In pod we trust

 Today was a good day. We returned to a small sliver of normalcy here in the Marist Running world. Not “new normal” … bah, not a fan of THAT term. Anyway. As you may recall, we can’t call it “practice” right now; so, we are not “practicing.” But by golly, it sure was close to that. The official term we are using here is “training” and we have moved from the “Pre-Phase” to “Phase 1,” which allows “training” in small groups (or “pods”) of no more than 10 student-athletes. So today, we held multiple mini-training sessions, meeting our “pods” at various times and in various locations. It was great. These “pods” have been training informally on their own since their arrival back in the area; now, we’re actually allowed to interact with them. Hmmm. Runners and coaches. Convening for a training session. Sure SOUNDS like a “practice” … but alas, it’s not. It’s “training.” In “pods.” At varied venues and times. Socially distanced. Masked up. As it should be. In 2020. Whatever. Call it what you want, give it whatever labels you’d like. For the first time in almost six months, it felt good to feel a little bit like a “coach” and a “team” again.