After almost three months, I pulled the trigger and set up a "play date" with my friend, Maria.

We met up at Hot Wells ruins on Sunday morning and took a socially distanced bike ride.

It was so much fun and nice to have a conversation with someone in person and not feel like we were "cheating."

My ankle is officially sprained, which means running is on hiatus for a few weeks. This is going to be interesting trying to catch up on my training for big races at the end of the  year.

Photo: Maria and me

I am joined by  Donald Flynn of San Antonio and returning guests, Kathy and Orlando Montalvo of Mission, Texas.

We talk about the complications of training for virtual races and whether the "real" races we're signed up for later in the year will actually happen. Flynn and the Montalvos are signed up for the Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee 1,000K. Essentially, you run 620 miles between  May 1 and Aug. 31, or a minimum of 5 miles a day.

I really want to join in, but I'm already 11  days behind and -- guess what? I rolled my stupid ankle last week coming down the back steps. It's much better and probably able to handle some miles, but I am not sure I want to  risk it.

Speaking of risk, I lash out at folks who act like the pandemic is over and they're all running and biking in groups without  proper social distancing. Your actions matter. I live far from any family.  I don't know  if I will ever see them again. Yet, some folks just  can't sacrifice a group  run or ride.

Trying to keep a normal schedule during this crisis is challenging. I miss working aid stations and wonder what  they'll be like as we move forward. We used to joke about people drinking from the same cup or getting their hands in the snacks. "Eh, we're trail runners, this is what we do. " But I wonder about what they'll be like.

Running still remains something I want to do but I feel distracted or start too late and don't  get in the mileage I wanted.

I will do my  first virtual race today. Will report back next week.

Photo: Doing Pandora's Box of Rocks half marathon in 2016 at Reveille Peak Ranch.

I have known Kathy for a while -- through her husband, Orlando -- originally. They are two of my dearest friends. Kathy is a newish runner,  but she's done a boatload of ultras,  including three hundos. She's a little new to the Master's scene, but a worthy contender. She's extraordinary in that she hasn't quit a race yet and just chugs along at a decent pace.

Photo: Kathy finishing her third hundred-miler at the Snowdrop 55-Hour Race in December.

Not much running happening these days. It takes so much mental energy to get through each day that I feel spent. And when  I do run, it feels stressful navigating groups of people. I reflect on the story of my mom and purple roses and try to be uplifting.

Photo: Mission Espada in San  Antonio

How do runners stay motivated to get moving when races are canceled and groups have disbanded?

I know this is a First-World problem, but it is something that the running community considers.

This is a Zoom call with Jeff Rhodes, Orlando and Kathy Montalvo and Sara Hernandez, one  of my former students.

We managed to persuade Sara to come to the dark side and become a trail runner!

Photo: Screenshot of the chat.

After two weeks of struggling with allergy-induced laryngitis, I have finally returned. I weigh in on how this pandemic is affecting me and I try to share some optimism, along with a rant or two. The best part of my days is when I get to "see" my students for class meetings, talk to my sister and friends. Had a Zoom meetup on Sunday  afternoon and it went really well. Got to chat up my friends from the Rio Grande Valley. We'll be doing this on the regular.

The podcast is probably going to take a little shift in that there will be fewer of just me sharing thoughts and a few more master's edition interviews and maybe some of the audio from my group chats. If you want to be part of an upcoming group chat email me at [email protected]

Photo: A scene from Sunday's chat.

This is the story of Lynn Hauka, 62, a master's runner living in San Antonio. She just placed first in master's at the Spider Mountain race last month and is fairly new to trail running. She will tackle her first ultra in November at Dinosaur Valley.

Felt really good on Saturday at the Prickly Pear trail race. I ran much of it and felt great. Hilariously, I still managed to place last in my age group. Nonetheless, went back out there for 6 bonus miles. Starting to feel more confident about my abilities as I eye the Brazos Bend 50K next month. Ha, ha...I signed up for that last week. And I managed to crash the Alamo 26.2 during a run on Sunday.

Drop bags are an important part of trail racing -- especially when doing ultra-distance races. Here are some tips I've gathered over the years to make creating your drop bag a cinch.