RUNNING REPORT - 2020

Running Around the World!

Compared to 2019, which was a year of living in hotels around the world while I traveled for work and play, 2020 (for all of us) was the year of "Stay at Home." For fitness lovers, the "new normal" resulting from the Coronavirus Pandemic found us scrambling to devise ways to do the routines we love without benefit of gyms. I am happy to report that in spite of all the obstacles (including my aging knees!), I was able to thrive when it came to running.

January:
started with such promise! After a quick trip home to Pennsylvania to visit Mom and jog around my hometown, it was time to get to work. As usual, the Hollywood Awards Season would mean several trips back and forth to LA, so I decided to take up a month-long residency there and enjoyed hotel living...and running. I worked out with a great staff trainer, Marc, and managed many miles in and around Beverly Hills as well as on the health club treadmill in the pre-dawn hours (alongside legendary Johnny Mathis who was always there on a stationary bike). I got to perform my cabaret show at the end of the month after a whirlwind of big stories....the SAGs, Grammys, Publicists Guild Awards (I finally won! "International Media Award") and the unexpected death of Kobe Bryant and subsequent tributes.

February:
began with the Oscars and a few last runs around Hollywood before I flew home to NYC. Little did I know, my jet-setting lifestyle was about to come to a dramatic halt.

April:
saw Covid-19 raging in New York City and I took my best friend up on his offer to quarantine with him and 3 other friends at his lovely Hamptons home where I ended up staying for ten (!) weeks. It was not only a memorable bonding experience for us, but I was able to dedicate myself to some serious mileage in the countryside as the last chilly days of winter melted into spring and finally summer. Unfettered by having to wear a mask, I logged many bucolic miles through the woods and along country roads....communing with nature (wild turkeys, deer everywhere, bunnies and birds) and the local pristine beaches. It was a god send during such a terrible time.

July:
had me back in Manhattan and happily rediscovering the joys of my "back yard," Riverside Park. There are always new things to see and enjoy on the banks of the Hudson River even if blazing summer heat and humidity played havoc with my mileage (no air conditioned gym treadmills to be found). Since all formal group running events were canceled, I discovered "Virtual Races" and did the "Girls on the Run 5k," "Scooby Doo Run 10k" and "American Runs 5k." Great to support good causes and get new running shirts and medals to add to my collection!

August:
threw me for a loop. After months of great runs, which helped me spiritually cope with pandemic anxieties, I fell prey to a hamstring strain. As has always been the case, my injury came from something completely NON running related. In this instance, jump squats. I know that science espouses the benefits of cross training, but it strikes me as ironic that the only negative impacts on my running are things that happen doing something else. Physical therapy, Rest and Icing followed. Fortunately, I was able to take walks so I wasn't completely sidelined. Somewhere in there was a lesson about "recalculating" and appreciating the journey back.

September:
As the pandemic dragged on, I utilized virtual runs as a way to donate to one of my favorite charities, St Jude Children's Hospital, and collect more cool swag, hence the "Batman Virtual 10k" and "Wonder Woman Virtual 10k." I've always been a DC Comics nerd (and have the tattoo to prove it), so I'm still holding out for a "Flash" themed event! The hamstring improved and I was grateful for the slower, shorter runs I was able to do. I also began training with Luca, a neighbor I met in Riverside Park who is a former Muay Thai fighter and incredibly knowledgeable and motivating. By month's end I was almost back to normal and the hamstring only gives me problems when I'm sitting. A good reason to get up and keep moving! Which I did on a visit to Baltimore and running around one of my favorite sites: the Inner Harbor.

October:
brought an autumn nip in the air and many happy runs along the Hudson River. Another virtual run added a medal to my collection with the Turkey Trot 10km...well in advance of Thanksgiving!

November:
started off unseasonably warm, so I was able to keep up with plenty of jaunts in Riverside & Central Parks and two more holiday themed 10ks, The Elf Run 10km and A Christmas Story Run 10km. Now that my decades-old collection of race medals are in storage, I should curb my enthusiasm for event hardware. However, I admit to loving all the accumulated attire for the winter months ahead!

December:
blessedly marks the end of what has been a difficult year for all Earthlings and, although nothing magical will happen when we flip the calendar on January 1, it will be a symbol of new hope & resolutions. There is something indeed magical about that!