Covid-19 Quarantine Day 195: Love on Lockdown

Masks on!
Sera in IllumiNITE Ambition Reflective Hoodie 

Today is day 195 of quarantine, and while I still refuse to accept that this is the “new normal,” I can’t dispute the fact that other than my eight-day solo writing retreat, Mike and I have been together 24 hours a day, every day, since the pandemic started.

That’s 27 weeks of social isolation. In other words, six months—half-a-year!—trapped (ahem, blessed) together.

When the pandemic hit and we both transitioned to working from home, the days and nights blurred together (they still do!). Mike and I learned that creating an accountability schedule was key to giving us a routine and keeping us active—it’s worked wonders!

Still, when I watched Mike change the quarantine day on our whiteboard to 190 last Friday, it shocked me. On our morning walk, I presented our current situation. 

Accountability Schedule and
Quarantine Day Tracker

“How are we not sick of each other?" I asked.

Mike, being the methodical, list-making, strategizing side of our relationship, had us review the past six months; then, we made a list of all the things that work for us:

MORNING ROUTINE

Every morning, Mike and I start our day on the couch with our cups of coffee. We compare our workday schedules so we can plan meals/domestic duties/errands accordingly. Once I’ve woken up completely—which often takes at least thirty minutes for caffeine to work its way through my veins—we venture outside.

Since we no longer commute to/from work, our morning walk/run now

Cold 13.1 miles on our morning run
Grateful for warm IllumiNITE Multi-Wraps,
Early Riser, Ambition Hoodie
and Velocity Mittens 

serves as that transition. To keep us motivated, we challenge each other to go faster or father; sometimes, we take detours, and we often take pictures to capture special (and silly) moments.

When we get back, we make breakfast together before. Some mornings, we even have enough time to eat together before work begins—added bonus.

I love our morning routine; it allows us to connect first thing.

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD

Burgers w portabello "buns" and
fresh zucchini and tomatoes

Last year, Mike and I tried Whole30, which taught us a lot about ingredient labels and healthy eating habits. We learned how to cook fun, new recipes that were both nutritional and delicious. So, when everything shut down, eating every meal at home didn’t phase us.

We make our staple go-to meals, but we also like to experiment with spices and cooking methods we’ve never tried before. We cook together as often as we can. It’s a fun way to connect, and it also serves as a transition from “work to home” as we share about our workdays.

WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

In addition to keeping active during the week, we plan our weekends to include hiking and other outdoor adventures. We research which mountains we’d like to hike, which trails to wander, or which

Capital "A" in its natural state

bodies of water we want to visit. Then we plan how many miles/hours we want to explore and what supplies/food to bring. This always gives us something to look forward to during the week. We have so much fun exploring different places, some practically in our backyard!

We started a game to find all the letters of the alphabet in nature. The one rule is the letter cannot have any man-made aspect to it. We’ve found most letters, but we’re still searching for capital “Q” and a few others.

I’ve also discovered that eating a picnic comprised of fruit, mixed nuts, and the occasional Lara bar on top of a mountain overlooking a vast valley below is far more romantic than eating at a fancy restaurant. Who knew?

AUDIOBOOKS

Mike and I both love to read, and we often snuggle on the couch reading our own books, each in our

Listening to Wild via AirPods on a morning walk
Sera in IllumiNITE Mockingbird Shirt (final sale)
Mike in IllumiNITE Sentinel Shirt

own world. We always share about what we read and discuss the various topics we learn about. Recently, we’ve begun listening to audiobooks together. We just finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed; it spawned so much conversation about solo-hiking and thru-hikers and about our own traveling goals. When we finished the book, we watched the movie and then compared the two.

Now, we’re listening to The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. We’re only an hour in, but it’s brought us quite a chuckle…especially as we compare our own relationship (and personal) habits to the main character’s.

ALONE TIME

When you’re together all day, every day, what is there to talk about?

Surprisingly, Mike and I never run out of topics. In analyzing our conversations, we realize we always have things to discuss because we spend a good amount of time doing our own thing. During the workweek, we

Mike drops off grapes to
my office, with a side of love

work in different parts of the house and do not physically see each other all day—except for the occasional snack or lunch drop-off to each other’s office (Thanks, Mike!).

We also make sure to schedule alone time outside of work hours as well. Whether I’m in my office

Snuck a pic of Mike enjoying
Joyful on a sunny day

writing (like now) while Mike’s outside gardening, or one of us visits with a friend/family member on the phone (or Zoom!), or we read different books, we acknowledge the importance alone time plays into our relationship. It gives us the space we need to explore our own interests and stay in touch with our own selves. And it broadens our topics of conversation.

ADAPTABILITY/SPONTANEITY

While having a routine has kept us sane through this pandemic, we also recognize the importance of adaptability and spontaneity. For example, now that the days are getting shorter (and colder!), we’re discovering that it’s getting harder to motivate ourselves to get outside in the early morning. But we also recognize how much better we feel when we move first thing. So, we’re switching up our schedule to include a shorter walk in the morning (about 20 minutes) and then our longer walk or run after work. We’ve also decided to add some more core training into our schedule, so we’ve implemented squats, sit-ups, and pushups on

our walk days. This minor adaptation keeps our daily routine feeling fresh and fun.

We also find so much joy in spontaneity. “Wait, you finished work early? I just wrapped up my day!

Mike surprised me with peonies
from our garden!

Impromptu date night! You get the wine; I’ll get the cards! Hooray!”

