Walk the Tracks

Workout of the Day

In the AM:

4 mile sandbag carry (100 lb)

In the PM:

5 x max pullups - strict, kip, and butterfly

There’s a stretch of abandoned track that runs from Sutter street in historic Folsom out past highway 50 and off into the unknown expanse of the California foothills. It weaves its way through the suburb that has grown up around it and cuts a path that few ever follow anymore. For a while now I’ve been wanting to explore this bit of crystallized history. Today was that day.

John and I filled up sandbags to about 100 lbs and parked cars at either end of a 4 mile stretch earlier this morning. We began under the highway 50 overpass, in the shadow of an enormous CostCo, and worked our way west back towards Old Town. Never once dropping the bags we ran, jogged, and walked the entire length in just over an hour. It was brutal at times—our shoulders and upper backs were cramping under the weight. But it was enjoyable at others—the scenery did not disappoint. Most surprising was the difficulty we had with the footing. Some sections of the track were deep, some were shallow, some ran through mud, others through fallen leaves. Most areas were overgrown with weeds and looked every bit their age. It was like being transported back in time.

The first leg of the journey paralleled bustling East Bidwell Street, a thoroughfare lavishly adorned with Quizno’s, Ross Dress for Less, and The Home Depot. Choosing to walk on such a defunct and neglected strip of track beside freshly laid asphalt felt almost like willful disobedience—strangely satisfying. The looks we got every time we crossed between traffic, the distinct pause of the Prius in the left hand turn lane… these are memories worth their weight.

Then, about halfway through the trip, the railroad veered left into a sort of nature preserve where there was almost no sign of civilization. Just like that, there was no strip malls, no pedestrians, and no apartment complexes. But the rail stretched on. I thought to myself that this was how the entire line looked when it was laid all those years ago. It’s hard to imagine that this kind of nature still exists under the concrete of the “real world.”

When we finally stumbled up to our car we were pretty ravaged. 1 hour and 13 minutes of total time had elapsed and we hadn’t rested at all. My shoulders were scorched, my legs were wobbly, and I was completely parched. I literally could not wait to get home, jump in the pool, and hit the pillow. I was so exhausted that I found it hard to keep my eyes open on the drive home. This is a great example of your body failing at the margins of its experience. Today’s WOD had time and modal domains that are rarely combined and my body felt the impact. Hallelujah for new experiences.

Digressing a bit, it’s now half way through the month and I have received exactly ZERO videos from you guys doing workouts involving public transportation. Weak Sauce. These don’t have to be professionally done. The more people get out and start training without a gym the better—this is merely an opportunity to do so. I promise the fun you’ll have is worth the effort.

The video link from earlier today is below. Big ups to Jacob for suggesting the song. Enjoy.