Maryland Club Running

In order to describe what club running means to me I must start from the beginning. After finishing a successful spring track season senior year of high school the next thing on my mind was starting a new life at the University of Maryland. While I looked into the idea of joining the club running team, I decided against it as I believed I was finished with running. Or so I thought. During the fall semester my freshman year I rarely ran. With some new unholy additions to my diet, that skinny long distance runner from high school was long gone. In the shell of my former self I signed up for the Glory Days 5k, an open cross country race where my former high school team was to race later that day. My former coach along with my best friend from high school joined me in the endeavor. As one can imagine, hungover and abysmally out of shape I failed to break 25 in the 5k race on the same course which I ran 17:26 just a year ago. Embarrassed, I returned to College Park with a never again attitude. Now spring semester came about and I realized that these unhealthy habits needed to be counteracted with some exercise if I was to return to glory next year. I soon started going to the gym and running again. This satisfied me for the rest of the semester and most of the summer, but when sophomore year rolled around the bug caught me. Not just the running bug, the competing bug. 

After much thought and deliberation, not really, I decided to give club running a try. I do not actually remember when or how I decided to join it kinda just happened. On the first day of practice I rolled up and the first person I talked to was a legend by the name of Ryan Mayhew. Now Ryan was also new to the party, but we were soon met by an overwhelming number of new names and faces to remember. However, they soon all became familiar faces as practice became the highlight of each and every day. Not only is practice a fun time spent with friends where silly and weird phenomena take place daily. It is also a great time to relieve stress. Practice gives you time away from your phone to talk to someone about the troubles of life in College Park. Now if I found myself lucky enough to run with Graham I would most likely talk about some random topic from the dark recesses of his subconscious. If not then I probably had a normal conversation. All the great conversations make practice and the mileage almost addicting. Despite barely having built up at all during the summer I soon found myself dropping 60 mile weeks like it was nothing. You all know where this is going. Roughly halfway into the season the mileage caught up with my legs. 

However, before the injury I was able to avenge myself from the year before. I signed up for the same open race where my former high school team was to compete later. This year my former coach was hurt, unable to participate, and my friend could not make it back from college. To make up for it all three of my siblings were in town, so I was feeling the pressure to perform. It was the first time my older brother had seen me race and my younger brother, who had just started high school cross country, was due to race later. Thanks to the confidence and love for running I had gained in my short time with the club, I was able to have a very successful race. I came in fourth, it should have been third but the guy in front of me cut the course, with a new modest PR of 17:20 on the same course which I had failed miserably last year.

So, weird change in writing but here it goes. I wrote the next paragraph at 3 in the morning and I was in a pretty deep place. But I liked it, so I kept it.

It felt good to be back to where I was in high school, but thanks to the club that doesn’t have to be the end. The motivation I feel from the club to push myself everyday to be the best person I can be is extraordinary. This drive is not limited to running. I feel it in academics, social life, and in just being a nice person. When I joined Maryland club running this was the type of environment I hoped to find. We motivate, help, joke, and have fun with each other. While right now it seems the hole we are in is being filled with sand and there is no way out. One thing we still have is each other. We must continue to motivate each other to be the best we can be. When this is all over life will not be the same. Opportunities, major life events, and memories destined to happen will not be there, but there is one thing that will have changed for the better. You. You will have kept your head high and continued to work on bettering yourself, because when times get tough that’s when you really grow as a person. So, yes everything sucks it sucks so much, but we can take this as an opportunity to grow because we still have one another to support.

While my time with the club has been short it has grown into one of the most meaningful things in my life. I look forward to going to practice everyday and I have found a genuine love for running, more so than I ever thought I did. I appreciate all the people who have made and continue to make the club what it is today.

10 / Tennessee

I will open the recap of the Tennessee trip by thanking everyone for the great time, especially those who helped organize it. As someone who basically had no hiking experience this was an amazing trip. On top of all the music, food, running, hiking, and coffee my favorite part was getting to know everyone.

This all started in the car ride to Tennessee playing a million questions with Shannon, Kate, and Sebs. Through the multitude of questions we discussed our life goals, best/worst traits, favorite movies, favorite drinks, and so much more. One of my favorite topics was the discussion of what animals we could possibly see in Tennessee. We all said the usual bears, snakes, and deer. Then Sebs says Elk. In response Kate and I start roasting him because in what world are there Elk in Tennessee. Well, a little googling later and it turns out Elk most definitely live in Tennessee. Who knew? 

Another great thing which developed from the car ride was the many ways we thought we could use our new found free time while quarantined. We developed intellectual hour, which gained mixed reviews when we told everyone else. During this time we would read, draw, or do anything which would improve our intellect. Stas did a crossword, Nate wrote his comic, a few of us had books, and others drew or colored. We also had a puzzle which was completed twice. Once by just Julia and I, in an impressive feat driven by coffee and pure determination. The other time was by everyone else. It was pretty average I guess. Another activity during intellectual hour was Justin playing Cooking Mama on the Wii in order to expand his knowledge of recipes and culinary skills. In the end intellectual hour was a great time and I highly suggest it to everyone. It is a great way to pass the time in quarantine. 

You can skip this next paragraph if you have no interest in the potatoes which were described as “the best potatoes ever.” Not sure who said that or whether someone actually did, but we were all thinking it.

