Trestle Run // Restlessness

I had a minor crisis the other day. Well, I guess it wasn't so much a crisis. It was more of a bout of restlessness. This isn't all that uncommon. I don't know if it's work, the time of year, or if it's just all in my head, but every now and then I drive myself a little bonkers with restlessness. I'm guessing this was triggered by the time of year. It seems to happen at this time regularly. Work slows down in January or February and my brain goes into overdrive trying to come up with things to do.

It's like my mind can't bear the notion of relaxing and taking a breath for a minute. Once work slows down the clock starts ticking to it heating up again and I feel like I have to cram as much fun stuff in as possible. I can't just enjoy the downtime and play it by ear. I have to turn into McPlansalot and have some grand adventure set for every waking moment. Which is obviously not possible.

I thought that planning a trip home for February would mitigate some of this, but if anything it put me into overdrive on the trying to come up with plans front. Fortunately, as usual, Amanda snapped me out of it when I realized I was driving her nuts. I took a few deep breaths and told myself to relax. I ended up taking Thursday and Friday off from work to deal with some stuff around the house and get in a couple of local adventure runs to assuage my restlessness.

Okay. I feel much better now. What else is going on?

Territory Run Co.
To kick off the year, I joined Territory Run Co.'s Runners of the Wild team. Well, technically I joined in the late fall but they sent out kits and gear in mid-December and I'm a little behind. There was a cost to it, but I got a jersey and a few other pieces of gear - a sweet hat and buff - so the cost was really just for the gear. I've been following them for awhile now and despite the fact that I'm not an ultra runner, I thought it seemed like a cool group of like-minded people and figured it would be a good place to get some inspiration and possibly meet some other interesting runners.

I've picked up a couple of additional pieces of their gear, which I like, but what I like better is what they are doing to promote the sport of running. They just released an online course on improving your hill running technique - which I might need to check out. Even better than what they are doing to promote the sport is what they are doing to build the community. The trail running community as a whole is incredibly supportive and it's good to see a company that's trying to grow that in different ways.

I Really Want to Go Skiing
I mean, I really want to go skiing. I think that was the thing that made me realize I was driving Amanda crazy the other night. I was talking 100 miles an hour about possibly doing a ski weekend in North Carolina, or whether it was a better idea to wait until we go home and try to take a trip to Loon or Sunday River or somewhere in Vermont. Here I go again. I blame this on the inch and half of snow we got a week or so ago and the fact that the Olympics are coming up. I've spent far too much time watching ski videos on YouTube and playing Steep on PlayStation.

Sadly, iconic ski filmmaker Warren Miller recently passed away, which only made me plunge deeper into the youtube ski video rabbit hole. I actually found a few Warren Miller films on there. I remember being 10 or 12 and sitting in my basement watching his movies when they would come on TV. I can't remember the network, maybe NESN, but they'd always show a few every year and it would get me so amped for the ski season.

I wanted to be a big mountain and freestyle skier so badly when I was a kid. I used to love when my parents would take me to the Boston Ski Show so I could see all the cool new gear. We went skiing at Breckenridge and Whistler, which was awesome. Once I got to my sophomore year I didn't ski as much since I was focused on track, but I reconnected with the sport during my senior year of college thanks to Joe Reynolds and a few other teammates. Amanda and I have tried to get a day trip to the Whites in at least once a year when we are home, but it's definitely one of the things that I miss about New England.

What I'm Watching, Listening to, and Liking
Ski the Whites // I told you. I really need a ski trip in my life. I've been binge watching Andrew Drummond's YouTube channel about backcountry skiing and ski touring in the White Mountains a bunch lately. This was another thing that had me restless. I was googling everything about alpine touring and skinning trying to see if there was a way I could try it when we're home in February. Drummond's YouTube channel is full of cool GoPro videos of him and his dog - Squall - skinning up and skiing down awesome spots in the White Mountains, like the iconic Tuckerman's Ravine. If you are ever in the Jackson, NH area, check out his shop at Black Mountain and give skinning a go. I'll let you know how it goes if I get a chance to try it.

I've also found his channel to be inspirational for my own video making purposes. I'm hoping to do some GoPro videos this year. And in an interesting twist, he was on a Ragnar Relay team with my buddy Josh this past summer.




Salomon TV - Becoming History // The New Canadian Air Force was so sick. I remember watching those guys throw insane tricks and pretending I was doing the same. When I was in ninth grade my family took a trip to Whistler-Blackcomb which was the most amazing place I've ever skied. I remember buying a bunch of skiing magazines for the trip and reading about the NCAF guys on the flight to Vancouver and the drive up to Whistler. I told you, I'm on a big-time ski kick right now.




