Monday Mask

COVID-19 The Rona Era

Today is spring. 45 degrees this morning and the temperature will be in the 60s. Sunny and clear beautiful blue sky. The start of the work week and the continuation of holy week. The mayor of Boston informed all city residents that starting today there will be a curfew. From 9pm to 6a.m. Unless you are essential workers aka.. people who sacrifice themselves they get a pass,. The rest are us are expected to stay inside. From the CDC guidelines and the mayor re-enforced this, he wants all us to wear mask when we go outside.

With all of that, I decided to wear a mask while running. My friend A, made a mask for me because I don’t know where I would go to get a mask. This morning I tried it out. I wasn’t sure if I was doing it right. Does it go over your mouth or go over your nose. I had trouble breathing. I was I breathing too hard or should I be more mindful of my breathes. Then the snot came out. Ugh, hot mess.

My other thought, when I run in the morning, no one is out. Do I really need it? The other runners I saw didn’t have it on.

My other fuel for thought: New meaning of running while black. When I don’t wear the mask and run, people smile and talk to me because they can see my face. This morning with the mask, no one talked to me. Even when I would run and see people with mask, I would smile or nod at them for acknowledgement.

This didn’t happen to me. I tried to smile with my eyes but that I was fail. I wonder if I’m now looked at as a threat. My identity and monitoring myself , is to make sure I “ look like a runner”. Same issue that I dealt with yesterday. Black racialized identity politics. What does it all mean to be black, female, runner, wear a mask, and run in white spaces.

All the Monday action. 3.30 miles of thoughts and sweats to start the day.

My fun running mission this week is to run past a church everyday. This will be my church and fun of running

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