Keep On Moving

Outdoor activity such as walking, hiking, or running is exempted from the shelter in place order (10.a.iii.) issued here. And good thing too, because Martin was antsy by late afternoon today. So he decided to go for a run.

After initial resistance, I pulled myself together and put on my running shoes for the first time this year. We ran up through Claremont Canyon Regional Preserve and were happy to be in nature gazing at an all-encompassing panoramic view of the East and San Francisco Bay Area. It was beautiful and oddly quiet.

Getting out for fresh air and getting the heart rate pumping does wonders for the body and mind too, of course. We know this, and yet so much of our everyday life is sedentary. At least that’s been the case for me lately.

In Zurich, Martin and I used to run up our backyard mountain, the Uetliberg, 2-3 times a week. It took us a while to find our fitness groove here. We joined a track group at the university last spring, but stopped going when it got dark earlier in the evenings of winter months.

Now that everything’s on hold, we have to just get out on our own and keep going. As with any endeavor, it will take discipline. And as with everything in life, quarantine or otherwise, we have to find ways to keep on moving.

All this about running reminds me of Forrest Gump: c’mon, “Run, Forrest, run!” and the marathon across America – classic. Perhaps just the film to watch now as it spans several defining historical events in the 20th century of the United States.

Come to think of it, now is a good time to revisit and watch movies starring Tom Hanks, who incidentally went to high school in Oakland and now this. He’s a cultural icon of American entertainment. Until being nominated again for the Oscar this year, I had almost forgotten about him. But his wide and varied filmography covers great contemporary American classics like Castaway, Philadelphia and Big, a childhood favorite of mine.