WALKING
Beat Lockdown with ( not ) parkruns
When Saturday Mornings Become the Highlight of Your Week
As I took to the road recently for another glorious meeting up with fellow parkrunners , suitably masked and keeping our obligatory distance , I could not help but think how important these moments of meeting on a Saturday morning have become for me . Now in our fifth month of lockdown , and for many who live on their own , isolation has become a sentence of solitary confinement .
– BY DOREEN GOWANS
It has been wisely said that you can have too
much of a good thing , something that applies to oneself as well , when it is your undiluted self for so many months . All of these thoughts played around in my mind , as I took to the road , including how ‘( not ) parkrun ’ continues to play a vital role in my life .
Reaching Out
I have never been good at asking for help . Also , I am still fairly new to this Deep South area of the Cape Peninsula , and had only recently joined the Fishhoek parkrun when COVID-19 arrived , playing havoc with all our lives . For a while , I walked on my own , but that also became too much of a ‘ good thing .’ I was lonely , and I both wanted and needed company . Fortunately , all it took was one brief message to the parkrun group . “ I ’ m tired of walking on my own . Anyone out there want a walking buddy ?” and so I met Shirley and Chris .
Yes , of course , you can do it on your own , but we are social animals , and the fact that you are now committed to meeting up with another walker at a set time does wonders for your resolve to jump out of bed , even when it is pretty bleak , dark and cold out there . Instead , you pull on your training gear and make sure you ’ re at the designated meeting place on time . Why buck what are our intrinsic human traits ? The breeze may be a little fresher than fresh , but the smiles are genuine and the welcome warm .
So we set off . “ How has the week been for you ?” We question and listen . We hear of the triumphs and misfortunes and others . There is a space to tell and listen . There is empathy , and nods of understanding . Suddenly we are not alone anymore . We are once more part of this collective – the human race – doing what we do best , in the company of others .
Instantly Feeling Better
The day brightens , as do our moods , and the mind becomes spacious , as an air of optimism grows . We pass others coming and going , the sea rolls in to our left , Simonstown blankets the hill before us . We stop to joke – not very subtly – with a traffic cop sitting in his car , the speeding device visible to us but not to the unsuspecting drivers coming up the hill . “ Have a heart ,” we call through his open window , citing “ this and lockdown .” We hear how he has a boss and ticket allocations for the day .
Unfortunately , the 225 different weekly parkruns throughout South Africa are shut down until further notice due to lockdown regulations , but thanks to the global ( not ) parkrun initiative , parkrunners can submit a 5km walk , jog , or run , on a route of your choosing , on a day and time of your choice , wherever you are in the world and following appropriate guidelines for physical activity wherever you ’ re based .
There ’ s no need to re-register to take part in ( not ) parkrun – your existing parkrun profile will allow you to log and view your ( not ) parkruns – and you can record up to one activity per day , with your fastest time each week included in a weekly results table . To date , more than 300,000 ( not ) parkruns have been completed around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic . For more info , go to www . parkrun . co . za / notparkrun .
We are the lucky ones out on the road , the fresh air mingling with sea spray around our heads as we walk on . No chance of us being ticketed for speeding , even when we pick up our pace ! We turn at the halfway mark and head back to Glencairn , where we enjoy coffee with fellow parkrunners and new friends in the making . And all it took was one small message : “ Anyone out there want a walking buddy ?”
This article was originally published in the bi-weekly parkrun South Africa e-newsletter and is republished here with their permission . For more info on their weekly 5km runs all over the country , go to www . parkrun . co . za / events .
Images : Pexels & courtesy Fish Hoek parkrun
38 ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za