A Glimmer of Hope Post-Covid

Finally, I felt like I had a decent run. Seven weeks post-Covid, I’m still having some issues. I would say about 90% of the time, I have some kind of annoying chest discomfort. On the pain scale, I’d give it a one or two. But I’ve had times when it’s a three. And that’s just at rest. Running just feels so, so hard. But I’m immensely stubborn, so I trudge on through these training miles. 

I’m feeling less of the sensation that my lungs are full of cotton, but the lingering burning is concerning. I may have to finally go to the doctor. I should have saved the $200 I spent on an urgent care visit for them to tell me that I have Covid, and there’s nothing I can do, for a primary care visit for later. Sigh. It’s a shitty healthcare system when finances prevent you from seeking care. 

But let’s get back to the positive. Our 16 miler on Sunday began with slightly cool temperatures and low humidity. The coaches actually huddled together to keep warm during our team announcements! It warmed up quickly, but was never hot. Our route was pretty, and hilly! We got to see amazing views of the city from Church Hill and then again from the Capital Trail. 

I felt really great until we hit Cary Street at about 9 miles. Until that point, I had been keeping up with the back of the middle of the pack runners. At least a mile of this road was uphill, and when it flattened out, we were either dodging cars in the street or navigating uneven brick sidewalks. Not my favorite situation, so there was lots of walking to avoid tripping. That pretty much killed my momentum. I plodded on, though. At the next to the last water stop, a friend caught up to me, and we walked/ran the remaining 3.5 miles. I was kind of grateful that his knee was bothering him so I could slow down. 

It felt like fate that our route ran us past the Virginia Holocaust Museum. You see, last week was Banned Books Week, and the ACLU of Virginia reblogged my post, Banning Books Closes Minds. I’m so honored that this happened! In that post, I talked about how reading the book The Diary of Anne Frank changed my life. I also talk about my experience as a physical therapist at a Jewish nursing facility and visiting this very museum. It was very appropriate to see this museum on my run. The universe is funny like that.

So now, as I head into the last couple of weeks of training before my marathon at the end of October, I have a sliver of hope that it will go better than expected. But I still may go see the doctor…

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The lead photo is of me in front of a restaurant which was decorated for Richmond’s Pride Fest, which was held on Saturday.

Are you as excited about the arrival of fall as I am? 

As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.