Adirondack Sports October 2023

COMMUNITY
PBJ
▼ PBJ ENJOYING
A PBJ ON SNOWY
MOUNTAIN, 2020.
OCTOBER 2023 19
▶ LAST DAY ON THE
NORTHVILLE-PLACID
TRAIL, JEN, PAM, BETH,
SEPTEMBER 2022.
Self-Discovery by Adventuring Together
By Pamela DelSignore & Jen Ferriss
Back in April 2020, when time was all
we had, an idea was born and collaboratively
developed on a spreadsheet
– The PBJ Challenge. Pam DelSignore, Beth
Post, and Jen Ferriss (PBJ), running friends
and members of the Saratoga Stryders,
would test the limits of their athletic abilities,
try something new or revisit a past goal.
Pam became inspired by the
Dirtbag Diaries podcast, episode 147,
“Shenanigans:” dirtbagdiaries.com. In
summary, two rock climbing friends, separated
by miles, wrote letters challenging
each other to climb tricky Boulder problems
close to their homes. Challenge
accepted; their friendship grew stronger.
In 2020, this would be the perfect cure
for isolation amid our “stay close to home”
orders. The 2020/21 PBJ Challenge would
run from Labor Day 2020 to Columbus
Day 2021. We would train outdoors, six
feet apart in order to complete our individual
challenges together.
In the spirit of the podcast, Beth and
Jen challenged Pam (South Glens Falls) to
climb Mount Marcy, a feat she had been
talking about for years but never seemed
to prioritize. Hiking up the highest peak
in New York was not the challenge – but
negotiating open summits and rock
scrambles would test her mettle.
Pam and Jen challenged Beth (Saratoga
Springs) to run a half marathon. Beth started
running in her 50s and perfected the
run/walk technique. She loved data and
used her Fitbit to help regulate her speed.
However, Pam and Jen saw the technology
as a barrier and Beth seemed skeptical of
her ability to go farther than a 10K because
her Fitbit was telling her to slow down. The
Wineglass Half Marathon intrigued Beth
and this challenge helped her commit.
Lastly, Pam and Beth challenged Jen
(Saratoga Springs) to cross-country ski a
black diamond trail. Jen, being a new skier,
had yet to find her groove and excelled at falling
over. But Jen, full of spite and stubbornness,
would put time and energy into learning
how to stay upright, glide and embrace
hills; even ones with trees and turns.
The PBJ Challenge was the ultimate
cross-training plan. With each season
we found time to get outside and train
on a weekly basis. We were there together
to support each other’s challenge. We
climbed Marcy, ran a half marathon and
cross-country skied together. Additionally,
we each had a stretch goal. Pam wanted
to swim the length of Schroon Lake,
Jen wanted to ride her bike up the Lake
Desolation hill, and Beth wanted to kayak
farther than her typical route.
As with all plans we had to modify
and be flexible. Instead of swimming
the length of Schroon Lake, we had a PBJ
Triathlon that took us from Lake Lonely to
▲ MOUNT MARCY
SUMMIT, 2021.
Schuylerville. The bike up Lake Desolation
never timed up well so Jen rode up every
steep pitch of road off Saratoga Lake,
and then up the Prospect Mountain road
with Pam, while Beth ran it. Jen’s black
diamond XC ski – became two seconds
crossing a black diamond trail at the
Garnet Hill Outdoor Center. And Beth’s
virtual Wineglass Half Marathon fell on
a hot and humid day. She completed it,
but with a bit of disappointment for all
the work she had put in. Jen further challenged
Beth to run After the Leaves Have
Fallen in Minnewaska State Park Preserve
on a crisp fall day. The race was an absolute
success for PBJ and the perfect end to
the PBJ Challenge 2020-21.
Pam, always looking for the next big
thing and inspired by her brother, one day
asked us if we would be interested in hiking
the Northville-Placid Trail, a 138-milelong
trail through the Adirondack Park
connecting Northville and Lake Placid.
Pam’s brother had solo thru-hiked the trail
in 2011. Jen, the hiker in the group, could
not contain herself – she finally had someone
interested in hiking the trail that she
was gearing up for (literally buying lightweight
gear) for the past three years. She
was in. Beth likes to say yes before knowing
what she’s getting into, and so agreed
as well. Little did we know how amazing
this experience was going to be for our
See COMMUNITY 31 ▶