If you’re not sick of me yet and want to read an interview with yours truly, click HERE to visit the Center for Podiatric Care and Sports Medicine’s Happy Feet Blog. You’ll learn the one secret I think all runners should know (and it isn’t carrying toilet paper or doing an enema before a big race).
I heard one of my favorite quotes ever come out of my 11 year old’s mouth today. She had just finished a local 5K -the Happy Smackah (Remember this one from last year? Our community raised money for Mr. Cribby, my son’s teacher who almost died and lost his arm to a deadly bacterial infection. Today was the second year of this race, and while Mr. Cribby is fine, the community raised money for two local 15 year old twins who are suffering from nephrotic syndrome which threatens their kidneys. You can read more about Kaylee and Aubree HERE. A wonderful race for a wonderful cause).
Anyway, we were driving home after the race and Emma said,
“Whenever I see on old or tired person running on the road, I want to yell out to them to keep it up and to keep going. I just want to give them support.”
I am not sure what her version of “old” is – maybe she was talking about me. But, I think she was referring to anyone who is out there really pushing it and doing their best. I love that girl. I think her statement shows how runners feel about runners. We are a community of support. Even an 11 year old feels the connection that runners share.
Here are some pictures from today:
I worked the water station. Yes, it was freaking freezing:
You hear it all the time – thank your volunteers. Being on this side of things, you really notice when people take the time to thank you. Means so much – don’t forget to do it!!
My two amazing girlfriends, Kathy and Nicky, volunteered as well:
There goes Mr. Cribby! He ran this year. Incredible. Hard to believe a year ago he was fighting for his life. This man, who now is missing his left arm, stops at nothing. He runs, mows the lawn, drives a stick shift. So, if you are making excuses, knock it off.
My girl, Emma, about a mile from the finish:
One of the absolute coolest things about runners is how we rally for each other. We saw this with the Virtual Run for Sherry, and we see it every day with Team in Training, and hundreds of others of charity races around the world. It is genius go combine giving with running. Participants donate to a worthy cause while doing something that they love. The community spirit at these events is always overwhelming and incredibly positive.
Running unites. Running gives back. Two more reasons I love this sport.
Ever participate in or organize a charity race? My first marathon was with Team in Training. Since then I’ve done several other charity races of all distances.
Do you volunteer at races? I don’t volunteer a ton, but I try to do it at least once per year. As a runner, it is invaluable to know what the “other” side of a race is like.
Do you run races with your kids? This is one of my most favorite things to do. We try to do at least 1-2 races a year. One races we never miss is the Bolder Boulder 10K coming up on Memorial Day.
SUAR