This week we at long last transitioned from March to April. Usually the month of March is marked and remembered by warming temperatures, spring equinox, daffodils in bloom, and perhaps for some sports fans, March Madness or the opening day of Fenway. March 2020 will certainly go down in history as very remarkable for how the world around us has changed due to COVID-19.
Monday: 0
Typical planned Monday off from running. I had been swimming some Mondays for cross-training just a month ago, but obviously that's not happening again anytime soon with all the Ys shut down.
Tuesday: 4
Short and easy post-work run with Brady in Wahaneeta. A few people out there, but no issues with social distancing. The RI Governor announced state parks and beaches will be closed starting on Friday, which I get seeing the crowds at Bluff Point State Park last weekend and Sleeping Giant State Park the weekend prior. She mentioned it's just the parking lots that are closing so if you're fortunate to live close enough, you can still utilize the trails and beaches while practicing social distancing.
Wednesday: 8
AM: Snuck in four with Brady at Winnapaug Sand Trail, between morning meetings. Very few people out there, and real easy to practice social distancing on a barrier beach.
PM: Four more after work in Champlin Glacier Park, including roads to get there and back from home. Harder to practice social distancing here, as it's entirely single-track, but it wasn't too crowded and the approximate ten human/canine total moved out of the way for us when we approached.
Thursday: 5
Late afternoon blustery run with Brady. Trails in Mastuxet, Champlin, and Lathrop Wildlife Refuge. Fine on the trails; super windy on the open road with gusts up to 37 mph.
Friday: 8
Grills Preserve, Hopkinton and Westerly. Started at Hopkinton trailhead on Chase Hill Road, hilly single-track to Westerly side, and then the typical loop there. Other then WLT president Sheilia and her husband Tom out putting up COVID-19 social distancing signs, Brady and I owned the place today.
Was really interesting and fun to sit back and watch Brady when he had his first ever encounter with wild turkeys. Came around the corner on a trail, and there were two out walking the trail. He gave chase, they got noisy and moved a little bit down the trail, but when Brady kept on the chase, they went up into the trees, out of his reach, as he stood up on his hind legs at one of the trees. Having been chased by turkeys on more than one occasion, it would good to see Brady in the driver's seat.
Saturday: 6
Ran Canonchet Brook Preserve, with Brady, from North Road trailhead. Ran intentionally from a less popular trailhead to avoid people, and then was amazed that I never saw a single soul, even when I was close to the southern trailhead at Route 3.
Finished the one, and then texted one of my colleagues that not only is in the slim minority that likes to get outside, but is regularly seeking trails without people, even before COVID-19. I excitedly told her (via text) that I didn't see a single person out here, and she came back with "LOL, I think I know why!", and then she explained that the main trailhead is taped off, with signage of "Closed" and "No Trespassing". Hmmm. Interesting, and disappointing, but I can't imagine that I could be issued a citation or fine, given that there is zero signage at the North Road trailhead.
Highlight of the run was towards the end of Table Rock Trail, when Brady stopped on a wooden bridge crossing over a river and uncharacteristically whined. He looked down at the river a couple of feet below, was waving his paw towards the river, and then looked at me, and then I think I understood what I wanted. I told him, "Go ahead!", and sure enough, he jumped off the bridge and into the river. Wish I had brought my cell phone for this. Just so funny to watch him.
Sunday: 8
Easy run on mix of trails and roads with Matthew and the Brady dog. Parked at the lot on the north side of Buckeye Brook Road. There was only other car there, and its occupants were inside with the windows rolled up, smoking! Ugh.
Weekly mileage: 39
Weekly synopsis: Less mileage than I was looking for, but there is nothing hard and fixed, and I don't have any races until ... who knows? Having fun running,
Weekly highlight: Saturday's run at Canonchet Brook Preserves, with zero humans.
Weekly lowlight: Running-wise, everything went well. Just the constant crisis of COVID-19, and the sobering realization that it will get worse before it gets better. Ugh. Hang in there.
- On March 1, we had 30 reported COVID-19 cases in the US; by April 1, we had over 200,000.
- On March 1, we had 5 deaths from COVID-19 in the US; by April 1, this was approximately 5,000. [source for above two stats: CDC website]
- The first weekend in March, I ran in a local 5K with almost 300 runners and then congregated indoors for pizza and awards, thinking nothing of it.
- For the first two weeks of March, I worked normally in the office and traveled on business.
- The 5K and office work all seem so far distant in the past now.
Monday: 0
Typical planned Monday off from running. I had been swimming some Mondays for cross-training just a month ago, but obviously that's not happening again anytime soon with all the Ys shut down.
 |
| 3rd consecutive week of working from home during the pandemic. The routine is pretty much the same every day now, after breakfast, Brady follows me into my new "office", sits besides me, often while I'm in video meetings, and gives me a sad look of "Why won't you play with me? I've been a good boy." |
 |
| Crazy times (pic from front page of Westerly Sun) |
 |
| Is this really Westerly, RI? It looks like martial law. (pic also from Westerly Sun) |
Wednesday: 8
 |
| Every morning during COVID-19 WFH, we receive a "Today's Inspiration" work e-mail. Usually it's a positive phrase or picture. Today, being April Fool's Day, it was a "virtual joke". I did get a chuckle out of this! --- If it weren't for wasting good broccoli, I'm tempted to put such an unopened box for real in our work kitchen space on whatever day we are allowed to go back. |
AM: Snuck in four with Brady at Winnapaug Sand Trail, between morning meetings. Very few people out there, and real easy to practice social distancing on a barrier beach.
