My Running Group

Well this has been an interesting spring. How ironic is it that my last post was titled Social Running? Obviously, I had no idea what was just around the corner. After spending the past 10 weeks running entirely solo, my group just began running together again. I can not tell you how thrilled I was to see them. When I think about a possible silver lining to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, I can name at least three. The first is that I have been able to spend a lot of precious time with my two daughters before they both leave the house. The second is the appreciation that I have gained for time spent running with my friends. Third is that my company is now thinking of allowing me to work from home as much as I want (this can not be understated when my commute is 15 miles and there are 18 inches of snow in my driveway).

My primary running group is The Gear Store run group which meets every Wednesday evening and Saturday morning. I have been a regular with this group for about 6 or 7 years now and have seen many people come and go during that time. There is only one other person who has been running with them as long as I have. After running with all of those people, I can not think of anyone who I did not enjoy running with. However, the current incarnation of The Gear Gang has become especially close. We often get together for non-Gear runs, bike rides and even meet at a lake for a swim.

The group decided to get together again a couple of weeks ago and I can not tell you how thrilled I was to see them again. In the past couple of weeks, I have been able to join them for a couple of runs and a bike ride. The level that I enjoy these activities has gone to a new level because of COVID-19 and I am grateful that I now realize it.