From June, our gym is able to continue classes. So I was put before a choice: would I continue training as soon as possible or wait?
If it was just me, I would be at the gym tomorrow. However, one of the very few people I currently have regular contact with is in a vulnerable health group.
I was already packing my training bag when I realised I could not live with myself if I jumped right back into my full contact hobby and ended up passing covid-19 to someone I love. Someone who might become hospitalised or worse. As a lukewarm compromise, I promised to myself that I’d follow contamination figures for two more weeks and then re-evaluate the situation.
I’ve also laid down some ground rules for myself for the time I go back to regular training:
S’s personal BJJ training rules during a disease epidemic you can’t vaccinate against, updated when necessary:
- No training with any respiratory symptoms I don’t recognise as allergies. This should of course be a given.
- I will only train at my own gym until the risks of going elsewhere diminish. Open mats, visits, camps and competitions will not be a part of my BJJ life for a while. I can also take this time as an opportunity to not feel guilty if I don’t compete. 😀
- I’ll try to train only twice a week and continue with the running and the body weight exercises alongside it. For someone with no sporting background, the stuff I can do by myself at least feels like I’m trying to better my cardio and strength.
BJJ is one of the best things that has ever happened to me and even on a hiatus, very dear and important to me. However, some things are even more important. The health of my fellow humans. Human rights. Maybe chocolate? Not taking unnecessary risks for a quick fix, when holding out a bit longer might be the smart thing for me to do for a moment.
Also, I’ve never had to take off time from BJJ because of an injury. I might as well do a bit of it now. I feel genuine joy for my training partners who have already continued to train in small groups or will be at classes this week. I do hope I get to join them soon.
Running update for those who care
These days, I see a lot of this:
I picked up a beginner’s running programme and have stuck to it. Last time I wrote here, I managed 2 minutes of running at a time. This week, I was able to run for 8 minutes in a row, 4 times with 2 minutes walking in between.
As someone who identifies as Not A Runner, I’m so chuffed I can actually keep doing something a bit boring until parts of it become enjoyable. I’ve never been able to run over 2 minutes before in my life. Like Laura remarked, I probably would not have thought about running before BJJ. She is so right. I also like “moderately obese” me going for it in Helsinki Central Park, ducking out of the way every now and then to keep my distance from other people out and about. Pandemics can slow me down, but I refuse to let them stop me altogether.