Outside Podcast // Red Dawn in Lapland - This was a really interesting story that appeared in the December issue of the magazine and they did a nice job with it on the podcast. The story is about how a small group of Finns fought off an invading Red Army because of their ability to maneuver and survive in the frigid conditions north of the arctic circle. Essentially, Stalin wanted to create a buffer between Russia and the expanding Nazi control of Europe. They didn't take the conditions into account and lost massive numbers of men to the cold. The story also touches on how the Finns are still preparing to fight in the Arctic today, just in case.

What's Poppin' On IG

I’ve been pretty focused on public lands of late, a nod towards their enduring significance in my life. From hard lessons to big laughs, wild places across the country have played a pivotal role in my growth. I hope future generations get the same opportunity that I have had. I recently got a chance to write about this passion for @teva. Link in my bio. #tevaexplorercollective 📷 @dirtbagdarling

A post shared by Andy Cochrane (@andrewfitts) on Jan 25, 2018 at 11:45am PST

The whole skiing down sand dunes things looks really cool. It's probably really hard, but it looks so cool.

Goodnight moon.⠀ ⠀ 📷: @daniel_ernst #seeyououtthere

A post shared by Huckberry (@huckberry) on Jan 24, 2018 at 4:25pm PST

I could definitely relax by the fire in this cabin for a weekend.

Sugaring season is just around the corner, y’all. #maplesyrup #sugarmaple #sugarbush

A post shared by Outside/In (@outsideinradio) on Jan 23, 2018 at 3:13pm PST

Now I want pancakes. A lot of pancakes.

“Some idiotic things are well worth doing.” ― Richard Ford⠀ ⠀ 📷: Huckberry Ambassador @nick_lavecchia #seeyououtthere

A post shared by Huckberry (@huckberry) on Jan 20, 2018 at 8:31am PST

I don't think I could do winter surfing in Maine, but I really liked this shot from Short Sands Beach in York, Maine during the winter. It's a complete ghost town up there during this time of year and I loved seeing this one guy surfing with everything covered in snow.

There’s something pretty magical about a snowy path and beautiful red barn. ❤️❄️ | 📷: @gotsarah via #mynewengland . . . . #yankeemagazine #appletonfarms #ipswichma #scenesofma #scenesofnewengland #mynewenglandwinter #redbarns #magical

A post shared by Yankee Magazine (@yankeemagazine) on Jan 18, 2018 at 1:58pm PST

I might be a little homesick. That might be part of my problem lately. Either way, I want a barn. Not a barn in the traditional sense, but a finished barn that would serve as an office slash gear shed slash hang out spot. Someday. If I win the Powerball or something.

Another Trestle Run in the books. That's two posts in like 10 days...of to a good start.

On to 2018

The last couple of years I've done a blog recapping the last year and while I did do some fun stuff in 2017, I'm ready to switch the calendar to 2018. With that in mind, I'm focusing on goals and plans for 2018 rather than a look back at 2017. Instead of a year in review blog, this is going to be about moving forward and what's on the horizon.

I feel like Dwight Schrute. Nothing is on my horizon except everything. Everything is on my horizon.

I'm not a big New Year guy. It's just another day, but I do appreciate that it gives a reason to reflect on what you've been through, positive and negative. And while I'm not staying up till midnight drinking champagne any more, I like the idea of it serving as a jumping off point for where you want to go next.

I don't know if these are resolutions or just things I want to do but here are a few things I'm looking forward to in 2018.

Focus more on experiences rather than stuff.
Enjoy the process - across the board in everything I do.
Plan more adventure runs
Write more
Read more
Use my GoPro more!

One of the things I did think of when reflecting back on the last year was memories. After we lost my mom, I spent a lot of time thinking about all the experiences and memories that I had growing up. I never want to lose sight of that because that's something that I want Amanda and I and eventually our family to have to look back on.

With that in mind, I am trying to plan a trip or short adventure for every month. Of course, we can't afford to be flying all over the country, but there is nothing stopping us from jumping in the Jeep and doing some day trips. We already have a trip home planned for February. After that, we'll probably go to Chattanooga for River Gorge in March and then we've got Tuck Fest in April. Other than those few trips we don't have anything concrete planned, but I'm thinking a longer trip to the Smokies, maybe a weekend in Asheville or a ski trip to North Carolina. There are some good spots within a few hours drive of Atlanta, so I am hoping to do more day trips this year.

I am a creature of habit. To be honest, that's probably an understatement. I very much like having a routine. It makes everything seem easier. You don't have to think about doing certain things. You just do them. Automatically. This is great for my running. I get up every day and get my miles in. It keeps me consistent and I very rarely have to worry about missing out on a run because I got home late or I'm not feeling it or any of the other million different excuses we've all come up with in the past.

