Blueprint Change: Becoming more involved with long-distance running

An Interview with Josh Madison

The Basics

Age: 25

Location: Bar Harbor, Maine

Current occupation: U.S. Park Ranger

Last school attended: Henderson State University

Biggest and/or most recent Blueprint Change*: Becoming more involved with long-distance running

*A decision you made or something that happened largely or completely out of your control

Past

Could you elaborate on your Blueprint Change?

The way I see it, running is something that a.) keeps you in shape – which is first and foremost – and b.) a social network as well. When you go out and run with your group of friends, you might then go back, have a beer, and talk about how stressful your work weeks were. So it’s a fun atmosphere. You get your workout in and you get to meet some pretty cool people along the way. You might even spend a weekend in a cabin together or go for an ultra run together. Stuff like that. It’s exciting – it really is.

What motivated this change?

I started running when I got out of high school in 2007, so I didn’t really start running until late 2007, 2008. At first, it was kind of like, “Oh, something to do, gotta stay in shape somehow”, but then it kind of progressed to “Okay, I might not be some great runner – Lord knows I am not – but I am somewhat of a decent runner. I can hold my own.  I am getting a little faster. Let’s enter a race.” [And at races] you meet cool people who will be like, “You got to be at this next race, you got to be at this next race, etc.” It just kind of goes from there. You get hooked.

[My venture into long distance running began in] my junior year of college. Believe me, I wasn’t some star athlete, but I decided to run cross country for my college. It was really a way for free trips and to meet people, but it was fun. It was like, “Hey, we’re going to Pensacola beach for the weekend"…"Well, okay! All I had to do was run five miles. That’s easy.”  It wasn’t like I was going to win these things, but it kept me going. There are also a bunch of running clubs back home [in Arkansas]. It’s pretty exciting.

What was the most challenging part of this change and how did you adapt?

On longer runs, trying and learning to take care of yourself while you run. And what I mean by take care of yourself is: eating the proper nutrition, GUs, gels, whatever. Putting electrolytes back into your body. Otherwise, you are totally dependent on your body. You’re really not doing yourself or anybody else any good if you are pale and dehydrated after running.

Present

How do you feel about your Blueprint Change now?

I feel pretty excited about it. I think my running ability helped me land this job here in Acadia National Park. A good bit of the job is doing Search and Rescue missions, so you’ll have to carry somebody for two miles and, if you’re not in good shape, you’re going to be part of the search and rescue mission. As opposed to helping somebody else.

When I was interviewing for the job, they asked, “Hey, are you in good shape?” and I was like, “Well, let me tell you about all my running. If you don’t believe me, google my name and you’ll see”. After that, they were like, “Yea, okay, you must be in good shape.”

And in the realm of changes in general - what are some Blueprint Changes you are most proud of?

Well, everybody’s proud to graduate college. Park rangering…yea, I’m proud of that too, but [something that I’m especially proud of] would be sports officiating.

I officiate soccer games. It’s a big hobby of mine. You can’t really put these kinds of things on Facebook, because once you get to a certain level, [different coaches] will complain. [I officiate little league club soccer on the weekends] and have started officiating SEC games. I have two SEC games when I move back to Arkansas, since my park ranger job is seasonal. I’m pretty excited about that, because I’ve never officiated at that kind of level. That is something that I’m pretty proud of, because not anyone can say, “Hey, I’ve done that.” It’s an exciting accomplishment.

If you feel overwhelmed with change(s) now, how do you adapt?

I am pretty good about learning on the fly. I’ve lived in Arizona for a stint. Now I’m living in Maine for a stint. And, you know, I grew up in Arkansas. As far as climate change from Arkansas to Arizona back to Arkansas and back to Maine, it’s a really big change. I can learn on the fly and I’m pretty good at adapting to a new way of life.

There’s a completely different way of living between Arkansas and Arizona. I was in northern Arizona, and people in the town I was in – Flagstaff – had varying views and I was in agreement with that. I was surrounded by people that I saw eye to eye with. Let’s just put it like that.

Future

What sorts of Blueprint Changes would like to see happen in the future and why?

My major was political science, and I wish people – as a whole – would be more understanding of other people’s political views. That is something that I would really like to see change. Whether you are for or against whoever is in the office, for example, he’s still your president. And so, running around saying I hate the man – or woman, because I personally think there will be a woman in the office during our lifetime – is not going to solve anything.

I’m trying not to name names, but you know, a president we’ve had in the past might not have been the sharpest tool in the shed, but the guy did the best he could with what he had. No president or person or anybody in political office is ever going to be prepared for 9/11. No one is ever going to be prepared for Katrina. No one is ever going to be prepared for a Benghazi. No one is ever going to be prepared for a mass amount of tornados breaking out in the south. No one is ever going to be prepared for mass oil leaks. I personally think we need to cut the people in the highest office a break. We can scrutinize whoever we want, but it’s not an easy job. It’s not easy.

What are you most looking forward to in the time between now and year end?

I am looking forward to exploring Acadia National Park a little more. I am looking forward to running a half marathon when I go back to Arkansas in October. Looking forward to that. Looking forward to seeing some of my friends and my family in late September, early October. Right now, that’s kind of it.

Could you share a piece of advice from your experiences (e.g. something that you thought about a lot during changes)?

When I started running, my first 5K that I ever did took me 36 minutes. And I was like, “Golly, that was really slow. Here I am – a 19 year old male and it takes me 36 minutes to run three miles. That’s horrible”. Now though, I can do it in 21, 22 minutes and my fastest time ever was 19 minutes on a downhill course. So it’s not just about speed.

It’s about being somebody who’s young. Who has no excuse to just sit around on the sofa all day. Get out and explore. Learn. Be open-minded. That’s how I see it.

So good catching up and thanks for your time, Josh!