Wow, these past few months have definitely not gone according to plan. I had no idea that there was going to be a worldwide pandemic with no cure, easily spreading, resulting in everyone having to stay home—and I’m sure no one else saw it coming either.
As a result of the pandemic, The Salt Lake City Half Marathon, which I was planning to run on April 18th, was cancelled. I was given two options: run a virtual race by myself or defer the race to next year. I decided to defer the race to next year. The reason for this decision is partly because I want to run my first half marathon with other people. I want to be a part of the race atmosphere, rather than running the distance alone.
I also have been experiencing pretty bad knee pain, and I don’t want to push myself to complete something that might leave me injured for the long term. My overall health is more important to me than finishing a race on the date I originally planned. But you better believe that I am going to be running it next year!
Although everything that’s been happening has been concerning, I feel fortunate that I have everything I need to live comfortably during this hard time. There are many people right now who are struggling to pay rent because they have been laid off from their jobs.
I hope that through social distancing and other measures the spread of the virus will slow and everyone will be able to get back to their normal routines—hopefully wiser from the experience.
Caitlin Runs a Half Marathon 