Stuck in a car with strangers

This morning I woke up at the crack of dawn, brushed my teeth until the cottonmouth feeling subsided, poured a cup of dark, strong coffee, and drove to a lonely parking lot an hour outside of town.

There I exchanged "good mornings" with a handful of strangers.

I got into a pickup truck with two of them.

The bed of the truck bristled with power tools and razor sharp shears.

We drove farther off into the wilderness, headed toward Alabama - so far from civilization that my cell phone would not take or make calls, would not send or receive text messages. Google maps were useless.

I usually have an excellent sense of direction, but overcast skies made it difficult to figure out east from west.

I had no idea where the #$@% we were.

We rumbled down red dirt roads, rutted from recent rains.

I realized that for the first time in months... (years?) I couldn't find my way home if I needed to. Roads had no names. There were no homes. No businesses. And... no cell service. It would be a long and lonely walk to something approximating civilization, and if I walked in the wrong direction, I certainly wouldn't find my way out before dark. If a got lost and a truck did happen to pass, I'd have to think twice before flagging it down. This, after all, is Deliverance country. (Ok, Deliverance was filmed in Rabun County, Georgia, but you get my point.)

When our truck stopped, and we tumbled out of the cab, I realized driving into the woods with strangers might not have been the most prudent decision I'd ever made.

But I made a commitment, and I would stick with it.

For the next four hours we hiked our way along a narrow ribbon of trail, pausing to chop away overgrown vines and re-paint orange blazes (the primary trail marker on the Florida Trail). A couple of volunteers pushed heavy-duty lawnmowers over the trail to beat back the undergrowth.

We paused at noon to have a bite to eat, but otherwise we worked non-stop until mid-afternoon. All total, we tidied up several miles of trail and filled two extra large trash bags with discarded beer cans, boots, baby diapers, and assorted other litter. (People really are disgusting. But that's another rant for another time...)

 Blackwater River at Peaden Bridge Road

Violet blooming trail-side on the Florida Trail

Each week volunteers from the Florida Trail Association dedicate time and effort to maintaining the 1,400 miles of trial that stretch from the Panhandle to the Everglades. They make sure the trail is navigable, that signs, bridges, and other infrastructure are in good repair. Without their tireless work, the jungle would retake the trail in a matter of months.

This week I was fortunate to be part of the effort. I am bone-tired now. And hungry. And late - I had to re-schedule a sports massage...

But I suspect I'll sleep better tonight than I have in weeks.

I'm glad I trusted strangers.*

Sometimes the things that are uncomfortable (waking up too early after a too late night), that are outside my comfort zone (being a passenger in a stranger's car), that are exhausting (hiking and bushwhacking and picking up garbage for 4 hours)... sometimes those things are more rewarding than everything else we do.

How have you stepped outside of your comfort zone lately?

*Because it's an important safety detail: Hubby had the appropriate contact information for my little volunteer adventure in the wilderness. I'm brave, but not stupid. PS - I still generally don't advocate getting into cars with strangers.

Daily dose of awesome

Little awesome moments happen every day. They just don't always make headline news...
Daily Dose of Awesome highlights the awesome little things that don't make headlines (but should).

Today's feature: 9 days of nice.

"...what if we devoted nine days to showing the world (and everybody in it) that we loved them?"
Yes and Yes

Starting today Sarah Von of the blog Yes and Yes is coordinating a get-out-the-nice effort. Each day, Feb 4-14, has a proposed do-gooder task including: write a positive yelp review for a small business you love, pay off someone's layaway plan, or clean up a public space...

Closer to home, I've learned that the Florida Trails Association organizes weekly work crews to do trail maintenance. (Trail runners rejoice!)

What good things could you do this week?

Morning motivation

If the stories of random acts of kindness in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and registered New York City marathon runners making the best of their cancelled-marathon situation don't warm your heart and inspire you to go out and do something great today, I don't know what will...

New Jersey children start a hot chocolate stand to collect money for Red Cross hurricane relief efforts
Image source

Have a great week, friends!

