This is Sparta

Want a bit of an adrenaline rush early on a Saturday morning?  Want all your friends to think you're crazy? How about getting down and dirty in miles of mud?  This weekend, I competed in my first adventure race: a craze of trail running mixed with preposterous, boot-camp-like obstacles.  The Super Spartan Staten Island race was eight miles of this insanity.  Each step was a struggle to stay up through the slippery mud, sandy beach, or creek beds we ran through.  Every couple of minutes would be a series of obstacles: walls to climb over or under; cargo nets to scramble up, culverts to crawl through, flames to clear, and more.  A failed obstacle meant thirty burpees, those famous pushup-squat-jump terrors.  A day later, every muscle in my body is sore-- not only my legs from running, but arms, abs, and back from crawling, lifting, climbing, dragging, etc.  The race is popular with military personnel but I overheard this on the race course:

"I've been in basic for three months and I've never seen anything like this."

The video doesn't lie.

Some memorable obstacles:

Barbed Wire Army Crawl:  Fifty yards of flopping onto your belly and squirming through a muddy, rock-ridden puddle.  Careful, there are strips of barbed wire zigzagging about three inches above your head.  If that doesn't cut you, the rocks covering the bottom of the puddle certainly will.

Culvert Swim: I say culvert because the term sewer grossed some people out.  Essentially, we were in a pitch-black tunnel filled with water, and about six inches of head clearance.  Since my worst phobia happens to be drowning--more specifically, getting stuck underwater-- the claustrophobia aspect was not great.  

Monkey Bars: I liked this one because I thought I had lost my monkey bar talents in about fifth grade.  Luckily, I got some momentum going and was able to swing right across kind of easily.  And, all the other girls dropped after the first or second bar.

Cinder Block and Tire Carry: Two separate obstacles, one involved lugging a tire around in a circle up and down a hill.  Going up was heavy but doable; going down was a sheer mudslide that ended up in a tumble of tires and racers.  Dragging a cinderblock through the sand was my most challenging obstacle:  I missed the memo that there were separate weight for the girls, and consequently struggled with my big manly weight as it caught sand in its center and brought me to a near halt.  

There were various walls, puddles, ropes, and more to struggle through.  Luckily though, completing an obstacle gave us a ridiculous adrenaline high that made the stretches of running much more bearable.  And the feeling of running past boys and clearing an obstacle faster than them was extremely rewarding. The military dudes are notorious for talking themselves up at the beginning of a race, but their cockiness comes back to bite them when they fall on their face on a slippery mud slope as you scramble up beside them.

The finish line is marked by a javelin throw, at which I utterly failed.  I did hit the ground right in front of the target, but that wasn't good enough.  After my punishment burpees, the only thing left was escaping the "Spartan Warriors" standing in the finish chute waiting to beat you down with a club.  I pulled the girl card on that one, and I'm not ashamed to admit putting my hands over my head and screaming "I'm a little girl" while my racing buddies distracted them.  And at the finish: a medal, a t-shirt (the real reason I did the race), food, and a beer garden that didn't have their carding act together.  While I'm not usually one to down a foamy brew at 11:30 am, I have to admit it was quite refreshing.  The carbs do wonders for your recovery.

Spartans

Yes, all my friends think I'm crazy, and don't understand why I'd get up at five am on a Saturday to drive to New York and put myself through physical pain.  And yes, I missed a trip to the mall with my friends.  But by noon, when most of the Trinity world was just awakening, I had accomplished some pretty crazy stuff.  And all back in time to celebrate on Saturday night!

Sunday: Struggin' and Snuggin'

We all know Sundays can be brutal.  The combination of the hangover and all the procrastinated homework make for a pretty miserable morning.  It seems that dragging yourself to Mather brunch is the most productive thing that you'll get done that day.  It's easy to stress hard and feel awful for the majority of the day.  Headaches and droopy eyes in the library, trips to the cave to get junky study snacks, and showering off frat feet can really take their toll on your day.

Facing the thought of another Sunday

But after hours in the library and finally giving up on your reading, Sunday evenings can be kind of nice.  The roomies and I are snuggled up in our common room, watching the Emmys and munching on kettle corn.  Since I've come to terms with the fact that I'm not going to read four 30-page articles on the exact same subject for my three-hour Urban Studies class, I can spend a couple hours just surfing the internet.  It's the perfect time to catch up on everyone's weekend pictures on facebook, or do damage control from last night's festivities.  In another procrastination effort, I clean up my room, paint my nails, or do other relaxing, "productive" activities.  Knowing that I have six straight hours of class beginning at 9 am on Mondays, Sunday evenings are my last chance at freedom, and I manage to enjoy them

A day that starts out in suffering can end up being not that bad.  I'm feeling relaxed and accomplished and ready to start another week.  Sundays may have a bad rap, but they're bittersweet and relaxing in a way that I really appreciate.

