This morning I was looking through the obituaries and noticed that someone who lived down the road had died from COVID-19. We thought something bad was happening with the lack of activity and then suddenly a lot of strange vehicles in their yard last week and this week. However, we didn’t know them well enough to stop and ask what was going on. Still, this is the closest to definitely knowing someone who has died from COVID-19, we think a few others may have, but aren’t sure.

It does make you stop and think about COVID-19 differently when someone I waved at and said hello to as I ran by whenever he was outside has died from it. His obituary was well written and it turns out that he was from a few towns up from where I grew up. Maybe it is time to start thinking about our neighbors a little differently because we might have more in common with them than we know. It is better to get to know people while they are still alive instead of reading about their life in the obituary column.

Yeah, this one did hit home.

As for my running lately, it hasn’t been happening, life and Mother Nature decided that I had other priorities starting last Saturday when the water line froze up. On Sunday, I had to clean up and double-check on all the work that happened on Saturday and while I did get a run-in, it was cold and miserable. 

The cold, ice, and snow haven’t stopped the turkeys from visiting, although there seems to be fewer than there was last week.

On Monday, we had enough snow that road conditions were too crappy to head out the door that morning. Then in the afternoon it turned to rain and was just enough to have to play with the snowblower and other snow removal tasks for two and half hours. Loads of fun!

Of course, on Tuesday all the snow/rain had frozen into ice on the roads, driveways, and everywhere else that it could. Making walking treacherous, I had to sand the driveways, do some ice chopping, and just generally freezing my butt off outside until I got done cleaning the mess up as best I could. After that, I could have run, but there wasn’t anything left in the tank.

By Wednesday, I was toast, between the physical beating the old body had taken from being out in a LOT of subzero temps and wind chills, along with the mental stress of determining how to do everything that needed to be done outside caught up with me. I didn’t do a lot more than play on the computer, write a blog post, and largely let the body recover.

This morning, when I woke up, I felt thoroughly rested. A bit more like myself and I did feel a lot better. I intended to run 4-5 miles, but it was more a question of where not if. However, walking around out on Philbrick while walking Bennie, showed me it would not be around the house. The roads were still ice except for the travel lanes and if I did meet a vehicle I would be on ice too quickly. Not good.

I decided to go in and run from the Planet Fitness parking lot, although I was thinking those treadmills were looking mighty tempting. I am not ready to go back inside a building with lots of other people with this Omicron surge whacking us around. I just am not doing it. 

Once I got going, I managed to stay upright in the parking lot — it had a lot of sand on the ice. Once I got out to Outer Civic Center Drive, the wind was nasty and drove the temps down into the mid-teens. 

At least the road was clear.

When I got up to Leighton Road, I turned to avoid most of the wind. Although the side of the road was damned icy in places. I really wanted to turn in at Anthony Road on the way back, but managed to squeeze by and head back out towards OCCD. Coming back down toward Irving was nice, but going around Anthony Road was a bit of an adventure in places. 

The Glycerin 19s worked a lot better with the Curex insole in them and while they didn’t bother as much, they still are not put them on and forget they are there shoes. However, I do run well in them, so I will keep plugging along with them until Spring and see what shoes are working for me then.

Not a great run because of the weather and icy side of the road conditions, I didn’t feel comfortable pushing the pace any harder than I did. At least, I got the run done and still felt good after I finished.

Although, I am still thinking about my neighbor down the hill and what his wife is going through. From reading the obituary, they were very much in love and yeah, it does hit home. We are taking COVID-19 seriously, and this made us look at what we are doing a bit more closely – again. I did take the time to reschedule a couple of upcoming appointments over at Togus until April. I think that I will let this surge calm down a LOT more before I start going back inside medical facilities, on a voluntary basis, or as much as I want to — go back to the gym.

Come with me now, the best is yet to be.