Behind the scenes at a 10k (interview with a race director)

Eric and son after the 2012 Mardi Gras Mambo 10k

Do you daydream about quitting your day job to work in the athletic industry? Maybe the lure of being a race director tempts you when you're tired at the end of a long work week?

If you've ever wondered what it's like to organize a race, this interview is for you.

Eric Engemann is Vice President of Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation and Race Director of the Amedisys Mardi Gras Mambo 10k. Eric took some time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions so readers can get a sense of what it's like to run a race (pun intended).

Beth: When did the Mardi Gras Mambo 10k get its start?
Eric: The Mardi Gras Mambo 10k started in 1999 after our local newspaper suspended what was once the Great River Road Run 10k here in Baton Rouge. Our organization, with the help of our local running club and race partner, Club South Runners, looked to fill that void with the Mambo.

Beth: What other races/events does BRASF organize during the year?
Eric: We help support about 75 different sports events in Baton Rouge annually but we are solely responsible for the Mambo, the Battlefield Cross Country Festival which is a high school/middle school cross country event and a flag football tournament series that we are just starting this year. We also serve as the volunteer coordinator for the Louisiana Marathon, which is in its second year coming up in January.

2012 Mardi Gras Mambo 10k

Beth: How long have you been working in the athletic event industry?
Eric: My athletic industry career started in college athletics at LSU, University of Kentucky and the University of Wisconsin. I started working on runs when I was at UW with the Crazy Legs Classic (8k run, over 18,000 participants) and loved it. I started here with BRASF in 2007 and got the opportunity to work on and eventually direct the Mambo as well as a number of other Baton Rouge area running events.

Beth: How did you get started?
Eric: Volunteering got me started in running events; I wanted to learn as much as I could so I grabbed a race calendar and just started showing up to learn as much as I could – those early days paid off a ton.

Beth: How far in advance do you start planning an event like a 10k?
Eric: We generally start in June for a February race but that start date is getting pushed back further and further the larger the race gets!

Beth: How many staff and how many volunteers do you need for a 5k or 10k race?
Eric: We will have four staff members and about 40-50 volunteers on site for our 10k of about 2,000 runners. Some advancements have allowed us to use less volunteers and a number of our sponsors now bring large contingents of their employees to help out in different ways as well.

Beth: What is the hardest part of organizing a race?
Eric: Definitely race week – there’s so much that has to be done in such a short time frame that it wears on you mentally more than anything.

Beth: What is your favorite part of organizing a race?
Eric: Everything else! Honestly it is a lot of fun when you can facilitate a race where people can participate for a fair price, get some great stuff, run a fun course at a distance they may not tackle very often, and help them meet a fitness or distance milestone that they have been shooting for. That’s the “good stuff” as they say…

2012 Mardi Gras Mambo 10k

Beth: What is the strangest complaint (or compliment) you've ever received from a participant?
Eric: I'm not sure if this is a complaint or compliment but we traditionally announce the age group winners oldest to youngest – we like everyone to recognize those older ladies and gentlemen who can still go fast! And I think they appreciate the recognition.

Beth: ... after reading this, I know exactly what my "retirement career" will be. Until then, I have a couple of decades of volunteering and daydreaming to do. Thanks, Eric!

Readers:
What's your "dream job?"
What else would you like to know about being a race director?

Coastal cleanup

For this Travel Tuesday I'd like to highlight a global effort:
Next Saturday (September 15th) is International Coastal Cleanup Day.

Trash along Santa Rosa Sound

I know... I know... this is a running blog.
But more than half of the U.S. population lives in a coastal county. So it's not a stretch to think that many of us run along the shoreline.

How many cigarette butts can you find in this one photo from Pensacola Beach?

And our beaches need a good cleaning. Consider, for example, the cleanup stats:

• In 2009 volunteers picked up more than 1 million single-use plastic bags
• Last year in San Diego County volunteers cleaned up: "146,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from 201 miles of shoreline. Plus, over 2,000 of our friends across the border collected 42,000 pounds in Tijuana, Tecate, Rosarito and Ensenada."
• In Broward County, FL "Over 34,000 [cigarette] butts were cleaned from the beaches and one site, which combined all the cigarette butts collected by the volunteers, filled a bag that weighed 10 pounds."

