​Keeping Your Distance While Keeping Fit During Covid-19

The global pandemic known as Covid-19 is exacting quite a toll physically, psychologically, financially -- you name it. These days, it’s difficult to name something that has not been impacted by the coronavirus.

For this reason, many people are doing their best to maintain some measure of routine or normalcy by committing to their fitness regimen or, in some cases, starting one. Even with social distancing in place across the country, outdoor exercise is still deemed safe, with a low risk of viral transmission.

Good news for runners, certainly, though there are a few precautions you should take to better protect your personal safety and the safety of those around you.

Put a Premium on Personal Space

We’re all familiar with the guidance to maintain six feet of personal space between ourselves and others. However, NPR reports How Runners Can Keep Themselves And Others Safe During The Pandemic requires a bit more distance than that.

Featured in the article, Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech, cautions that six feet might not suffice. According to Marr, "If you're running and you happen to be infected, you might release more virus into the air than if you're walking because you're breathing harder."

Her suggestion? Widen the gap and shoot for double the CDC recommendation -- targeting 12 feet of space instead.

Be mindful of when you want to go for a run, too, and do your best to avoid peak hours. Take a page out of France’s playbook, which recently banned daytime running between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Lace Up and Mask Up

Make sure you wear a cloth mask while out for your run in order to avoid possibly spreading the virus, even if you feel perfectly fine. According to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, up to 50% of infected people are completely unaware they have the virus.

So, it’s a good idea to add that extra layer of protection for you and everyone around you. Since the masks should fit snug over your mouth and nose, which can be uncomfortable while running, some runners opt for neck gaiters instead.

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