It’s fun to switch things up on a dime every now and then. Mike and I look for these special impromptu moments to do something out of the ordinary, like go for a drive and pick up our favorite Mexican food, discover a new movie we both haven’t watched (that’s a tough one), or surprise each other with a gift “just because.”

It doesn’t seem like much, but Mike and I recognize that we’ve managed through this pandemic because we openly communicate about what’s working and what’s not. We respect each other’s perspectives and support each other’s needs. We check in with each other to see where we’re at— Sera’s at 40% capacity; Mike, can you cover that extra 10%

Much needed apple and kiss after a grueling
hike on Cannon Mountain
Sera in IllumiNITE Multi-Wrap; Vigor Singlet

today?—and we adapt accordingly (Thanks, Brené Brown for the family gap plan!).

We actively work at keeping our romance fresh and exciting while also stable and comforting. Love may be on lockdown, but it doesn’t have to feel like punishment! 

I’d love to hear what you’re doing to keep sane through this pandemic! 

Please share in the comments below.

Like our style? Check out IllumiNITE and use my discount code RUNBRIGHTLY15 for 15% off

IllumiNITE Synergy Headband;
Savannah Shirt; Sentinel Shirt;
Multi-Wrap

your order!

Hey Valentine: You're the Run For Me

Mike: IllumiNITE Rochester Jacket
Sera: IllumiNITE Tahoe Jacket

I knew he was The One when he agreed to travel to Greece with me to run the Athens Authentic Marathon—his very first marathon—and then followed through by actually buying his plane ticket and training for the race. I fell in love with him while we trained side by side, running long stretches together, sometimes chatting, sometimes enjoying the silence. And I knew he loved me long before he said the words because he followed the new, restrictive nutrition plan I implemented and took our training schedule seriously. He ran every scheduled training run, including a few long distance runs without me because I was traveling for work.

While marathon training, we checked in with each other's physical and mental health on a regular basis. We made sure the other was getting the proper nutrition, getting enough rest, and stretching before and after running. We learned to rely on each other on the road or on a wooded trail. We reminded each other to drink water, eat food, and take walk breaks. We helped each other get through "bad" running days, whether physically or mentally. And we celebrated running milestones.

Sera: IllumiNITE Shortie,
Featherlite Packable Jacket,
Mike: Long Sleeve Warm Up Tee

When we crossed the finish line at the Panathanaic Stadium in Athens, both of us exhausted and sweaty and smelly and famished, I felt our bond strengthen into something bigger than life. Despite being much faster than me, he didn't leave my side during the entire marathon. We spent five-plus hours together, marveling at the beauty of a country neither of us had visited before. Five-plus hours keeping each other motivated, pushing each other to run our best but also slowing down when we saw the other struggling. Trust me, even though it was his first marathon while it was my tenth, I don't know how I would have finished without him. I was nauseous for twenty of those miles and struggled through many uphill stretches. He gave me the strength I needed, and the support, to push through to the end; his patience was unwavering. Five-plus hours of physical and mental exertion and exhaustion, and I still loved him. Hell, I still liked him; I wasn't even the slightest bit annoyed by him, not one bit. That's when I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

Sera: IllumiNITE Powerstretch Pant
Mike IllumiNITE Mercury Run Tight

Reflecting on those five months of training together, I realized that the relationship we developed as
runners carried over into the everyday life of our romantic relationship. We're not afraid to try new interests. We support each other through the toughest of times, and we celebrate life successes, even the tiniest milestones. Most importantly, we respect what we each bring to the relationship.

Running with a romantic partner nourished a part of my soul I didn't realize needed nourishing. It taught me that communication is key to meeting each other's needs without comprising our own needs. That it's okay to be vulnerable, and then to actually be vulnerable. That I have a lot more to offer than I realized, and what I have to offer is desired and appreciated. That it's okay to rely on someone else—I've always been independent to a fault!—and that accepting help makes me a stronger person (It also makes life so much easier. Who knew?) It taught me that having a supportive, equal partnership is attainable—something I never thought possible.

IllumiNITE Men's Early Riser
in Hawaiian Blue

Most of all, it taught me that the love I always dreamed of really does exist, and it's worth waiting for. All the years of believing someone like me wasn't worthy of real love—believing that no one out there would ever want to be with a girl like me—believing that the type of romantic partnership I dreamed of didn't exist, was all just a lie that fear fed to me. It took me a long while to open up and be ready for love, truly ready, and then even longer to find someone who was also ready for love. In fact, it took me seven months before I even agreed to let my friend give her family friend my phone number, and another two months before he texted me an invite to coffee. Spoiler alert: he was worth the wait.


The History Channel states that “Valentinus,” the Latin word that “Valentine” was derived from, means “worthy, strong or powerful” (Who was St. Valentine?) And while I know there is much angst about the corporate intentions behind creating Valentine’s Day, I do believe that taking time to celebrate loved ones is a worthy act.

IllumiNITE Love Tee
20% off, February 14 only
15% of entire order always
with code RunBrightly15

So this Valentine’s Day weekend, I will wear my heart on the outside and watch it glow bright as I
celebrate the love I share and cherish with my life partner. I urge you all to find a special someone to go on a run with this weekend. Whether that special someone be your life partner, a new crush you've been dying to ask out, your bestest friend, or a new friend, there is just something magical that happens between people when running together. You become your most truest selves, and your heart opens to endless possibilities.

Hey Valentine, you're the run for me. Today, and always. I love you.