Running on the trails in
the city of Toronto has been vital to my fitness and sanity for many years now. 5 or 6 days a week I lace up my shoes and
travel along the various trails that weave throughout Toronto. I grew up in a
small town surrounded by farm land and when I first moved here 20 years ago I worried
about the noise, and hustle and bustle of city life. But it didn’t take long before I discovered
the beautiful, tranquil trails along the Humber River in the west end of
Toronto where I spent most of my summers walking, or riding along the
riverbank. When I started my adventures
in road cycling with my first road bike in 2007 it was on the trails that I trained
for my first Tour for Kids. After moving to the east end of Toronto I discovered
the Don River Trails where I started running, continuing even after adopting
Cilla. We explored many different routes, Cilla riding carefree in the running
stroller, watching for deer, snakes, many different species of birds and even
coyotes. It’s been like my second
home. When the social distancing began I
couldn’t imagine not being able to run on the trails.
Although the picnic areas
are taped off, we are still allowed to use the trails for walking, cycling and
running as long as we keep a 6 feet distance from other people. However, since
more and more people are flooding the trails who otherwise wouldn’t be down
there, the six feet rule has become harder and harder to maintain especially since
not everyone seems on board with this rule. Some people bring a friend and walk
6 feet apart, making it impossible for anyone else to pass them. Then there are others who walk side by side
taking up the whole path and refuse to go single file when others try to
pass.
I don’t blame people for
wanting to get out on the trails. It’s
one of my favourite places in the city so I understand the appeal, but the over
crowdedness is leaving everyone frustrated and stressed out. The runners are upset with the groups of
walkers not allowing a safe distance to pass; walkers are upset with runners
who pass too closely, breathing hard and sweating; cyclists are upset with
everyone. Anxiety levels are high and I found myself yelling at some walkers
who were spread out all over the trail not allowing any room to pass. I always enjoyed socialising with
others I encountered on the trail, but now it fills me with anxiety.
For the time being I’ve
decided to save my trail runs for Sunday’s and Thursday’s when I get up early
to beat the crowd and am able to get in a long run before most people have
gotten out of bed. On the other days I either
run on the city streets, or on my treadmill at home, which as much as I don’t
like, I’m lucky to have as an option. And rumour has it our Mayor John Tory is
going to close down some quieter streets to cars and open them up to
pedestrians which will definitely help with some of the congestion.
I try to
remember that everyone is stressed and most are just trying to get through the
day. Empathy and compassion can go a long way and I try not to worry if people
aren’t social distancing, I just make sure I do the best I can when I’m out. The
whole point of running is to relax and enjoy the outdoors and if I’m too
worried about what everyone else is doing, then I might as well have stayed
home.
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