How do you Perservere in Difficult Times?

Let's face it.  While the epidemiologists have warned of a pandemic, we, as average and generally healthy endurance athletes, didn't feel our rituals of swimming in the local pool, running along beaches, or paths, or cycling in groups.  But alas, those were all taken away in a flurry with covid. 

And even those releases that we all rely on so heavily, as a true foundation to not only our physical health, but our mental health, are so minuscule compared to the elderly, mentally ill and physically ill isolated in memory care, assisted living and hospitals.  They are the true victims, who we hope we can change to name them "survivors" of covid.   They lost their only source of hope: a path to the outside world of outings and visitors.  And of course, those who perished.  At this point, I assume that most of us have all been touched personally by covid, and if you haven't, consider yourself lucky. 

How do you respond to adversity?  How do you respond to a challenge?  How do you deal with loss and grief?  How do you wake each day and get through another covid-day?  I'd love to hear from you! 

For me, personally, I've been homeschooling our three boys - both amazing, and rambunctious being home, but also thriving because of their strong mental game that is just as pertinent in a race, as is it is in life!  My saving grace is to get up each morning, and to work out - and I've developed a pretty nice home gym at this point.  I didn't go out and spend thousands on a peloton, but I do have my road bike on a trainer that I purchased when I was at home with my newborn.  I have bought a couple dozen dumbbells to focus on muscle gain, or maybe retention since I hit 40 years of age, and I have seen pavement from the hill repeats on that beautiful Mt. Soledad in my backyard!  While these early morning rituals are not my ideal workout scene with limited time and space, they are, my saving grace.  My day, without a workout, is not pretty. I am short-tempered, impatient and curt.  I NEED my workout in the morning to be my best and to save my patience, and even then, I still need grace to get through each day in these less than ideal conditions. 

I know much of you are the same, but I'd still like to hear from you, just like all of your thoughtful, lovely responses last week, and build community.  You're not alone!   We are all in this together; don't lose hope!