Editor’s note: This post was started on Memorial Day weekend and as you may have noticed, quite a bit has happened since then. I haven’t had a ton of motivation to write about running and goofing off. This stuff doesn’t seem all that important given what’s going on. I’m not going to pontificate except to say that we should all be taking whatever steps we can to make positive change. Black Lives Matter. And also, wear a mask.
I had an interesting FaceTime conversation with a friend a few weeks ago and his comment on boredom, or how he fights it off to be accurate gave me some clarity on how to approach the summer under the limitations of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“People say they get bored. I don’t. If I get bored, I just outside and throw rocks for a little bit, then I’m not bored anymore”
Josh Ferenc
I know that sounds like something a 12-year old might say, but that’s the beauty of that statement. First, it excellently illustrates the wonder of Keene State. Second, it made me think about approaching things more simply. I always joke about how I’m somewhere between the ages of nine and 12 at heart so maybe that’s why this comment spoke to me. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s spent more time than they’d like to admit scrolling through instagram while staying at home during this pandemic. I’d also venture a guess that I”m not the only one that has a tendency to get a little bit of wanderlust or insta-jealously when that happens.
It’s really easy to get caught up in that and focus on the “epic” adventures or far flung trips that day dreams are made of. This is probably a good lesson for all the time but it seems more prudent than ever under our current circumstances. Those big adventures and trips are amazing, but adventure is what you make it. If that means going outside and throwing rocks in the woods for 15 minutes than make that the most adventurous 15 minutes of rock throwing that you can.
These days we all could use a little bit more of that adolescent imagination, especially if you’re generally confined to the suburban, cul-de-sac landscape like I am. I’ve probably given that comment way more thought than Josh meant by it, and I’ll admit I laughed it off at first so I know it sounds stupid but, when you do 50 something straight runs from your front door you start reading into things. To be fair, I do have access to some decent places to run from my front door, but routine becomes rut over time.
With Josh’s quote rolling around my head and Memorial Day marking the start of whatever summer is going to be here in Georgia, I came up with an idea to make the most of the summer, despite the limitations.
No Service Summer
It’s more of a mindset than any kind of actual guidelines for summer adventuring. I mean, it’s okay to have cell phone service. The idea is to try and find those spots that are close by while at the same time somewhat remote. By close, I mean within two hours drive, so there is no need to make unnecessary stops. The remote aspect can be finagled with a little bit if your savvy.
For example, it can be as simple as going early. Even some of the most popular parks in my area are deserted early in the morning. The other ways to ensure solitude are finding things that are off the beaten path like dirt roads, or they are really hard and not that many people want to put the effort in to get there.
I kicked things off by taking a Friday off from work for a bit of a mental health break. I am fortunate to still be working, but I have to say, Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings are super draining.
I switched my work phone into airplane mode, a.k.a., the no service summer cheat code, and made my way out to Red Top Mountain for a solo duathlon on the Iron Hill Trail.
Iron Hill is a really mellow gravel trail that snakes its way along the shores of Lake Alatoona. Fun fact, that’s one of the filming locations for the TV show Ozark. The trail is 3.5 miles with gentle rolling hills. It’s a great place for a race, since it’s nice and hard packed. It’s like running on the roads without actually running on the roads which is perfect for me.
When I got to the park, I set out to ride four laps of the trail. I hit it going clockwise for the first two then rode up to the visitors center to mix it up a little before returning to the trail and riding it twice counter-clockwise.
After I finished up the ride, which ended up being 16 miles, I swapped the bike chamois for running shorts and ran two more loops – 7 miles. I managed to finish up the run and eat my fluffernutter before the sky opened up with some big time thunderstorms and then made my way home. Not a bad start to No Service Summer.
Certified Rollers 