Up the Intensity!

Just after lunch, I saw a student I know. She was skipping down a Gambier street at high speed. "How are you?" I said. She indicated her turquoise t-shirt's message: "Up the Intensity." Today was apparently "Up the Intensity" day in Gambier. I asked her several questions in an attempt to clarify what this meant, exactly. Who sponsors such a day? And makes sure that its participants have t-shirts? All she explained was that it was arranged by some people. And that those people had to run or otherwise be vigorous all day long.

Thirty minutes later, I saw her running down the sidewalk toward the officehouse. "Up with intensity!" I called out. She looked exhausted already, and it was only 1:45 p.m. A friend showed up in a green "Up the Intensity" shirt, and they compared resting tactics: stop in several buildings along your path, since you can't run in academic buildings. Stop at the coffeeshop along your path, since you can rest there. Stopping in buildings, in fact, seemed to be the chief tactic.

Off my student ran, back into our grey and cold-ish day. Off her friend ran, into the basement for a class.