza and felt better just in time to stay home with the kiddos while Laura is at her preschool providing childcare to children of medical professionals and first responders.

With all that's going on—the fear of catching COVID-19, the fear of a loved one catching COVID-19, the loss of income, and the stir craziness of it all—it's enough to raise stress levels to a dangerously high level.

There are many ways to deal with this stress. Some healthy and some unhealthy. I sometimes fall into the trap of worrying and ruminating, which doesn't help at all. I try to bring to mind the words of Jesus, "Who of you by worrying can add a single day to your life?"

So instead I try to focus on things I can control that are healthy coping skills. I've been cleaning more thoroughly than normal, using the skills I learned in a DBT therapy group, trying to stay in the moment playing with my kids, keeping a gratitude journal, and exercising.

As you may already know, I've been out of commission from running. Instead I've been doing Foundation Training and going for walks. I'm excited to try running again in April, but I've been enjoying walks more than I thought I would.

Right now in France, outdoor exercising is a little more difficult. According to Canadian Running Magazine, "exercise can only be done within a 2K radius of a person’s home. Cycling has been completely banned."

I don't understand these regulations. They seem a little extreme, especially considering contact with others could easily be avoided while running or biking. It seems to me that banning group runs or rides would be more logical. Interestingly, as per the Canadian Running Magazine, some people have made the best of it. One runner ran around the seven meter balcony of his apartment for 42.2 km (a marathon) in six hours and forty-eight minutes.

Eight more days of my self-imposed break from running. Who knows what things will look like then, but I'm guessing I'll still be working on trying to use healthy ways to cope with this craziness.