As the Oscar Winning actor Matthew McConaughey once said, "Alright, alright, alright..."
It's been a while since I posted anything, and I have been wracking my brain to come up with a new angle to take with my posts. Particularly since I'm starting to feel like a bit of a broken record with my Achilles and "believe in yourself" posts. There's nothing wrong with those posts, but I wanted to have something new to say, and I can honestly say that I do based on my experiences from last weekend.
First, I can truly say that I did something new with the Virginia TM last weekend - I volunteered. Granted, it wasn't as "legitimate" as Daniel's "orange is the new black" volunteering that he did on Sunday, but I spent some time manning the Mudder Legionnaire booth after the races on both Saturday and Sunday. And, I had an absolutely FREAKIN' awesome time (the "FREAKIN'" is for Start-Line Shawn). I'm not really a naturally gregarious person, but I was having a great time handing out headbands to new (and returning) legionnaires, talking up WTM, and hanging out with other volunteers. The booth was crazy slammed on Saturday, and I developed a little bit of a patter with each new headband I handed out. With each new person who stepped up to the booth to get their headband, I was seeing the exhaustion that comes with running one of these events...I was seeing the excitement that comes with conquering one of these events...I was seeing the elation that comes with a free beer and a headband...and, most importantly, I was personally witnessing the victories that these people would hold with them. I asked people who were finishing the second or third TMs about their experiences with their previous courses, and, I was surprised to find that I was able to commiserate with them. A surprising number of people had run Wintergreen as their first TM and waited more than two years to do their second - a sentiment I can completely understand. Anyone who were running their 4th (or higher) TM received a spiel about how it was time to sign up for WTM, and a surprising number didn't simply laugh at the thought. The biggest takeaway from this experience for me was that I didn't have to be a salesman (a role at which I am woefully inadequate). The sense of accomplishment and course-earned camaraderie naturally fed people into the idea that they could push themselves further.
Second, this was the first running of the 'hawk for me. I had tried to do one in Atlanta, but they weren't offering a booth to actually do the shaving on site. That meant that this was the first place where I was able to run with one, and I can legitimately say that I "rock the 'hawk." Now, obviously my 'hawk wasn't as advanced as Daniel's, but "baby steps", right? It was interesting how quickly I got used to it. In fact, after an hour or so, I didn't even remember it. Until I saw pictures of myself, I didn't even think about it. The question is, what type of 'hawk do I go with for my next TM? I'm thinking the reverse, but we'll have to see if they even offer the shaving option in Australia (yeah, you read that right...my next event is in Australia).
Third, this was the first time that one of our children was present to witness us running. I'd had family members come as observers before, but this was the first time any of our children ventured out on the course to brave the wilds of mud and obstacles - not to mention the pure coincidence of actually finding each other. My son seemed to have a good time hanging out with my father during the day, and I got to give him a bit messy hug along the way. All in all, I consider that a good day.
So, all of these firsts (among others) and what's the lesson? I guess the biggest lesson is summed up by a question that Start-Line Shawn asked in VA: "When was the last time you tried something for the first time?". I try to do something new everyday, but life gets monotonous at times. We all need to be shaken out of our sedentary ways because that's the only way to move forward with out lives. Everyday life has a way of creating inertia in our experiences...we go to work the same way, we watch the same TV shows, and we go to bed at the same time. These routines make it easier to get through tasks, but they also create a sense of "sameness" to our days...and that sense of "sameness" can weigh us down. Volunteering during the VA mudder and joining into the community of mudders in a way that I hadn't before really showed me that shaking the dust off my life is absolutely worth doing.
It's been a while since I posted anything, and I have been wracking my brain to come up with a new angle to take with my posts. Particularly since I'm starting to feel like a bit of a broken record with my Achilles and "believe in yourself" posts. There's nothing wrong with those posts, but I wanted to have something new to say, and I can honestly say that I do based on my experiences from last weekend.
Second, this was the first running of the 'hawk for me. I had tried to do one in Atlanta, but they weren't offering a booth to actually do the shaving on site. That meant that this was the first place where I was able to run with one, and I can legitimately say that I "rock the 'hawk." Now, obviously my 'hawk wasn't as advanced as Daniel's, but "baby steps", right? It was interesting how quickly I got used to it. In fact, after an hour or so, I didn't even remember it. Until I saw pictures of myself, I didn't even think about it. The question is, what type of 'hawk do I go with for my next TM? I'm thinking the reverse, but we'll have to see if they even offer the shaving option in Australia (yeah, you read that right...my next event is in Australia).Third, this was the first time that one of our children was present to witness us running. I'd had family members come as observers before, but this was the first time any of our children ventured out on the course to brave the wilds of mud and obstacles - not to mention the pure coincidence of actually finding each other. My son seemed to have a good time hanging out with my father during the day, and I got to give him a bit messy hug along the way. All in all, I consider that a good day.So, all of these firsts (among others) and what's the lesson? I guess the biggest lesson is summed up by a question that Start-Line Shawn asked in VA: "When was the last time you tried something for the first time?". I try to do something new everyday, but life gets monotonous at times. We all need to be shaken out of our sedentary ways because that's the only way to move forward with out lives. Everyday life has a way of creating inertia in our experiences...we go to work the same way, we watch the same TV shows, and we go to bed at the same time. These routines make it easier to get through tasks, but they also create a sense of "sameness" to our days...and that sense of "sameness" can weigh us down. Volunteering during the VA mudder and joining into the community of mudders in a way that I hadn't before really showed me that shaking the dust off my life is absolutely worth doing.
