New England Running: Harold Parker State Forest (kind of) and Mary French Reservation

So, every month, Runner's World Magazine does a highlight of a running location called the "Rave Run." The places they highlight are all over the world, so when I saw one pop up in Andover, MA in last month's issue, I decided that I needed to check it out. After all, how often are these places in any kind of driving distance? (This month's Rave Run is out in Idaho though, which is an odd coincidence..) In the nasty weather that we've been having this week, my ever-gracious brother agreed to make the trip out to Andover and seek out the place depicted in the article.

To see the full RW write up of the run, click here. Under the heading, the brief description reads as follows: "Roughly 25 miles north of Boston, Harold Parker State Forest in Andover, Mass. has a 1,000-foot boardwalk that cuts through the Mary French Reservation." The description continues with a brief history, a bit about the park, and directions. Now, the problem that we encountered is that the Mary French Reservation (and it's 1,000 foot boardwalk) is NOT a part of the Harold Parker State Forest. It is pretty much right across the street, but is a different system of trails. Consequently, when Dave and I got to the main office and asked the woman at the desk about the location of the boardwalk, she was thoroughly confused. She had just started back with the park for the summer and hadn't heard anything about the article. We got some suggestions on where the boardwalk might be and headed off.


While the magazine told us the run was in Harold Parker, we actually didn't do anything more than drive through the park. Dave and I ran on the trails through the Skug River Reservation, and finding no boardwalk (that really was the focal point for us), crossed the street to the Mary French Reservation. After running a little ways into the woods, WE FOUND IT... but it was across the swamp. Some more navigating and extra jogging, and we made it there, and it was just as fun as we had hoped. The boards are a bit more decayed than the picture in the article shows, and the mosquitoes certainly were not mentioned, but it was pretty neat to run over the swamp.

Overall, the place was great for a trail run. While we didn't actually go through the Harold Parker trails, there is an extensive and well-mapped system that we would have continued onto if we weren't being eaten alive. After reassessing the article, I did find the information for both trail systems, but the directions to the location described were indeed confusing.

I'd like to give a general mention of love for the state parks in Massachusetts, we really have some pretty fantastic places to go explore for little to no dollars. There is this awesome program I discovered a few years ago that is run by the DCR- it's a park passport program designed to motivate kids to get outside and see the parks. Each state park has a box with a combination lock and an individual stamp inside. There are little blue booklets that you can get with spaces for stamps, and the point is to collect them all. It's a really fantastic idea, and I will admit to being twenty-two and being in possession of one of these passports myself. And don't worry, I got my stamp from Harold Parker State Forest today.








Harold Parker State Forest

Andover Trails Committee- Mary French Reservation



Here's to some sunshine tomorrow-
R. 

And so it ends..

Once again, I have become neglectful of my blog, but this time I have a valid excuse. The past few weeks have been packed with ceremonies, packing, goodbyes, time with old friends, and planning for new adventures. The past few years at UMass have been full of experiences, some good and some bad, and now I am moving onto the next chapter.

It would be tedious (for the writer and the reader) if I were to talk about each of the individual events of the last few weeks. I will say that the best of them were the Commencement Ball and the brunch for the Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies department- those big commencements are pretty overrated. The brunch in particular left me with knots in my stomach and a lot on my mind. When I stop and reflect, I realize that I really have gained so much perspective over the past four years, and I don't think that will ever leave me. I think the thing that I will take with me that is most important is learning to surround yourself with the kind of people who support you and support what you find important. I am constantly singing the praises of my department because it has been a major support system for me. Regardless of the fact that some people were mere acquaintances, there was always understanding. The road for the critical mind can be quite a challenge, and it is necessary to have strong souls there beside you.

A quote that kept ringing through my head after leaving that brunch is something that I found on a poster at the National Conference for Media Reform:

So keep fighting for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't forget to have fun doin' it. Be outrageous... rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through celebrating the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.

 Molly Ivins

New England Running: The Great Urban Race

Before the race!

Last Saturday, my mom and I drove into Boston to check out the Great Urban Race. This was a very interesting event- more of a scavenger hunt than a race. Beginning at City Hall Plaza, the race started at noon when all the teams were given their envelope of clues. Rather than everyone sprinting away, all the participants grabbed a step or piece of ground and started pouring over the sheets and pulling out smartphones to figure out the destinations.