Just a couple of hours of work can have a huge, positive effect on our oceans, bays, and waterways. The cleanup makes our environment healthier and our running routes and vacation spots prettier. Few things in life are as clearly a win-win situation.

So if you can spare a few hours on Saturday the 15th, please take part in a cleanup. If you send me your photos or a link to your blog post, I'll highlight the cleanups the following Tuesday.

You can search the online database to find a location near you.
California residents can find a location or contact a coordinator online.
Florida residents can contact their county's cleanup captain.

Have you ever done a coastal cleanup?
What's the oddest item you've found?

If you have information about cleanups in your area, please leave the details in the comments.

I quit

Last month I mentioned that I volunteered to help lead a marathon training program.

All summer long, I've been logging long runs to make sure my legs are ready. I would wake up at 5am to run 14 miles in the heat when I could have slept in and gone kayaking. I attended the first volunteer meeting and left feeling elated.

I was psyched (if a bit scared)!
I would to DO THIS. I would give up 17 weeks of my life to help other people cross that finish line.

Fast forward to July. The final, detailed volunteer briefing and first run drew near, and I realized I needed to be in San Diego for work that week.

Damned day job!

So three weeks before the kickoff, I emailed the (paid) program coordinator to explain my snafu. I offered to come in on any other day/time to learn the ropes on pacing plan, meeting place, routes, etc...

In response: crickets chirping.

Undeterred, I sent a second message outlining my schedule problem, providing evidence that I am both a seasoned running group leader and a dedicated volunteer, and again requesting a makeup meeting.

In response: Absolutely! I'll set up a meeting...

Progress!
Unfortunately no meeting materialized.

So again (starting to get discouraged) I sent a third reminder that I really needed to get the volunteer training before the program started.

Again I received a note saying "Sure thing. I'll schedule a meeting." But then I heard nothing more...

Until yesterday...
I opened my inbox to find a "Why weren't you at the first meeting?" note from the program coordinator.

My blood pressure spiked.

This must be a joke, right?
I contacted this person repeatedly to explain my schedule situation. I received responses (albeit incomplete ones), so I know my emails didn't get lost in the ether.

This person can't really be implying that I'm the flake?
The program involves fewer than a dozen volunteers and the coordinator is paid to keep track of things like this. This is not a problem of my emails getting lost in the masses.

When my frustration level subsided to a low simmer, I sat back and took a long hard look at my reasons to continue with this program vs. reasons to bow out. The list looked something like this:

To run:

• sense of accomplishment for completing another 26.2
• giving back to the running community
• following through on my word to volunteer
• not throwing in the towel just because of a few unanswered emails

Not to run:

• lack of organization and follow-through on the part of the paid organizers
• serious differences in training philosophy (learned after materials were distributed via email last week)
• the training schedule would prevent me from running in any other races until December
• and... if I bow out, I can spend 17 weeks training based on my schedule and pace needs, not someone else's

I know that last one sounds selfish, but it's not a small thing. I was willing to give up hours every weekend for the running. But we hadn't even run yet, and already I was getting the runaround. (In addition to email miscommunication, earlier meetings were cancelled or rescheduled day-of-meeting). I'm not willing to sacrifice both my training and my sanity.

As I sat there and stared at my list, I realized that I feared quitting mostly because I don't want to be labeled a quitter - by you, dear blog reader, or by the organizers. And that made my decision much easier.

I wrote a very polite note saying, in short:

I QUIT.

This may well go down as the least motivational post in Yes, folks history... and for that, I apologize. But the moment I clicked "send," I felt relief.
I have no regrets.
And I'm going to enjoy sleeping in this weekend.

How do you decide when to soldier on and when to pull the plug?
Have you ever spent hours obsessing over a seemingly simple decision?

Girls on the Run - interview

Today I'm skipping a traditional blog post, and asking you to pop over to Examiner.com to read my article on the non-profit Girls on the Run.

Image source

I had the good fortune to interview the local council director about the program, which teaches young girls about self respect, healthy lifestyle, and fitness while preparing the girls to run (or walk) a 5k.
In her words...

