This post will be one that is a tad bit different than what I have intended to do from my reboot. This one will cover the first four days of a string of seven. It will also intertwine a few other experiences...all of which do not involve me as a runner. Why? Because these experiences still made an impact on me, allowed me to make friends on the trail, and ultimately allowed me to grow just a bit more confident in who I am as not only a runner, but a person.
The first day is always nerve wracking. It doesn't matter if it is the first day of school, work, or (in this case) helping out. My kids and I have volunteered at many races the past three years...and they have been at varying sizes. The most notable for us has been Med City Marathon in Rochester, Minnesota and the Mankato Marathon in Mankato, Minnesota. They are some of the larger races we have helped at, and it has been a blast. Well...except for the Course Marshalling. That one wasn't all that fun...but that was mainly due to four bored kids. However, when one is stationed at roughly mile 23 for a full marathon and just about as far in for a half, it takes a bit for runners to get to you...and there is plenty of time to get bored. LOL!!
I digress. Within helping at many of the marathons my husband has run, we have covered many different aspects of a race. The kids have their favorite, and I have mine. I think one area we all like to work is the finish line...getting to see the runners after they have finished, and to congratulate them on their accomplishment. I personally like to be somewhere in the middle of the course cheering runners on, encouraging them, and maybe cracking a joke to help get their mind off of whatever frustration has set in.
What does that have to do with this post? Good question. Let me explain.
This year my family and I ventured on a race series. It started in Bryan, Ohio and worked its way through the upper Midwest/Heartland area of the country until it ended in Albert Lea, Minnesota. There were amazing views along the way. An old, Dutch style windmill along the Mississippi....a gorgeous trail along one of the rivers in Michigan...a "rails to trails" stretch that boasted "The Dark Side" mountain bike area off of it in Indiana....the list is long. My husband was to run the first four days, and I the last three. Chalk art along the various courses would be done on all 7 days. If nothing else, for the Pattenclan, it promised nothing less than an adventure unlike any we had been on before.
The group we were with runs their races with only one aid station. With out and back loops, it makes it very convenient, and easier to maintain. If the temps get too hot, they open a water station midpoint on the loop. There are friendly smiles that greet you at the Water tent, the Food tent, the Rubber Band table,and the Timing table. So with so few places to be, what did we do to volunteer? Pretty much whatever we were told to do. It varied day to day. The youngest of the crew liked passing out Freezie Pops to those who needed/wanted them, one of the girls helped out at the Water tent all seven days, one helped at the Rubber Band table, and I helped out wherever I was needed/wanted. All of us helped in some way with the Chalk Art....which was meant as a mental distraction and as encouragement along the routes.
So why even make a post about this? Because for four days I was a helper. My feet and legs got ready to have hours of use out of them for three days in a row. I got to know the runners on more than a first name basis before I had the chance to run with them. They quite literally became some of the most amazing running friends I have made. Without the opportunity to help at the beginning of the series, I likely wouldn't have made it as far as I had during my three days of running. I will forever be grateful to Hanne, Clint, George, Cathy, Jesse, Daniel, and any others that I have forgotten for allowing me and the kids the opportunity to help out at those races. Would I do it again if I had the chance? TOTALLY!!
