Finding Motivation in Imagination

By Path Projects customer Eric Martinson - On a sticky morning in early August, I pull into the empty parking lot of my local brewery. I survey the rows of open spots and choose the one most protected by shade. A sign hanging on the front door of the taproom reads “CLOSED” proceeded by a list of operating hours that let me know I have a good while to wait before open. That’s okay. Despite what it may seem, I’m not here to be first in line for the latest can release.

Instead, my sights are set on the wooded peak barely visible in the distance. I come seeking height, not hops. Over the next few hours, I will run the long, gradual ascent from taproom door to the top of our town mountain, Mt. Agamenticus. It’s been a while since I’ve run any sort of double digit mileage consistently, so the past months of training have been tailored specifically to this moment. I fiddle with my shoe laces one last time, slap the bourbon barrel bearing the name of the brewery out front, and begin my journey to the summit.   

It’s a common practice among runners to seek motivation in racing. We tend to dip in and out of training cycles geared toward completing a race of some preset distance- 5K, half marathon, 50-mile, etc. The goal of finishing said race gives purpose to our running, a reason to get up and out the door on days when we’re feeling sluggish or when the weather might not cooperate.

While it’s true that organized races are magnificent motivators, they’re not the be-all and end-all for developing a training plan and sticking to it. Rather, a little creativity can go a long way in keeping your running fresh. Take Toby Silver's block-by-block project and Rickey Gates’s recent “Every Single Street” project, for example. In an effort to fully experience the pulse of San Francisco, these guys set a goal of running every street in the city. 

Like racing, self-made creative endeavors such as these are incredibly motivating, perhaps even more so because they scratch an itch of local curiosity. When my own running hit an unmotivated rut earlier this summer, the birth of the Suds to Summit Challenge was exactly what I needed to get back on track.              

The idea for Suds to Summit came to me one sweltering June afternoon after yet another subpar run in the Agamenticus wilderness. With no races on the horizon nor any desire to seek one out, sign-up, or pay an entry fee, I found myself struggling for structure in my daily routine. I was enjoying hitting the neighborhood trails, but without something to work toward, it was too easy to take days off or cut runs short. Such was the case that particular afternoon as I had decided to stop soon after starting in favor of filling a growler at the brewery downtown. As I drove away from the mountain, I couldn’t help but feel like I hadn’t really earned the growler fill. I regretted not staying out there for longer, and as I pulled into the brewery and caught sight of the woody summit in my rearview mirror, I felt like the mountain was mocking me. That’s when it hit me.

I quickly grabbed my phone and opened the navigation app. Starting at the brewery, it was a slow five mile climb over quiet backroads to the closest trailhead. From there, it was another four miles of technical New England single track to the top of Mt. A. I began to realize that this nine mile ascent of road and trail might be just the medicine I needed to cure my running blues. If I factored in the return trip, the roughly eighteen mile journey from suds to summit and back would be totally deserving of a celebration in the taproom.

I was so excited that I contemplated attempting the summit right then and there, but I knew to do it properly I would have to be smart and train. With a clear goal now in place, it was time to develop a plan and spend the next eight weeks preparing for what would surely be a welcomed challenge.            

The basic guidelines for designing your own home-brewed challenge are simple:

1. Choose two or more eating/drinking establishments, landmarks, or natural resources that are unique to your area.
2. Map out a route that connects your predetermined destinations. The more roundabout and obscure, the better. 
3. Set a time or distance goal for completing the route. You might simply choose to run from point A to point B, or maybe you’ll track how many trips back and forth you can do in 24 hours.   
4. Decide whether you want your challenge to be a solo mission or a group outing. The more the merrier, but lone-wolfing it also brings about its own sense of accomplishment.
5. Upon completion, celebrate with an activity specific to one of the locations from Step 1. For example, take a dip in your local lake, get a box of doughnuts at the doughnut shop, or, as in the case of the Suds to Summit Challenge, enjoy a cold craft beer fresh from the brewery.   

Standing atop the summit of Mt. Agamenticus, the hardest nine miles behind me, I reflect back on the past two months of training. Early mornings, oppressive humidity, stubbed toes, countless tick checks and black fly bites— these are the marks of summer trail running in New England. I welcomed them all with a huge smile on my face. The goal of completing a challenge unique to the seaside town of York, Maine kept me on the good foot through the dog days of summer.

I take in the grand view of the Atlantic one last time and begin my descent to the brewery. There are no medals or commemorative t-shirts waiting at the finish line, but, at the end of day, none of that matters. Knowing that I am about to wrap up a fun endeavor from my own imagination is all the satisfaction I need. That and a cold local brew.