Volunteer for A Race!

I recently did something that I had been intending to do for some time. I volunteered at a race. Specifically at the Run for the Dream Half Marathon in Williamsburg, Virginia. We had to show up by 6:00am, because the race kicked off at 7:00am. Although the weather forecasts looked a bit dire earlier in the week, race day dawned cool and with some fog. Generally pleasant running conditions.

I was assigned to Water Station 8, which was located at Mile 12 near the end of the race. We had about 10 volunteers at the station and we all pitched in to get the tables set up and the cups filed with Gatorade and water. Because we were the last water stop, we had about an hour before the first elite runners came by. The first folks were the wheel chair racers and then the elite men and women.

Speaking personally, if you are a runner, you really appreciate the folks who man those tables and hand out the water. I always try to remember to say "thank you," even if I don't take the water. Let's face it, without them, the race would not happen. This time, it was nice to be on the volunteer side of the table and to experience the gratitude of the runners coming through. Many of them took the time to thank us for coming out and working. It's nice to be appreciated and my experience as a volunteer allowed me to experience that. If you're a runner, pick a race and volunteer. You'll be glad you did.

Spirit of the Marathon Movie

In my relatively short time as a runner, I have stumbled upon some undeniable truths that recur over and over. Perhaps one of the most significant is that running is at least as much mental as physical. What I mean by that is that the mind has an awesome power when it comes to determining the limits of our physical abilities. That is not to say that physical condition is not important. It is extremely important. Someone who is out of shape cannot run a marathon no matter what their mind tells them. By the same token, someone in good physical shape may be similarly handicapped if their mind tells them that the marathon is beyond their capacity.

In my case, when I signed up for my first half marathon, my mind told me that I was crazy and that there was no way I could complete such a race. And yet, in the 5 months that followed, I trained and devoted myself to that goal. By the time of the half, my mind had come around and I knew I could finish the race. With my mind on board, I knew that nothing could stop me. In short, I was inspired.

I recently stumbled across a film that touches on the intangible power of inspiration and the power of the mind to drive the body. The movie is "Spirit of the Marathon" and just watching the movie trailer will choke you up. You can find it here:

http://www.marathonmovie.com/pages_film/film_trailer.html

After you watch this movie, you'll be ready to sign up for a marathon and test the power of your mind to drive your body.