FunRunDay is a place focused on the fun of running and the incredible community of all things running. However, the world is in a different reality with the pandemic of COVID 19. As a running community, we need to recognize our current, and temporary reality and offer our support and encouragement to all affected. A huge part of the running community, very near to my heart, is our high school athletes and especially our seniors.
The world got weird.
A very simple way to say instantly your normal was anything but. Thursday, March 12, 2020 an announcement was released by your school system announcing school was not going to be in session for the next two weeks. The Georgia High School Athletic Association (GHSA), our governing body over high school athletics, released a statement that stopped the spring sport season indefinitely.
By Monday, you were doing all of classes online.
Stores were low of toilet paper and supplies, restrictions were placed on how many people could be together at one time, and you could not do anything about it.
Frustration is a natural part of having the familiar taken away. Anger too. Seniors ended their high school career without the ability to say goodbye to their school, teachers, and friends. Senior Night of Recognition, Prom, walking the halls of your elementary schools waiving to the younger classes, all slipped away with an email. Caps and gowns were handed out according to assigned times and social distancing enforced. No decision has currently been made regarding graduation, but none of the standard stepping stones of graduating have been fulfilled. Seniors are waiting to see.
Many unknowns loom for all students. Every year is a transition year, moving up a grade, or moving to the next school. All these milestones passed over in order to keep the students and their families safe. Reasons behind the tough decisions are understandable, but the new reality is still tough to accept.
None of these decisions were made to be unfair, but they illustrate our loss of control over our routine life.
We all must follow the guidelines set out by the CDC and the local and state governing bodies in order to protect the health and safety of our community.
As a community, we have been given a long list of things and activities we can’t do. Take a moment and think about what we can.
We can go outside. Running has not been cancelled. Walking outside has not been cancelled. Hiking, biking, skate boarding, kicking a soccer ball, jumping rope…none of this has been cancelled. We have the freedom to run and move our bodies.
The competitive season this spring was cancelled and that is a huge disappointment. All athletes crave the challenge of competition, and training for an event that doesn’t happen is a let down to say the least.
Right now, as an athlete you have control over the preparation for your next season. Look ahead and start planning. What do you want to accomplish next season? What kind of work will you need to put in to achieve your goals?
Take control of what you can. Dream big dreams, and plan to make them your reality.