We've all lost, but not lost all

It's not an easy time to be a trail runner.

Hazards exist

With Parks Canada, Ontario Parks, Grand River Conservation Areas (and all their managed lands), Credit Valley, Hamilton & Halton Conservation areas, and even the Bruce Trail closed to public access, there's very little off-road running to be found.

What few trails are open are often in rather poor repair..

..with no realistic hope of municipalities allocating resources to their repair any time soon.

Even our beloved Cambridge Farmers' Market is closed, so I've lost my usual Saturday morning run down to pick up our amazing local meats and produce.

We're finding ways to support local producers, but we miss seeing the friendly faces of our vendors!

I'm incredibly disappointed that the actions of some selfish, thoughtless people have brought us to this point. You see, the reason for the closures is that people were not respecting the physical distancing recommendations that have been drilled into all of us constantly for the past few weeks.

People who would ordinarily never be seen anywhere but their couch or perhaps the mall took to the trails and conservation areas in droves, gathering in groups, walking 2 or more abreast on trails, and not making space for others to safely pass. 

Singletrack got its name for a reason.

Had these folks gone out as single-home-dwelling parties only and offered the cushion of space required to avoid the possibility of infecting others, I would have welcomed them to the joys of experiencing nature on our beautiful trails. Instead, their lack of care and respect has meant that no-one gets to play in the woods in some of my most treasured spots anymore.

It's particularly difficult to find any hills worth training on that aren't paved.

I am also rather crotchety about all those complaining about being home all the time. As someone designated an "essential" employee, I'm grateful to still have a steady source of income...but as I'm still required to head to the office almost every day (I worked from home a total of 5 days in March - 3 of which were due to being ill - and none yet in April), and putting in very long hours due to the increased workload trying to ensure that our clients and their employees get all the necessary paperwork they need to apply for EI and other benefits, I rather envy you the luxury of boredom.

I'm exhausted, and have lost most of my outlets for stress relief on the trails.

This way lies happiness...and mud.

However, there are a precious few places left that I can get my trail fix. 

Though I'm loath to tell anyone where they are.

For the moment, we're still allowed freedom of movement away from our homes. While there's now the threat of a $100,000 fine and/or incarceration for using playgrounds, sports fields, or other outdoor recreation facilities like tennis or basketball courts, our provincial government has not yet closed access to green spaces and pathways, nor instituted a shelter-in-place order.

Yet.

So I beseech you: please consider others when you leave your home. To save lives AND our dwindling access to natural places, please only go out with those from your household and offer everyone no less than 6 feet of space. Be aware when using sidewalks, paths, and trails - no-one wins when you fail to make appropriate room, and we all stand to lose even more.

Heading to work on Monday is a lot easier to bear after some trail therapy on Sunday.

Be safe, be considerate, and be well.