Last week I found myself in an empty parking lot at dusk, roughly a mile from the building where I live. I had scoped it out over the last few months, judging the length and perimeter of the space.
The shape, more rectangular than oval, felt just right, albeit a bit imperfect. Maybe it wasn't a track, but it certainly had all the markings. And that was good enough for me, because I needed a good run.
Running fast that night -- alone, that is -- made me forget about the coronavirus, at least for an hour or so. And it briefly made me surrender the concern of my daily routine, which had invariably changed.
Running has helped me, as I'm sure running, throwing or jumping helps you, make sense of where things are in this world. It's why we all love this sport. Being in pursuit of something greater is what pushes us all.
As we all know, the last two weeks have been different. We've been working from home, learning from home and communicating from home.
The remaining school year has been pushed online for the vast majority of students and teachers, and springs sports have been thrown into a tailspin. Meets have been postponed and many have been canceled. I don't envy how that must feel, as if all this hard work is washing away.
As I wrote a few weeks back, track and field doesn't just forge competition, but it brings community together. You know you're a fan of track when you invite that familiar smell of rubber on particularly hot spring and summer days.
But we also need to ensure our safety until our state and federal governments figure out a way to control this pandemic. That might leave a void in our lives for athletic competition and a support for our loved ones in the sport we love, but soon enough I believe we'll get back to normal, too.
In the meantime, MileSplit has been hard at work trying to figure out ways to keep you occupied and entertained. I'm happy to share some of the really cool and inventive things we're doing.
Our programming will continue with compelling content across our network, including our usual fare of captivating features, profiles, data-dives and interviews with some of the country's leading voices. Curious of your freshman PR in the 400m? We have a place for that. In need of class national rankings? We have that, too.
On MileSplit USA, our resident sprints expert, Olivia Ekpone, has been analyzing races from the 2020 indoor and outdoor seasons, and every Tuesday we'll be pumping out incredible in-depth breakdowns to show for it.
The 12-time Texas A&M All-American has also been interviewing Olympians and professional women in the sport about key subjects like body image and positivity for a new Females in Focus series, too.
Our excellent videographer, Bryan Deibel, has had his nose on the grindstone editing Workout Wednesdays and other video projects, and he will be contributing with athlete interviews and other content.
Our MileSplit recruiting correspondent, Garrett Zatlin, will offer his take on recruiting three times a week, so if you have a topic you'd like him to cover, email us at recruiting@milesplit.com.
Longtime MileSplit OG Travis Miller, a marketing manager with FloSports, will soon bring you a Recruiting Rundown show along with Ekpone, too.
We'll continue to bring you our weekly podcast, On The Line, each and every Wednesday, and we'll continue to explore important topics and entertaining stories. Every week we'll offer content in the way of retro races, Throwback Thursdays and Flashback Fridays.
Follow our social media on Instagram and Twitter @milesplit, and give us a like. We want to see ways in which you're training and keeping fit.
We're also excited to bring you an innovative event in April, which we hope will galvanize the community and endeavor some competitive spirit across the country.
Beyond the national site, our network is hard at work bringing incredible content. In Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania, we've already churned out track and field content looking back in history.
Meanwhile, California and North Carolina and Texas are pulling together Dear Running essays from a wide array of athletes. There are March Madness brackets, stories featuring professional athletes and training logs galore. And let's not forget, Salute to Seniors.
We know this time is hard, but we're right here with you.
We're glad you're with us.
- Cory