Starting from the Top

Pete's Tower-to-Tower Virtual Run Across Massachusetts

People sometimes ask if I'm a runner. Sometimes I am. I enjoy it. I like the exercise. I like the feeling after a good long run - it's a 'good tired' as Harry Chapin used to say. When I'm most successful, though, is when I have some outside motivation. If I have a race to train for, or if I see a friend on Runkeeper who's getting out there nearly every day, that'll work for a while.

I motivated this winter to train for the Daffodil 5K. I first thought I'd go out for the 10K but I know how that often goes - I train too much, too fast, get hurt, slow down, and then don't complete the race. So I started small, followed the training regimen, and ran the fastest 5K since I started keeping track 4 years ago. Then I moved on to training for a 10K this summer. Except...

...Covid19 hit. And all of the races were going virtual. So when a friend posted on Facebook about the 'Great Virtual Race Across Tennessee' I thought, 'That's cool. Except, I don't really have much connection to Tennessee, nice a state as it is. I wonder if they're doing something like that in Massachusetts.' And it turns out, they were. And I signed up - 250 miles from the Tower on top of Mt Greylock to the Pilgrim's Tower in Provincetown, MA.

The next day in the Hampshire Gazette, there's a big article about a guy who spent his time living abroad in Africa by clicking through Google Maps on a virtual journey across America. So, I was hooked. I figured I'd keep track of how I was doing, and maybe learn something about Massachusetts as I go. I doubt I'll click through evcry single step, but I'll run every mile. Not sure how long it'll take, but.. here we go.