Have greatly enjoyed Running Probably for lots of reasons. Mainly because Flan is a fantastic writer and the subject matter is obviously perfect for him. But also, and I cannot stress this enough, for the glam shots of our guy. I literally gasped out loud and said "what a photo" and then I saw the caption: "I wrote this piece so I could post this photo." Incredible. Can't wait for the 12 months of Flan calendar.
Mr. Gonz, I am here because of your recommendation on Twitter back before the premier. I’m off Twitter now, but I always love reading your stuff on The Ringer. And I miss Heat Check!
I've mentioned this before but my running hasn't been so much interrupted by COVID as much as I've been able to get it back. I can count the number of days that I didn't run in the last year on one hand. Rain, snow, wind, you name it. Working from home allows me that. Where before I was cramming miles in on the weekend, trying to run home after work with an awkward backpack, or just screaming to be able to run during the week at all because of long hours and time micromanagement by others, COVID has allowed me to get that time and sanity back in my life. Yes, I've mentioned that I spend my time running around an empty cemetery, which might sound boring to some, but I'll take it in less than a heartbeat over not being able to run at all.
Hoping you can keep this up beyond whatever the future holds. I'd like to think the world's employers will be more empathetic to the needs of their employees in a post-pandemic world. I'd like to think that, anyway.
Same for me - have way more space for running than I used to. No more stressing about getting my run in with enough time to shower and commute into work.
One thing I miss are runs with friends. I can still run with a few friends in the city, but a handful have moved away temporarily.
The pic of a canopied trail above is amazing, Paul!
As we have less pressure to get from point A to point B quickly due to Covid, I try to rely less on cars and use a bicycle to get around... But getting more into bicycles also means dabbling in another subculture where people are just as enthusiastic about it as running, so I don't know whether I'm quite ready to take that plunge.
I feel that. My wife is a road biker. I've dabbled but whoa there's a lot to it. Would like to get to a point where I feel safe biking to my runs. Not sure if the greater Boston area is the place for it though.
For many of us, life from Monday to Friday (or whatever span of time one's work week occupies) is so planned out and our time so spoken for that the "free time" afforded by the weekend becomes sacred. I am lucky to have a job, but not lucky enough to have found a calling, so anything outside of my work that feels like an obligation (or "job") is not something I can remain dedicated to for very long. I lack the heart, the self discipline. I love be able to sit through a soccer game on Saturday morning as much as I cherish the exhilaration I feel after a great long run. Sadly, long runs and soccer matches exist in temporal conflict with one another. I can only experience either of them during the damned weekend.
My solution: Sometimes I choose the "self-care" option of vegging out and catching the game. Other times I persevere with the "self-care" option of actually taking care of myself. It is a battle I fight every weekend, and, like you, Paul, regardless of the choice I make I am taking myself away from my family for some period of time; a fun extra dash of guilt to add to this cocktail of inner turmoil.
Maybe I need to find a newsletter community called "Walking (In the Evening, After Work) Probably."
We are so close to hiking season! I need new hiking boots something fierce. Does anyone has a rec? Casual hiker here - nothing crazy required. Have a great week, everyone!
Hello fellow soccer enthusiast! I do my long runs on Saturdays usually, and I'm a big fan of waking up for the early Premier League match (6:30 here in Central time), using that time to eat breakfast and get some coffee down, then heading out the door right when that game ends. Unless it's a crazy long run I'm back in time to enjoy the 2nd half of the next batch of games while I cool down. Also definitely willing to fudge the schedule to accommodate something I really want to watch.
I do my hikes in trail running shoes. My favorites are the Sportiva Wildcat. (Their sizing is weird in general, so I would highly recommend trying them on first if possible.)
One of the pleasant COVID related running changes is that I no longer run with ear buds. Between the buff over my mouth/nose, glasses, etc. it was just too much to also balance something in my ears. But, I mainly used to run in the evenings on city streets, so ear buds were nice. But not having them is pleasant on the trails so I actually like it and will keep with it while I run in the woods.
As for hiking, like you, I have done a few multi day treks on the AT (Conn, MA) and being able to walk/navigate a trail with a full pack certainly has helped me in my ability to maintain balance and develop a sense of where to place my foot as it comes down as I step through my hike. Taking spill with all the gear (and in the past with a dog on leash too) is not ideal, so developing that spatial sense as certainly helped running trails. It is as if my feet know where to land (now I have jinxed myself and I will fall next time I am out on a trail).
