Another month has passed and we are still practicing social distancing. Events in State College are being canceled through mid-July. No Memorial Day festivities in Boalsburg, no 4th Fest, no Arts Festival or People’s Choice Festival. Races are also being canceled. There won’t be Boalsburg Memorial Day, 4th Fest or Arts Festival races this year. Even bigger races, like the Berlin Marathon in September, have canceled.
That’s enough for the negatives. I have seen quite a few positives this past month. I already had a great appreciation for daycare and elementary teachers. That appreciation has grown exponentially with each passing day. I once had a student ask me if high school teachers got paid more than elementary teachers because, according to this student, it didn’t seem fair because high school teachers teach “harder stuff.” From trying to teach my son and getting him to focus on his work, I can confirm that elementary teachers deserve a raise. Somehow his teacher is able to pull off a minor miracle to get all of the students to focus during their Zoom sessions. Give me 20 high school students and I’ll gladly teach them about stoichiometry. Give me 20 10-year-olds and I’d quit before lunch time!
Another positive is the number of people I have seen outside running or walking. Quite a few of my neighbors have either been out for a walk with their dog in the morning or a leisurely walk around the block in the evening. I have also seen quite a few runners go past our house while I sit in my living room trying to figure out how to have students complete a titration lab virtually.
If you are one of those people who have a newfound enjoyment for walking or running but are starting to get tired of your same route, I’d like to offer you a few places you could consider. We are pretty lucky to live in State College with well-maintained sidewalks and bike paths.
– Penn State’s campus: It is weird to walk or run around campus and not have the hustle and bustle of student life taking place. That said, it is a lot easier to navigate sidewalks without thousands of students. Free parking is available near Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Starting and ending right beside Beaver Stadium never gets old.
– Bellefonte Central Rail Trail (aka the Toftrees Trail): I’m not much of a trail runner, mostly because I have enough issues trying to run without tripping on pavement, but this trail is perfect for the beginning trail runner. You can access it from near Joel Confer Body Shop on Clinton Avenue or Sunset Park on McKee Street. The trail is mostly crushed gravel before it turns into a very manageable trail closer to Toftrees. I tend to turn around once I get to Toftrees Avenue but you can keep going on the trail and end up near Waddle.
– Blue Course Drive: From Whitehall Road to North Atherton Street, you can get over 4 miles of running or walking on Blue Course Drive. The sidewalk is well maintained between Whitehall and Westerly Parkway and then you have a smooth paved bike path the rest of the way.
– Penn State Blue Course path: The golf course may be closed until Friday but the paths around have been open for walkers and runners. The path is a nice gravel path between Blue Course Drive and West Campus Drive. There are a few paths you could branch off to explore more of the golf course and surrounding areas. If you want a nice hill workout, try running some repeats of the golf course path on Park Avenue.
– Various places around Rothrock State Forest: Even though the state park facilities are closed, their trails are open.I suggest checking out the areas around Colyer Lake, Whipple Dam and Bear Meadows Road near Tussey Mountain Resort.
Regardless of where you get your steps, just be sure to get outside when you can. Sitting in front of a screen for hours upon end can lead to headaches and stiff joints. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air, even if you have to put on a mask.
One thing we can do is to donate to Centre Volunteers in Medicine. Fellow columnist Patty Kleban wrote a column about the needs of CVIM during the pandemic. More than ever, CVIM needs our help. If you have the financial means, please consider donating to CVIM through my Marathoners for Medicine page or one of my M4M teammates.
One of my teammates got super creative with her race. Deb Simoncek ran a marathon by running 13.1 miles on a Friday evening, camping out, and then waking up Saturday morning to run the final 13.1 miles home. I have heard of other runners from around the world who have run marathons by doing loops in their backyard, kitchen, even their balcony!
Deb Simoncek ran a marathon by running 13.1 miles on a Friday evening, camping out, and then waking up Saturday morning to run the final 13.1 miles home. Photo provided
If you are interested in running a virtual race, here are a few I was able to find thanks to some friends:
We Are Penn State Virtual 5k – If you are a PSU student or a Campus Recreation member consider signing up for this race, which is taking place on May 1. All participants are suggested to wear Penn State gear.
BG Corona-thon – Registration deadline is May 9 or when 500 runners have signed up. Each participant will fill out a training log and need to complete the 26.2 miles before June 21
Yeti Ultra 24 Hour Challenge – Happening from now until May 15. The challenge is you need to run or walk 5 miles every four hours for 24 hours. You start the challenge on the day and time of your choosing. You can choose your own course: road, trail, treadmill, backyard, living room – you pick.
Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community – Anytime from May 9-June 30 you can go for a walk of any distance you want.
Go Ruck Plague Doctor 12 miler – I know of a few ruckers in this area who would enjoy this one. Anytime in May, you load up your rucksack and complete the course by making it to various landmarks. Here is a link to the two potential lists for State College.
Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon & Semper 5ive Virtual Run – This half marathon and 5-mile run normally takes place in mid-May and features various landmarks in Fredericksburg, Virginia, including the famous Hospital Hill. This year the races have turned into a virtual option. Registration must be completed by May 16.