While that keeps me rolling day to day and week to week it can make some runs feel like a chore. I hate that. I enjoy running. I don't want it to feel like a chore. We all have our days where we just aren't feeling it, or we are just going through the motions. That's fine. That's going to happen no matter what you are talking about. Some days you're just not into it. This is where the adventure runs come in. These come in all different shapes and distances. It could be a grand adventure where I drive two hours to new trails or as simple as getting up a few minutes early and hitting one of the local trail systems before work. I want to do more of both. I need more new runs but just as important is breaking the monotony of a Tuesday morning.

Having said that, I do want to be more mindful in 2018. Sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of the big picture and forget that every run has a purpose. You are building towards something. Whether it's a goal race that's a few weeks away or a few months away. Each run serves a purpose in getting you to that finish line. What does that mean in practice? Mentally remind yourself what you are working towards. Hopefully, that will reduce those days that you're not into it.

I've really enjoyed what Tracksmith has done with their No Days Off campaign over the last couple of years. Starting on New Years Day, they push the NDO mantra. Now, that might sound a little Belichickian and unrealistic for many, but that's what I like about the campaign. It's not about running 365 straight days. It's about doing something every day that makes you a better runner. That could be anything from taking a day off from running if you need it to spending time in the gym or eating well. At least that's how I take it. Do something every day that makes you a better runner.

That's some good copywriting. They are trying to sell gear, but I've said it before. I like some good content marketing.

I think I say this in something like 75 percent of the things I post, but I'm going to say it again. Write more! I read somewhere or heard somewhere, I can't for the life of me remember where that a good tip for working on your writing is to write every day. Now, I have failed at that thus far in 2018, but it's something that I am trying to work on. Even if it's just a few sentences. I think that would really help me with consistency. I enjoy writing but a lot of times I struggle with what exactly I want to write. The tip or trick that I read was to if you write every day it'll spark ideas. It hasn't been a success thus far, but I am working on it.

Along with writing more, I need to read more. Again, it's something I really enjoy but for whatever reason, I don't feel like I do enough of it. Maybe that's because I spend the majority of my day reading 140 character takes or trying to figure out ways to put a positive spin on something that's not so rosy. Either way, I'd like to do more reading. Books, magazines, online, it doesn't really matter. If it looks interesting and it's longer than a few paragraphs I'm in.

Another thing I really want to do more of in 2018 is to use my GoPro, or GoPros to be more accurate. Some of that goes with taking trips and doing adventure runs, well actually it pretty much all goes with that. Along with writing, I also enjoy editing. I'm not going to be making any highlight reel videos anytime soon, but it's something that I enjoyed when I was in college and thanks to working with some really good editors, it's something that I got back into over the last few years. It's a skill that I enjoy working to improve and I'd like to do a little more of that. Naturally, making some running or biking edits would be a good way to do that.

From a running standpoint, my goals are pretty similar to what they've been the last few years. As much as I want to win races or at least finish on the podium, this is where I want to focus more on enjoying the experience. I think I've done a better job of this over the last year (see my Tuck Fest blog), but I still have my moments. Running can't just be about results. Eventually, that's going to lead to frustration. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to win my age group for XTERRA again this year - even though I've missed a few races already due to work travel - and podium at River Gorge, I want those races to be about more than just what place I finished.

I'm still in the process of figuring out my race schedule for 2018 but it will likely feature some or all of the following...in no particular order...

XTERRA Georgia
Dirty Spokes
One Winter Wild race back home - Looking at the Ascutney night race with Ferenc
Southern Cross Gravel Bike Race - That's a big ole maybe. It looks cool though.
River Gorge
Tuck Fest
Loon - I think I've said I wanted to do Loon for like the past decade.
Half marathon(s)
Maybe a Marathon???

I realize that we're nearly three weeks into 2018 but I'm still trying to figure some of this stuff out. My work schedule ends so abruptly sometimes it can take a week to just process everything that happened. That's where I am right now. I'm moving past processing and into planning mode. I'm definitely looking forward to what we've got coming up. The first race on the calendar would be Dirty Spokes at Heritage Park but I'm thinking we'll have some kind of day trip in the works before then.

This has been all over the place but I think it actually helped to put some of this stuff down. I didn't put down any concrete goals for 2018, so here are a few. One is a little silly, but the other really takes a lot of what I've just written into account.

Goal number 1 - Get into a regular rhythm of posting content and launch a new version of this blog. That's something I've been thinking about for a while, but I don't want to spend the money on a domain and all that without committing to regular posts. I've thought about a number of different ways to do this and I'm hoping to get myself to a point where I can post at least two things per month. That's a pretty modest goal. It's definitely something that I can accomplish. At least I think it is. We'll see.

Goal number 2 - Make this the year I finally buy a Cannondale Slate. It would work real nice for Southern Cross.