I like the wireless approach, especially in the woods. Not only to appreciate the environment, but also to be aware of others. I think you just reverse-jinxed yourself by acknowledging your jink, so that makes it all good.
With the arrival of our daughter a few months ago my wife and I have switched to doing laps of several long sets of stairs down to the beach near our house. The baby falls asleep in her chest carrier, and I must say that it's made me far more aware of all the beautiful sights and sounds that I previously tuned out as I was running (or cycling) by. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, first off congrats! I too know the joy of putting the baby to sleep in the carrier. From me he wanted total stillness. But he loved being run around in a BOB when he got a little older. I couldn't get him to sleep but he'd yell, "Faster daddy!" like every 10 seconds.
I've run less due to crowded city sidewalks and my running group stopping. I picked up mountain biking and it was great to get out into the woods - theres a section of fairmount park in philly with great trails and rarely any walkers. I enjoyed a long power hike once too, but now I'm thinking I can do those more often.
One of my great Philly regrets is that I didn't explore Fairmount Park when I lived there in the 2000s. How is it there? It always sounded pretty cool.
I love it! It's really been a saving grace during covid. I've lived in Philly for 8 years, since I started college, and enjoyed it now and then but never felt like I was taking full advantage. West Park (Mann Center/Please touch museum area) is beautiful and open with paved paths but fewer people then the river trail, and Belmont Plateau is where I've been mountain biking. There was a guy named Walt that made a bunch of trails there in the 90s but now Parks and Rec has made some more legit trails too. East Park has a fun disc golf course and the Boxer trail but I don't get there as often. And Wissahickon is part of Fairmount too but usually more crowded, so that's a great place to hike or go when there's snow. Also there is a place called Ridgeland Mansion where I am getting married in the fall!
Big congrats! I used to run around Kelly Drive and along the Schuylkill when I lived there. Mostly I just blasted through center city like an aggro 20-something. Times are different.
Have greatly enjoyed Running Probably for lots of reasons. Mainly because Flan is a fantastic writer and the subject matter is obviously perfect for him. But also, and I cannot stress this enough, for the glam shots of our guy. I literally gasped out loud and said "what a photo" and then I saw the caption: "I wrote this piece so I could post this photo." Incredible. Can't wait for the 12 months of Flan calendar.
Mr. Gonz, I am here because of your recommendation on Twitter back before the premier. I’m off Twitter now, but I always love reading your stuff on The Ringer. And I miss Heat Check!
Give you one guess who took the shot?
I've mentioned this before but my running hasn't been so much interrupted by COVID as much as I've been able to get it back. I can count the number of days that I didn't run in the last year on one hand. Rain, snow, wind, you name it. Working from home allows me that. Where before I was cramming miles in on the weekend, trying to run home after work with an awkward backpack, or just screaming to be able to run during the week at all because of long hours and time micromanagement by others, COVID has allowed me to get that time and sanity back in my life. Yes, I've mentioned that I spend my time running around an empty cemetery, which might sound boring to some, but I'll take it in less than a heartbeat over not being able to run at all.
Hoping you can keep this up beyond whatever the future holds. I'd like to think the world's employers will be more empathetic to the needs of their employees in a post-pandemic world. I'd like to think that, anyway.
You and me both.
Same for me - have way more space for running than I used to. No more stressing about getting my run in with enough time to shower and commute into work.
One thing I miss are runs with friends. I can still run with a few friends in the city, but a handful have moved away temporarily.
The pic of a canopied trail above is amazing, Paul!
As we have less pressure to get from point A to point B quickly due to Covid, I try to rely less on cars and use a bicycle to get around... But getting more into bicycles also means dabbling in another subculture where people are just as enthusiastic about it as running, so I don't know whether I'm quite ready to take that plunge.
I feel that. My wife is a road biker. I've dabbled but whoa there's a lot to it. Would like to get to a point where I feel safe biking to my runs. Not sure if the greater Boston area is the place for it though.
For many of us, life from Monday to Friday (or whatever span of time one's work week occupies) is so planned out and our time so spoken for that the "free time" afforded by the weekend becomes sacred. I am lucky to have a job, but not lucky enough to have found a calling, so anything outside of my work that feels like an obligation (or "job") is not something I can remain dedicated to for very long. I lack the heart, the self discipline. I love be able to sit through a soccer game on Saturday morning as much as I cherish the exhilaration I feel after a great long run. Sadly, long runs and soccer matches exist in temporal conflict with one another. I can only experience either of them during the damned weekend.
