Questlog Entry 2 [07/30/2012]

It has been almost a month since my first action-packed post.  A lot of exciting stuff has happened since then!  This post is about my second favorite activity of all the activities, some may call it a sport, but I don't know what sports are.
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Rock Running.  If you Google "rock running", you'll probably find a bunch of links to weirdos using rocks to run underwater or you might see something about music for listening to while running.  But if you find this site: http://www.rockrunning.com you'll know what I'm talking about here.

Over the past few years, I discovered that I love going on adventures, especially if they have an element of controlled danger to them.  I've gone exploring urban areas, woodlands, construction zones, mountains, and much more.  Running on rocks combines the danger of falling and breaking one's legs, back, face, etc. with the adrenaline rush of flying across rocks and boulders in order to avoid falling.  The point is to run as long and fast as possible without failing.  Failure includes falling or touching any water source with your feet, doing so causes instantaneous loss of traction.

Building "combos" by running and jumping over a long series of rocks earns you major points, but nobody is keeping score. You win by going until you can't go anymore.  This activity can be done alone, but having a buddy along helps in terms of safety.  You can even set up challenges to get from Point A to Point B faster, or by going along a more dangerous route.

My favorite location for rock running is along the southwestern edge of Belle Isle in Richmond, Va.  The island sits in the James River, and is currently a public park, usually populated by local college kids.  The "rock side" of the island is essentially just a dammed off portion of the river that would flow around the island.  During some seasons, or after a large storm, the water flows through and covers the rocks entirely.  But most times the rocks are visible and ready for running even though some water still flows between them.

Touching the water with your feet makes it much harder to run any more since it kills shoe traction.  So rock running becomes a game that might sound familiar.  Remember being a kid and playing "The Floor is Lava" game?  According to Daniel Tosh, of 'Tosh .0', playing this means you were poor.  According to me, it means you were awesome - because those skills translate directly to rock running.  The floor is water, stay on the rocks and haul ass.

If you ever get the chance to try this activity, do not pass it up.  You'll build muscle, balance, and character.  It is also one of the best natural adrenaline rushes you can achieve free of charge!  Try rock running today!

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Hopefully next post will be up quicker than this one, maybe I'll have a cool story to tell!

Also, this is a bit of art I did a few weeks ago.  Beemo, from Adventure Time!