Never Forget

September 11, 2001- September 11, 2011

Ten Years Later

It's hard for all of us to believe that the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C. occurred a full decade ago.  Though we were just children-- I was nine years old and in fourth grade-- the memories of that day and the news reports we were glued to seem like they happened yesterday.  Across the country, I was awoken at five in the morning to watch live footage of the attacks.  School attendance was optional, and the day was spent in tumult and chaos as elementary school teachers tried to explain what had happened.  Television footage always gives a sense of detachment, and my young brain surely didn't grasp everything.  But we all knew that tragedy and history were made that day, and it wasn't something we'd likely forget.

And today, ten years later, that's proven more than true.  Not only do we remember the tragedy and heroism that occurred on our soil that day, but we're engaged in a long-term, international war on terror.  Our daily lives are impacted by this war-- whether it be on a personal, economic, or social level.  Steps are made forward, sideways, and backwards.  The war has both divided our nation and brought it together.  Today, though, we forget the current war and its complications.  We come together in remembrance of lives lost, whether the personal level or the magnitude of the deaths.  Candlelight vigils, ceremonies, and memorials are widespread across  the country and the world.  At Trinity's community vigil at the Chapel this evening, students and faculty gathered to pay our respects.  It's a sad day, but also one full of hope and unity as we continue to move forward from this tragedy.  

Back at Camp

The past weekend was a whirlwind as the majority of campus finally trickled back to Camp Trin.  Since I've been here for three weeks now, playing in the woods and braving hurricanes, I didn't have to deal with the stress of moving in and getting ready for school this past weekend.  Instead, my Quest buddies and I celebrated in true TrinColl fashion, and welcomed back old friends and swarms of freshmen alike.
The first weekend back at school before classes start is a magical thing.  No one has any excuse for not going out, so every night is packed.  The weather was perfect, so even when Campus Safety decided to shut down frats (seeing one of them in the basement at late night is a weird feeling) we could still carry on outside.  There were no responsibilities except classy trips to WalMart for dorm stuff and snacks.  My roommates and I set a decorating budget and managed to snag some great stuff for our common room and bathroom, including a "peeking frogs" shower curtain that really brings the homey-ness to a new level.

While heading to Target and WalMart during Labor Day can be a Trin reunion in itself, the real purpose of the weekend is to reunite with all those folks you haven't seen since the stressful day of May finals.  While I know Trin kids love to take New England road trips and hang out together on the Cape together all summer, that wasn't an option for all of us.  I hadn't seen anyone all summer, so seeing everyone all at once was both overwhelming and much needed.  There are several kinds of back-to-school reunions: meetings in Mather or on the Long Walk; when your roommates finally arrive and you help them move in; treks across campus to see your neighbors from last year; and the fabulous screaming, running, hugging, drunken reunions of those you may or may not be best friends with in the daylight.

Then there are those people you may not be super excited to see-- a lot of drama may have gone down last spring, you went home with someone you regret, or you grow apart from your freshman year besties.  Since it's nearly impossible to avoid anyone on this campus, may as well suck it up.  Chances are when you see that dreaded person in Mather for the first time and decide to just grin and bear it, differences will be dropped.  Summer is a long time, and most people don't spend it brooding on all the people they "hated" last semester.  Starting off on a good foot with everyone is the best way to have a drama-free semester.

On a more scholastic note (that's why we're here), today was finally the first day of school.  After over a week on campus with nothing to do, I was ready for some intellectual stimulation.  With no fancy internship or summer research project, it's been awhile since my brain has had anything productive to do.  Sophomore Success attempted to jump-start my brain, but it really takes a good lit discussion or essay to get me going.  We've hopefully all got a little bit of start-of-the-year motivation, but it's always a struggle to hold on to.  I'm all gung-ho about getting more involved this year: in the newspaper, mentoring, the writing center, whatever it may be.  I managed to miss the activities fair yesterday, though, so that's a great start.  The one essay I got assigned before school started remains in introduction-only lingo, despite having nothing to do for the past week.  But as we all get settled into a routine, the library will become home again and my brain will hopefully remember how to do its job.

And now, Shakespeare is calling me.  Here's to a good year of working hard and playing hard, which is what Trinity does best.