My solution: Sometimes I choose the "self-care" option of vegging out and catching the game. Other times I persevere with the "self-care" option of actually taking care of myself. It is a battle I fight every weekend, and, like you, Paul, regardless of the choice I make I am taking myself away from my family for some period of time; a fun extra dash of guilt to add to this cocktail of inner turmoil.
Maybe I need to find a newsletter community called "Walking (In the Evening, After Work) Probably."
We are so close to hiking season! I need new hiking boots something fierce. Does anyone has a rec? Casual hiker here - nothing crazy required. Have a great week, everyone!
Hello fellow soccer enthusiast! I do my long runs on Saturdays usually, and I'm a big fan of waking up for the early Premier League match (6:30 here in Central time), using that time to eat breakfast and get some coffee down, then heading out the door right when that game ends. Unless it's a crazy long run I'm back in time to enjoy the 2nd half of the next batch of games while I cool down. Also definitely willing to fudge the schedule to accommodate something I really want to watch.
It's good to have goals! (get it?) Sorry, that was horrible on my part. Dig it. Like the structure and the reward system.
Wrt hiking boots, this might be the gateway to your exploration into trail shoes!
I do my hikes in trail running shoes. My favorites are the Sportiva Wildcat. (Their sizing is weird in general, so I would highly recommend trying them on first if possible.)
One of the pleasant COVID related running changes is that I no longer run with ear buds. Between the buff over my mouth/nose, glasses, etc. it was just too much to also balance something in my ears. But, I mainly used to run in the evenings on city streets, so ear buds were nice. But not having them is pleasant on the trails so I actually like it and will keep with it while I run in the woods.
As for hiking, like you, I have done a few multi day treks on the AT (Conn, MA) and being able to walk/navigate a trail with a full pack certainly has helped me in my ability to maintain balance and develop a sense of where to place my foot as it comes down as I step through my hike. Taking spill with all the gear (and in the past with a dog on leash too) is not ideal, so developing that spatial sense as certainly helped running trails. It is as if my feet know where to land (now I have jinxed myself and I will fall next time I am out on a trail).
I like the wireless approach, especially in the woods. Not only to appreciate the environment, but also to be aware of others. I think you just reverse-jinxed yourself by acknowledging your jink, so that makes it all good.
With the arrival of our daughter a few months ago my wife and I have switched to doing laps of several long sets of stairs down to the beach near our house. The baby falls asleep in her chest carrier, and I must say that it's made me far more aware of all the beautiful sights and sounds that I previously tuned out as I was running (or cycling) by. Thanks for sharing!
Wow, first off congrats! I too know the joy of putting the baby to sleep in the carrier. From me he wanted total stillness. But he loved being run around in a BOB when he got a little older. I couldn't get him to sleep but he'd yell, "Faster daddy!" like every 10 seconds.
I've run less due to crowded city sidewalks and my running group stopping. I picked up mountain biking and it was great to get out into the woods - theres a section of fairmount park in philly with great trails and rarely any walkers. I enjoyed a long power hike once too, but now I'm thinking I can do those more often.
One of my great Philly regrets is that I didn't explore Fairmount Park when I lived there in the 2000s. How is it there? It always sounded pretty cool.
I love it! It's really been a saving grace during covid. I've lived in Philly for 8 years, since I started college, and enjoyed it now and then but never felt like I was taking full advantage. West Park (Mann Center/Please touch museum area) is beautiful and open with paved paths but fewer people then the river trail, and Belmont Plateau is where I've been mountain biking. There was a guy named Walt that made a bunch of trails there in the 90s but now Parks and Rec has made some more legit trails too. East Park has a fun disc golf course and the Boxer trail but I don't get there as often. And Wissahickon is part of Fairmount too but usually more crowded, so that's a great place to hike or go when there's snow. Also there is a place called Ridgeland Mansion where I am getting married in the fall!
Big congrats! I used to run around Kelly Drive and along the Schuylkill when I lived there. Mostly I just blasted through center city like an aggro 20-something. Times are different.
Thank you! I've had my fun blasting through center city too. Maybe again once group runs start and I have a reason to change my usual loops