PM: Four more after work in Champlin Glacier Park, including roads to get there and back from home. Harder to practice social distancing here, as it's entirely single-track, but it wasn't too crowded and the approximate ten human/canine total moved out of the way for us when we approached.
 |
| The bad news is there no deferral option to 2021, while I suppose the good news is there is a refund option. I have until May 29 to make up my mind (whether to run Boston in the 2020 late summer edition, or get a refund and run a different marathon in the fall). |
Thursday: 5
Late afternoon blustery run with Brady. Trails in Mastuxet, Champlin, and Lathrop Wildlife Refuge. Fine on the trails; super windy on the open road with gusts up to 37 mph.
Friday: 8
 |
| I love historical photos, even if in this case a bit macabre. (St Louis, Spanish Flu Pandemic, 1918) Hopefully our COVID-19 death tolls (6K in USA as of today) don't come near the "Spanish" Flu deaths (675K in USA, 50-100M in world) |
Was really interesting and fun to sit back and watch Brady when he had his first ever encounter with wild turkeys. Came around the corner on a trail, and there were two out walking the trail. He gave chase, they got noisy and moved a little bit down the trail, but when Brady kept on the chase, they went up into the trees, out of his reach, as he stood up on his hind legs at one of the trees. Having been chased by turkeys on more than one occasion, it would good to see Brady in the driver's seat.
 |
| Every Friday afternoon we now have a virtual (video conference) casual divisional start to the weekend, where we're encouraged to bring our "assistants" into our home workspaces, and have a smile and a laugh with or without a beverage of choice. --- Here's my snippet, as I try to keep 56-pound Brady in my chair, and focus on the camera. There were many, many dogs, a few cats, a few young children, a few stuffed animals, and believe it or not, two ducks! |
Saturday: 6
Ran Canonchet Brook Preserve, with Brady, from North Road trailhead. Ran intentionally from a less popular trailhead to avoid people, and then was amazed that I never saw a single soul, even when I was close to the southern trailhead at Route 3.
Finished the one, and then texted one of my colleagues that not only is in the slim minority that likes to get outside, but is regularly seeking trails without people, even before COVID-19. I excitedly told her (via text) that I didn't see a single person out here, and she came back with "LOL, I think I know why!", and then she explained that the main trailhead is taped off, with signage of "Closed" and "No Trespassing". Hmmm. Interesting, and disappointing, but I can't imagine that I could be issued a citation or fine, given that there is zero signage at the North Road trailhead.
Highlight of the run was towards the end of Table Rock Trail, when Brady stopped on a wooden bridge crossing over a river and uncharacteristically whined. He looked down at the river a couple of feet below, was waving his paw towards the river, and then looked at me, and then I think I understood what I wanted. I told him, "Go ahead!", and sure enough, he jumped off the bridge and into the river. Wish I had brought my cell phone for this. Just so funny to watch him.
 |
| Drove from Canonchet to Champlin Glacier Preserve to do something good as a Westerly Land Trust board member: put on gloves and picked up people's crap that they deposited at two southernmost entrances, including a dozen or so nips, cigarette butts, and several doggy poop bags. ----- Sometimes people can be really gross and unappreciative of what gems we have in the preserved properties around us for public use. ----- Here are the new COVID-19 WLT signs. Hopefully people actually follow, and it won't be necessary to close them. A number of instances of big groups congregating at Charlie's Overlook lately, especially teenagers presumably while out of formal school. |
 |
| Similar sign at entrance to nearby Lathrop Wildlife Refuge. Cleaned up that entrance as well while I was in the area. |
Sunday: 8
 |
| I knew RI state parks were closed, but I didn't know the entrances would be barricaded. Plans to park at Dave's Coffee were thwarted, and we ended up running from Burlingame "North", which is a management area and not a state park and remains open. For now, at least. |
Easy run on mix of trails and roads with Matthew and the Brady dog. Parked at the lot on the north side of Buckeye Brook Road. There was only other car there, and its occupants were inside with the windows rolled up, smoking! Ugh.
Weekly mileage: 39
Weekly synopsis: Less mileage than I was looking for, but there is nothing hard and fixed, and I don't have any races until ... who knows? Having fun running,
Weekly highlight: Saturday's run at Canonchet Brook Preserves, with zero humans.
Weekly lowlight: Running-wise, everything went well. Just the constant crisis of COVID-19, and the sobering realization that it will get worse before it gets better. Ugh. Hang in there.
No comments:
Post a Comment