« This too shall pass | Main | cycling with the girls »
June 11, 2005
Helvetia Half 
I had this recurring fantasy of just doing the Helvetia Half. I really wanted to. But, you know, how crazy is that? I'm scheduled for a 6-miler this weekend, and they did actually have a 10K, but it's entirely flat and what fun is that? So, I worked the PFit aid/cheer station.
My shift started at 7:15, so I planned to leave the house at about 6 on the scooter so I could take backroads. Ha! My usual inertia keep me from actually starting-starting until about 6:45. So, I took the freeway.
This was the first time I took the scooter on the freeway, including on the awesome windy Fremont Bridge. It did fine. I never got anywhere near the top end on it.
So I got there, amazingly, by 7, so once I changed out of my jeans and jacket and got ready to get to work, it was easily 7:15. Our crew was several of the longstanding coaches, me and two other ACs, and a bunch of high school kids.
We did the usual. Set up tables, mixed powerade, poured into thousands of little cups, chalked the street. Rowan changed into a rented bunny outfit.
Then the race began, and for a half-hour, it was solid athletes, a mass of people. I began shouting, powerade, get your powerade, fresh, cold powerade, it's red, it's delicious, you want it, get your powerade here. Within minutes, it was clear that I hadn't done this sort of shouting in awhile, as it got painful, but I continued as tears streamed down my face.
It was great to see, and cheer on folks I know. Cory thanked me before I recognized him, and I saw Mela across the crowd. My chiropractor was walking it too. And, I saw lots of folks from PFit that I don't know all that well, that I just see from week to week. Made me happy.
I mentioned to Susie about the Gorge Marathon experience, and she said that the race director had been written up in Trail Runner as one of the worse race directors in the country! Wow!
It was nice cheering folks on as they looped back by us to return to the stadium and the finish. I spotted Christina (she's fast), and she seemed thrilled that I recognized her. My allegro trainer was also running, and she came up and tackled me (I didn't even see her coming).
It was really interesting watching people come in. I could really identify with those who looked totally spent at mile 12—that was me last year at Helvetia.
The weather was better this year. Overcast, cool, and sprinkly. The temperature kept shifting, but it seemed comfortable enough if you weren't standing around doused with powerade.
...
I had this crazy thought while I was standing there. Yeah, I thought, I gotta get faster. I gotta get faster. I gotta quit being such a slacker and being so slow.
Of course, once I started thinking about it, what the hell am I thinking? Yeah, I could and should do speed training. But it's not like I go slow and I have a choice. I go about as fast as I can go. Yes, there are things I could do to go faster, like losing weight and speed training. Sigh.
...
I had planned on only working the early shift, but then I decided to just stay put and cheer folks on from the aid station. It was nice. I really felt a part of PFit, and it felt good. I have weeks where I just kinda feel disconnected, but not today.
Posted at June 11, 2005
Comments
I just gotta sign up for an aid station in a race. There's alot of races here that I won't be in, and I know they always want help. It sounds like alot of fun.
Posted by: Jon in Michigan at June 12, 2005 6:30 AM
Man, I'd hoped we'd run into one another (no pun intended, especially given last weekend's activities for either of us) at this race. I *did* see Mela (turns out we work together!) and she confirned that you were lurking somewhere within a 13.1 mile radius of the stadium. Glad to hear you were out there. :)
Funny story: yesterday afternoon I was sitting at my computer looking through some of your Flickr pictures when there came a knock on my door. "WTF?" thought i, rising from my chair to see what was about. I looked out my kitchen window and this greeted my eyes. I spent all day yesterday trying not to run into too many things or tip over too many times in turns or get blown off too many bridges (bridges conquered: Sellwood, Morrison, Burnside).
My question to you: can I join your scooter gang?
Posted by: hollumns at June 12, 2005 12:52 PM
Addendum: apparently HTML doesn't work in comments.
Posted by: hollumns at June 12, 2005 12:53 PM
Damn, Hollie! Of course you can join my scooter club. Damn, what are you doing RIGHT NOW??!?!?
Posted by: vj at June 12, 2005 6:26 PM
VJ, sounds like you had a great day. I know cheering on racers can be an uplifting experience. I was cheering the pre-teen racers at my race on Friday night, got me so fired up I set a new PR for the 10K! Have a great week!
Posted by: Jack at June 13, 2005 12:29 AM