"Girls on the Run is a program that uses running and training for a 5K to teach girls about self- image, respect, and community awareness. The program works to instill a power within girls to be themselves and to not worry about what others think. The creator of the program speaks of getting out of the “girl box” where a girl may feel like she is not good enough, not pretty enough, not smart enough, or not cool enough – and to be proud of who she already is by valuing herself just as she is..."

This message is doubly important given the shocking statistics on childhood obesity (rates have tripled in 30 years so now one in five children is obese) and photoshopped media messages that distort body image.

Oh, and GOTR is always looking for volunteers...

To see if there is a council in your community, or to get involved, visit the GOTR website.

Blackwater Half Marathon (volunteering report)

This morning I woke up at the break of dawn for the Blackwater Half Marathon Trail Run, but I wasn't a runner today.

The race was tiny, about 120 participants and a handful of volunteers. The setting was the Krul Lake Recreation Area. I'd never been there before, but I will certainly go back. Who knew northwest Florida had such pretty hiking trails? (Can you tell I'm still the new girl in town?)

To be clear, though, when I go back I'll be wearing fluorescent orange. I'm certain I heard hunting gunshots in the woods. That still freaks me out about trail running around here, so I'll admit I haven't spent much time on trails since leaving So Cal. (Again... new girl in town! Clearly hunting season doesn't scare the locals...)

But back to the volunteering... My job was to help set up the post-race feast, which included fruit, hot dogs and hamburgers, coleslaw, and baked beans. The nice thing about volunteering for a shift at the end of a race is that you get to sleep in until the late ol' hour of 6am (instead of waking at the same time that bartenders are going home for the night).

Unfortunately, the baked beans weren't having such a good morning. On the 40-mile ride from the catering location to the trail-head, the beans had an "accident." The beans were stored in a cooler on the floor of a bus. When the bus took a sharp turn, the beans went flying. Fortunately, I wasn't the driver! I just helped clean up the aftermath...

This mess adds new meaning to the saying that someone
"spilled the beans."

I don't know if it's because the race was so small, or because we all got a good laugh out of the bean catastrophe, but the volunteer crew for this race was one of the friendliest I've worked with. Ever.

The whole event had that small town, people-know-each-other feeling. Plus the scenery and weather were truly gorgeous.

Those running have had plenty of positive things to say (plenty of trail markers, ropes to keep runners from falling into the creeks). The winner had a speedy finish time, too (as trail races go), completing the 13.1 miles in 1:24:40.

I might need to work on my trail legs so I can return as a runner next year!

Have you ever run a trail race?
How about hunting (or trail running during hunting season)?
(I figure that unless I give up meat entirely, I can't knock hunting. Plus, I'm always happy when a neighbor shares their venison. I'm just not sure I want to run through the woods during hunting season, ya' know?)

5k from a volunteer point of view

This morning I woke up before dawn, had a coffee, and rushed out the door to the starting line of a race.

But I wasn't running.

So why would I wake up at an ungodly hour for a race I'm not running?
I volunteered at the Seafood Festival 5k. In the process I got a behind-the-scenes peek at race-day. I also got a pretty sweet tech t-shirt to add to my collection.

I worked the packet/t-shirt pickup table for an hour and a half, helped set out food, then moved over to the finish line to hand out waters. A couple of things I noticed:

• The post-race party area is eerily calm between the start and finish of the race. In all my years of running, I've never seen the food tables without a gaggle of sweaty, chatty runners around. While the runners were out on the course, the place looked like a ghost town.

The snacks: calm before finish-line chaos begins.

• Spectators have no shame about helping themselves to post-race goodies intended for the runners and walkers. Seriously, people, unless I see a bib number, the koozies are not for you! Get your paws off!

The finish-line water station.

• It is pretty fantastic to watch the winner cross the finish line. Unless you're a spectator (or the winner) this is a sight runners rarely witness.

The winner.

So my overall perspective on volunteering: I'm tired (from less than 5 hours of sleep last night), soaked (from handing out water), and I'm in desperate need of another cup of coffee. But being behind-the-scenes gave me a different perspective on the race experience, plus I got a free t-shirt, so it was a morning well-spent.