Surprisingly, when I asked Meego yesterday if he cared to join me at the aid station, he was quick to say, "Yeah, okay".
Even when I said that we'd have to be there early, he just said, "Okay, wake me up".
Just to be sure, I said, "It's the 17th mile of a marathon, so they'll be pretty spread out by then. We could be there a while".
"Okay"
Since I was on a roll, I added, "I think we should bike there", which at least got a,
"Where is it?"
Once I explained where it was and the route we would take to get there, he was all. "Okay", again.
Well. All-righty then.
So that was our morning. It was a beautiful day for it. As promised, I woke Meego up about 6:15, and we were out the door about a half hour later. It was a bit of a chilly ride, but the sun was just coming up with promises of warm times ahead.
We made it to our post just in time, the other volunteers were just digging through the supplies.
Turns out, Meego was dressed very coordinatedly.
We had water and Gatorade, and it seems that Meego became the go-to guy for Gatorade, even though I and another volunteer were offering it up. I think it was the shirt, but the runners that wanted Gatorade would flock to Meego like flies on... bees to sugar.
Maybe it was his friendly kid face, or maybe at mile 17, the runners were mainly just able to see bright colors at that point.
Once we were set, we waited just a bit for the first runner to come blazing through, leaving us wondering if he'd run that pace the whole way, or was just putting on a show for the water wenches. Soon, the trickle of runners built to a steady flow.
It being a nice sunny holiday on a popular recreational trail, we had to do a fair amount of traffic control too, but most people were pretty courteous of the racers. One of our fellow volunteers was a pretty big bouncer-looking guy, so that helped.
Then there was this crew:
They showed up sometime around the middle of our duty, all dressed up and holding signage. They were there to cheer on three moms (along with EVERYONE else), and were totally adorable and hilarious!
Who wouldn't get a second wind from this greeting?
After about three and a half hours, we were released from duty. Meego commented, "Wow, look how much can happen while a lot of people are just sleeping"
Indeed.
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16 comments:
How cool that Meego wanted (?) to go with you! Although I've learned "okay" means a whole lot more than "okay" when it comes out of a teen male's mouth. I bet it was fun and inspirational for him. And it was great for him to see how much can happen while most people sleep!
Excellent job! Nobody really appreciates the support crews and the effort they have to put in to be out there - up at the crack of early, out on station for long hours, keeping the runners motivated/hydrated, maintaining the positive attitude to encourage runners to keep going. I've got to admit that I am guilty - I am so focused on my run and my pace, I don't truly appreciate the sideline support and the amount of effort and energy that goes into it. So from one long time (6 years is a long time) halfer, I thank you for your undying support and insanely positive attitude while waiting for the cranky, sweaty herd to pass by. I appreciate all the thankless work done to hand out cups to the runners.
Nice job that you convinced Meego to assist. I am sure he really had a sense of appreciation of what can be accomplished while most people are stuck in bed.
I think I can safely say that Meego had a very good time. And there was plenty of inspiration to last for those 3.5 hours! I was thinking he'd want to sleep in on an off day from school, but now I'm glad I asked him to come along.
I think the support crews - or lack thereof - can really make or break a racing experience. When the call came out for volunteers, I figured it was time to give back. Many expressed their appreciation, and that was nice to hear.
And I was hoping Meego wouldn't think it the Worst. Parade. Ever. But I think even he got more out of it than expected. From that lead runner (who won in 2:24) and a blind runner that put a lump in my own throat as well as a kid in a wheelchair being pushed by a whole entourage. Great day! Way better than sleeping in.
Love Meego's observation. Reminds me of the old Army slogan, "Do more before 9am than most people do all day."
A morning well spent, indeed!
Thanks to Meego for making me laugh first thing in the morning!
Meego's revelation hit at the time we were just wrapping things up. I think "a lot of people" was kind of a euphamism for himself!
"first thing in the morning" as in the non-sleeping in hours, right??
I would love to do this. I wish I could volunteer for the Boston marathon but there is a wait list a mile long. I think the orange shirt was a good idea on Meego's part.
That Meego is a good kid! And you know you're a pretty cool mom for him to be so agreeable to getting up at the crack of dawn to hang out with you. Sounds like time well spent and pretty good fun too!
I can imagine why the Boston marathon attracts so many willing volunteers.
Maybe it'll become a Labor Day tradition?
What an awesome greeting!
It's cool Meego was so agreeable. I will have to learn your secret when asking my boys to do stuff. (Who wouldn't want to go trampolining?) Your morning there sounds like a great time.
Those kids were an absolute hoot - cheering and exchanging high 5's with all the runners, in little princess dresses and such, no less!
It probably helped that he had nothing else planned, but we did end up having a pretty good time!
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