This is my first blog post (and maybe last)
It was a honor and fun to be part of the SLUAllStarz team this weekend. Just some random thoughts on the adventure now that I've gotten my sleep deprived body back to some kind of normal...
One of the first things I realized is that I needed to improve my vocab, specially the superlatives. It is a sad day when every other word is "awesome". Boring!!!
As we started collecting on Friday it soon became apparent that this was going to be a great time and great experience. It was not lost on me that our start group was the last wave to go off and only had five teams. It was a precursor to the All-Star status that we enjoy along the race course but made for some lonely miles in the early going.
My hat is off to the logistic of the organizers. Liz, Sammy and Hogan did a fantastic job with getting us everything we needed. During the preparation, racing and post race it was -- duh -- awesome! I couldn't have asked for better van-mates Hogan, Fares, AB, Lawton and Ralph. Fares managed to not kill me as I rambled all the way to Clifton Park.
It was fun to mix racing and the spirit of running on so many levels. One of the things that were explained to me was that we were in it together. The "we" I came to learn was everyone that was running, not just the SLU teams. I loved it! As we drove along early in the course and I was in the passenger seat, AB yelled to roll down the windows. I learn my first rule, we cheer for everyone because "you never know when it will help" somebody along a little. It didn't really hit home to me how unique that was until I was doing my first leg and some vans just drove by while others shouted words of encouragement. We cheered the entire way (except the dreaded "quite zones").
For me the toughest part was expectations that I've built for myself and being out of my comfort zone. I was lucky however when I was feeling out of sorts and wandering about aimlessly the other teammates would help me get back on track.
As I sit here tonight with my quads totally trashed, I get a smile on my face thinking about the last 40 hours. Yep, it's crazy but it's a fun kind of crazy. ...and the only way I can deal with my feelings of loss is to Google RTB and put next year's race on the calendar.
Cheers to all, Papa Pollock
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