African Americans face a dual pandemic: anti-Black racism and COVID-19. One is hundreds of years in the making — and the other began a year and a half ago.

Many runners speak of a runner’s high. It’s a temporary state of euphoria when you feel as though space and time disappear and you can push past pain and exhaustion. I would know.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disparate impact on Americans across racial and ethnic divides, not only creating a health crisis but also an economic crisis and worsening racial wealth and income gaps.