Monday, May 21, 2012
"I'm going to a GruntMatch tonight," I said to a friend Tuesday.
"A what?" she asked.
"A GruntMatch!"
It was the second of its kind in Portland, organized by Elizabeth Trice, Jake Holz and Ned Swain. My colleague Shannon Bryan wrote about it for last week's GO and of course, we decided to give it a try.
Now that I've experienced a GruntMatch, I can tell you it is like a match made in heaven. The event pairs people who want to exercise with organizations who need some grunt work done. Voila — you get a great workout while doing great community work with a dash of healthy competition of course.
Our mission Tuesday was to help Portland Trails spread a top layer on a path connecting up with the Eastern Promenade. Some sections were still roughly cut and needed evening out while other sections just needed a layer of superhumas spread evenly across the trail.
As the 10 participants (including myself) met up with organizers near the water treatment plant as others were running Back Cove, we discussed what the evening entailed. We set off into the woods and I can honestly say was apprehensive about making it through an hour of grunt work started before the actual work even started. From the water treatment plant, the section of trail is a climb up into the woods and a steep climb at that.
"I hope it's not like this the whole way," I thought, trailing behind everyone else.
And, to my relief, it wasn't. The trail leveled out and we grabbed tools to start on our "warm up." This entailed chopping up a rougher part of the trail and raking it out for a more even path. I was a designated raker, which not only got me warmed up, but gave me a sense of calm that one would get playing in a life size zen garden.
Our hearts were pumping and sweat started to glisten our brows when the organizers called us in to get down to the serious business.
First, we split up into two teams of five.
Red Team
...versus...
White Team
Then, we strategized. My team decided to put three in charge of loading the wheelbarrow, navigating with it down a steep section to the path and dumping it, while myself and another teammate stayed on the trail raking it out. It was a nice way to capitalize on teammates strengths so everyone could get a good workout at their own pace.
With the blow of a whistle, the hour-long competition began. We were told the winner would be determined by not only the length of path covered, but also the quality of our work. I kept that in mind as I raked (and swatted mosquitoes) vigorously.
Joggers and walkers passing us by would say thank you for our hard work and we'd shout, "Join in!" What they saw was a group doing good for the community. What they didn't realize is we were probably getting a better workout than they were. Raking can burn between 150 and 300 calories an hour dependent on weight, height and age. I'm sure the folks pushing the wheelbarrow were getting a better burn for their work.
The hour flew by, we covered a lot of ground. In the end, the Red Team took home the glory, but we all celebrated with some refreshing water and tasty treats!
If you want to join in for a workout and some community service, GruntMatch meets again Sept. 6 and every other Tuesday. For more information on how to get involved, search "gruntmatch" to join the group on Facebook or email gruntmatch@gmail.com.
Weighing In is not just about one girl’s mission to shed pounds, but exploring the challenges that come with facing the scale, various ways to exercise the body and thoughts on living a healthy lifestyle.
Emma will share her story of losing weight (50 pounds and counting) and learning to love exercise, while incorporating the success stories of others and professional opinions on diet and exercise. She’ll also examine how media — news, magazines, movies and television shows — play a role in shaping society’s ideas about weight and health. So read on and weigh in.
Emma Bouthillette is a native of Biddeford, a 2008 graduate of the University of New England and is pursuing her masters through the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast creative writing program.
She joined the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram in September 2009, writing stories for Close to Home and the daily feature obituary. She enjoys a good book, has an entire closet devoted to art supplies and has discovered being a homeowner is not quite as glamorous as home decorating shows or magazines make it out to be.
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