There have been the promising reports coming from our leaders, Gladys Berejiklian and her fellow premiers announcing ever dwindling numbers of positive results.

And then there have been the painful images emerging out of the US. The public backlash to lockdown, the overrun hospitals and the skyrocketing death toll.

For one Illawarra local, those images have hit particularly close to home.

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Middle-distance runner Jessica Hull has lived in America for the past four years, the Albion Park product moving to Eugene to take up an athletics scholarship at the University of Oregon in 2016.

Having turned pro last June, Hull is now based out of Nike's global headquarters in Portland.

Like in Australia, the situation seemed to be under control in the US, coronavirus a disease afflicting people in other countries. But that all changed suddenly.

"It was crazy," Hull said. "I went to Boston the last weekend in February for a race and we went home to Portland and within the weekend it went from zero to 100.

"Travelling back, no one was super concerned, it was a six-hour flight and no one on the plane was nervous or worried about travelling around other people.

"Then Monday morning, everyone realised the severity of what was going on. We had a few more restrictions with social distancing, but at that point we could still use the track and gym on the Nike campus. Two weeks later all of that closed."

With restrictions growing and a trip to Australia planned for mid-March, the 23-year-old made the decision to return home and wait out the crisis.

While it's a move she's grateful to have made, Hull admits it's been tough watching what some of her friends are experiencing in the US.

"The state of Oregon has been okay. Not that many people visit in winter because it's so rainy and cooler, so maybe that's why it hasn't spread like wildfire through Oregon.

"But in the states around us and especially on the east coast, it's been heartbreaking seeing how much they've been affected. They've been a lot more limited than we have, it's very sad."

The original reason for Hull's trip home was to contest the Australian Athletics Championships, a key selection trial in the lead up to the Tokyo Olympics.

However, like many sporting events across the country, the titles were postponed in March.

The decision to reschedule the Olympics soon followed, with Athletics Australia then cancelling the championships.

A host of other meets across the globe have also been abandoned, leading to a restructure of the 1500 metre specialist's training program.

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Instead of building towards a peak in August, Hull has shifted her focus to establishing a base to ensure she can reach even greater heights at next year's Olympics.

"Since July last year, everything has been aimed at running faster, not necessarily stronger.

"This is a good opportunity to focus on getting stronger aerobically and building the base. Then hopefully that will translate back to the track."

The focus on aerobic training has seen an increase in volume. The former Kembla Jogger is now consistently running 115 kilometres a week, the vast majority of those on her own.

The casual runners among us will recognise how tough it can be to complete even one solo jog, and even Hull acknowledges it can be mentally challenging to spend so much time running individually.

To counter this, the Albion Park resident has attempted to mix up her routine by exploring a variety of new routes across the Illawarra.

"The first two weeks at home on the treadmill during my 14-day isolation period was a bit of a grind. But since then, it's been good to get outside again.

"It's actually been really fun. I've lived here my whole life and always stuck to normal running spots. I started at Stuart Park running along Puckeys and it was so busy.

"Since I had just got out of self isolation, I didn't want to be around so many people, so I started exploring different spots.

"I found a beautiful fire trail at the top of Jamberoo Mountain Rd that I didn't know about and I lived 20 minutes from it for 23 years. Finding new spots like that lets me keep mixing things up."

Hull's return home came after a promising stretch that had her poised for a successful Olympic campaign.

Eager to build on an eventful 2019 World Championships campaign in which she narrowly missed a place in the 1500m final, the emerging talent started 2020 with a bang.

Hull celebrated Australia Day weekend by setting a new Australian indoor 1500m record in Boston before returning home to contest the National 5000m Championships in Melbourne in early February.

The event doubled as a Tokyo selection trial, the 23-year-old claiming an impressive victory to earn her place on the team.

The win came with COVID-19 shaping as a minor issue, a disease expected to be contained within weeks. That widely held view turned out to be off the mark, with the world still grappling to contain the virus.

Just six weeks after securing qualification, Hull's Tokyo dream was put on hold, the International Olympic Committee making the inevitable decision to postpone the Games until 2021.

While disappointed she will have to wait another 12 months to make her Olympic debut, Hull is determined to ensure her performances next year are even better than what she could have produced this year.

"Being so young, it's something my coach has reminded myself and a couple of other athletes in our squad. We don't want it to be postponed, but he's reminded us we have youth on our side.

"At my age, an extra year is a blessing. I'll be so much more ready in 12 months."

But while Hull has her eyes firmly focused on a rescheduled Olympic Games, she understands the world is currently in the midst of a far more important challenge.

"Sometimes in sport it's easy to want it here and now, without looking at the big picture.

"This situation is much bigger than us. Sport is important to us, but for the entirety of community right now, it's such a small part and we all have to do our part to get through this."

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