Another great way to pass the time is food. By popular request I will now lay down the recipe for the potatoes I made, even though I winged it and did not follow a recipe (flex). Start by cubing, slicing, or cutting the potatoes in any shape your heart desires, just make sure the pieces are similar in size so they cook evenly. Then submerge the potatoes in water for 15 minutes, this helps remove the starch flavor and texture making them crispy. You can keep them submerged for any amount of time, even up to 3 hours! Next chop an onion and garlic. Anytype will do, but I specifically used a red onion. In a large oven safe dish mix the potatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, and any seasoning. I used a Montreal Steak seasoning, but basic salt and pepper would do just fine. Deep down I wanted to use Old Bay but I forgot to bring some. In an oven preheated to 400 place the dish mixing every 10 minutes or so again to ensure even cooking. When you can easily poke the pieces of potato with a fork then they are done. This next part is optional. Now take the potatoes out of the oven and put them in a skillet on medium high heat only for a minute or so. This will give them some color and you can season to taste at this point. These potatoes will go well with chicken, streak, fish, or just by themselves. To add some more flavor you can also chop up some bacon and add that to the mixture. 

To work off the great food we ate, some exercise was in store. Multiple runs and hikes were the obvious highlights of the trip. All of the runs I endeavored were no longer than 3 miles, but these were some challenging runs. Now these measly runs do not compare to the achievements of Dan Singer and Eric Baranoski. Each posted a serious run with some serious elevation gain. Eric posted a 5.5 mile run with an elevation gain of 1,076 feet, gaining two segment records on Strava. Now Dan had us worried about this run. He left with little water or food and at some point we thought we might have to go look for him, but Dan prevailed. When he came home he looked slightly dazed, but he made it. Achieving a 14 mile run with an elevation gain of 3,675 feet. The next day Dan expressed how he felt about the run when he told me, “My body is rejecting life.” A shoutout is also deserved by Stas for having an absolute blast sending it down the mountain. After Julia, Kate, and I all missed a turn we stayed to make sure no one else fell victim. Just as we were about to head back to the house I spotted the top of Stas’ head just absolutely hauling. It turns out he did not need us because he knew exactly where he was. However, if we had not stayed I would not have witnessed the gigantic smile on his face. When we returned to the house Julia, Kate and I learned that we were not alone in missing the turn. Ladies and Gents, we almost lost Sebs, but thanks to the heroics of Shannon we did not. I highly suggest checking Sebs’ Strava post from March 17. It is very entertaining. 

Now it is time for the ultimate event of the trip, the climbing of Mount Le Conte. As someone who has very little to no experience in hiking this was amazing. Complete with waterfalls, rocks, trees, and so much more. In all seriousness I have never seen so many trees. It was a long way up, but once we got there it was so worth it. It was without a doubt the most beautiful view I have ever seen. If you haven’t seen any photos on Strava you should ask someone who was on the trip to look at them because they are breathtaking. Even though the ascent was amazing, the descent was even more incredible. In late 2016 parts of the Great Smoky Mountains were struck by wildfires. On the descent we walked through parts which had been completely destroyed. It looked like a bone yard of dead trees and branches which stretched on for miles. It was hard to believe the green and luscious forest we had walked through just a few hours ago could be reduced to this. While it was very sad to see, it was by far one of my favorite parts of the hike. It was like being on a different plant. Another amazing part of it was seeing the natural process of regrowing in the area. I received an explanation on this from nature’s very own Dan Singer.

Now do not worry because this was not all we did. These were just some of my personal highlights. I could have gone on and on about stuff that happened, but it would have been a lot. One thing that was missing from the trip was that we did not see a bear. Maybe for a good reason, but I still really wanted to see one.

“Snap back to reality” – Eminem, 20th Century Philosopher

As I reflected on the trip with Sebs and Kate in the car ride back to College Park the reality of the current world set in. This reality was exacerbated when everyone pulled up to the Lodge Cast Iron Factory Store and it was closed. We had been looking forward to it since we arrived in Pigeon Forge, but our dreams were dashed. We talked about what it will be like with most places closed, things we were gonna miss during the semester, how club running will be affected, and other changes to our lives. During these conversations I came up with the idea to write something about my thoughts (yikes that’s a scary place) on the situation and try to find something good out of it. You got a little preview in that one weird paragraph from 3 in morning. To do this I tried to relate this to some people’s favorite part of the trip.

The Grass Is Greener on the Other Side

The 2016 wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains was the worst wildfire on the East Coast since 1947. Nearly 18,000 acres of forest, trails, homes, and other buildings were destroyed in this one fire alone. This fire, the Chimney Tops 2 Fire, was the worst of many wildfires in the southeastern U.S. in 2016. Extreme drought and high winds along with loss of power to most of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge made it almost impossible for firefighters to work. Within a day of the fire starting it had reached downtown Gatlinburg. Fire swept rapidly through the area destroying everything in its path. People lost their lives, homes, and the beautiful area they lived in. Once they finally contained the fire people in Gatlinburg feared that the area was lost forever. They thought people would not want to visit the region due to the loss of beauty and the new stigma of being dangerous. This was not the case. Just as people started coming back the forest also started growing back. Now life was not the same. The scars from the fires can still be seen and have only just begun to heal. As we saw on our hike small plants and shrubs were spreading under and around the fallen branches of the destroyed forest. 

Just as the forest and the Gatlinburg area got through what seemed the worst possible event, we will get through this. Now the forest is still regrowing and it will take some time for it to return to its former self. This will not be an easy next few weeks or God forbid months, but we will get through this together. Everyday we have to remind ourselves that it will get better. Life will be different and we will have lost things along the way, but we will have made it. It will be hard and it will hurt for a long time. However, we do not have to go through it alone. As I have learned this club is always here for you. We cannot let this situation get the better of us. We must stick together, get through this, and regrow once it is over.