BRYAN, Texas — The coronavirus is forcing everyone to practice safe, social distancing. Seeing friends and meeting up with groups are put on hold for the time being.
"It kind of happened for us as quickly as it did for everyone else," said Julie Thompson, the volunteer services coordinator for the Brazos Runners Club.
The Brazos Runners Club used to meet three times a week for group runs and workouts.
When the World Health Organization classified the coronavirus as a pandemic in March, the running club knew it needed to make changes.
"We'll still have the runs but we'll just encourage everyone that they'll have to practice social distancing if they come to the runs," Thompson said. "You know, everyone would have to stay six feet apart, no high fives, no sharing water."
About a week later, the CDC set more guidelines for COVID-19 prevention and the first person to test positive in the Brazos Valley had been announced. The club canceled all workouts and events until further notice.
"We kind of had to decide that we couldn't meet anymore because we typically have 20-40, sometimes 50 people show up," Thompson said.
The Brazos Runners Club is all about supporting one another.
"We've been encouraging everyone to keep the normal running routine," Thompson said.
While not physically being there to encourage each other, the group is still able to keep up through social media and fitness apps.
The running group reminds one another to practice social distancing while exercising outdoors. They also stress the importance of not sharing items like towels, food or water with other people.
During these struggling times, the Brazos Runners Club remind one another of the importance of not being so hard on themselves.
"Its okay to just go for a walk sometimes, just trying to get out the door no matter what it looks like I think is important," Thompson said. "Also, not having the same expectations that we would when our mental health is a lot better and we're with our friends."
The Brazos Runners Club posts each week's workout on the group's Facebook page and welcomes anyone to try it.
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