Assignment: honk a stranger's horn.

There were twelve clues, and from those clues, we had to derive addresses, then determine how to make it to those spots. If you were REALLY efficient, you charted out all the addresses at the beginning and had a really good game plan. This is what we tried to do, but due to a transcription error (me writing down Mass Ave for two addresses that should have been Comm Ave), we wound up going a few miles out of the way and missing a few of the challenges, which just afforded us a time penalty.

Assignment: Go to the Garment District, receive false mustache, take a picture wearing it with a stranger with an actual mustache.

All of our stops had to be documented and shown to an official at the end, so I am including some of the gems of the day here. We have quite a collection.

Assignment: Take picture in front of sculpture at MIT. Both participants must be jumping in front of it, all feet must be off the ground. (This is my favorite picture)

Assignment: Find this running store in the South End and take a picture of both teammates in front of the autographed shoe.

This race would have been impossible without having a phone or computer, which is made clear on the website. It was definitely very goofy and a lot of fun, and while it definitely would have been easier if we were more familiar with the city, I think we had a really good time. I did a MapMyRun of our course afterwards, and determined that we covered about eleven miles over the course of the day.

I left the actual clue sheet at home, but I will post the actual clues to the blog when I get back so that y'all can get a feel for what it was like! For now, enjoy the pictures. 

Assignment: Take a picture of both teammates high-fiving someone in uniform.

Sidenote: Before the race, we stopped at Faneuil Hall for some food, and got some amazing mac and cheese from a place called Mmmac and Cheese. This dish is one of my weaknesses, and this is some of the best I've ever had.
Sidenote to the Sidenote: While googling the name of the restaurant, I discovered that there is an entire blog about mac and cheese. Silly, and also amazing.

New Zine!

Making copies today!

Let me know if you would like a copy

of this one or the first one.

New England Running: The Seven Sisters Trail Race

This post is a few weeks belated at this point, but I have been wanting to blog about a few things that are going to be coming down in a storm now as I catch up...

So here goes!

The race was on May 1st, the same day as the Boston Walk for Hunger. I was torn between the two events, since I have done Walk for Hunger for five or six years. I wound up deciding to go with the trail race because it is something new, lacking the 2.5 hours of driving, and sort of a tribute to this being my last year in Amherst.

Dave is always so good about stretching.

Now, this was my first trail race, and it was a completely different experience from most of the other races I have run. A similar feel to the Stew Chase, the race is organized by local clubs and started with a "Ready, set, go!" Dave and I started towards the back of the pack, not wanting to get in the way of everyone racing up the first hill. We had tried to run it a few weeks prior and knew already that the initial climb was going to be a walk for us.

And there was a lot of walking. This was one of those races that we definitely required more hills in the training. I think that due to the nature of the race (12 miles, climbing, etc.), a lot of the runners were really extreme trail runners, so we finished closer to the back of the pack than the front. I discovered that in trail running, you are very limited by the pace of the person in front of you. Particularly since this race was an out-and-back, the passing space was limited throughout most of the race. If the person in front of you starts walking, you are walking too. (And I'm not complaining.)

Other details about the race: The entry fee was only $20, and proceeds go to preservation of the range. (Tee shirts were available for an extra $15.) Water stations were every two miles, and they consisted of piles of gallon jugs that were shared by everyone. If anyone is aware of my aversion to sharing drinks, you understand how appalled I was by this. However, it was a toasty run and the water was necessary. at the 6-mile turnaround point, volunteers had tables set up with water, sports drink, powerbars, cookies, and candy. The was also food at the end, and everyone was really friendly. We didn't finish fast, and we were sore for a few days, but I'd say that overall, I really enjoyed the race!

I have been a very neglectful blogger lately,

and I promise that I will update for real soon. In the meantime, here are some tidbits from the past few weeks.

making pierogi for Easter

before Seven Sisters Trail Race

 

 

 

 

Vandana Shiva at Amherst College

Song of the Day

Since I can't sleep, and since it's Wednesday night/Thursday morning, there are two:

Regina Spektor- On the Radio

Amos Lee- Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight

Enjoy,

-R.