To go or not to go?
That was the question on my mind early yesterday morning as I was preparing to go out for a run.
I usually go out most mornings between 5:30 am and 6:00. I go on my own. I run in the countryside and rarely see anyone, except the odd runner like myself. I usually run around 10k or 1 hour.
But Friday morning I was wondering if it was still the right thing to do. I don’t think I am taking much risk for myself or others. But still, it didn’t feel right. We haven’t be told to simply distance ourselves from others. We are confined, locked down.
Many seem to face the same dilemma. Maybe that’s because there are several conflicting discourses. Socially distancing from others is understood differently by people. That’s probably why our president was criticized last week for not talking about confinement/lockdown. A few hours later a government minister had to explain what Mr. Macron meant: stay inside, don’t go out, confine yourselves.
Now exercising is allowed. But it must be for a short period of time, and near your home (that’s also vague and understood differently). For some near home is 1km. For others, it means 5km.
I still went out. It helps thinking. As I was running in the countryside, enjoying the birds singing and daylight rising. I realized I was probably showing a bad example. What if people see me. They may think I am just another foolish person, challenging the authorities, playing with my health and other people’s health. But I am not.
So this morning I decided I wouldn’t go out for a long run. I did some step-up exercises, climbing 240m in total. I may still go for a quick run in the afternoon around the block.