This past weekend Boston saw more than the effects an excellent pressure defense has on a pocket-passing QB, it also saw the inaugural running of the Super Sunday 5k / 10k through the Seaport and FanPier Districts. And through my role as, last minute, Course Director I got to experience first hand the amazing efforts extended by race volunteers (and a few conscripted spectators) to ensure that all participants in the event had a wonderful racing experience.
It was a great event with an amazing turn out for a first-time local event with under a month of active promotion on a day when most people in the area were only thinking about a particular football game that evening. I can only imagine that next year's event will be even better and I hope to be a more effective part of that event through better management of volunteers and course resources. Fortuunately, even though I was kept incredibly busy running around ensuring that we had all of the important details covered, I was still able to interact with some of our participants before, during, and after the event. Knowing that I helped, in my own small way, to make this a positive experience for so many other people is incredibly rewarding.
Building upon that rewarding feeling from helping others have a fabulous and memorable race experience, I have once again succumbed to the Pace Leader Bug. So you can look for me to next lead the 8 minute/mile runners through both the half (1:45) and full (3:30) marathons on May 4 at the New Jersey Marathon, 13 days after I tackle the Boston Marathon and 20 days before I undertake my first Ultramarathon experience at the Western States Endurance Run Training Camp. It will be my first time participating in a formal running event since 1993, when I failed to move on from the first heat of the 400m intermediate hurdles at the NJ State Championships track meet. Fifteen years might have slowed me down some, mostly from lack of speed specific training no doubt, but it hasn't deminished my enjoyment of a weekend trip to the Jersey Shore. Eating funnel cake and curly fries counts as carbo-loading, right?
I am so proud of you Josh. Keep up the good work! Your heart is in the right place. You are a wonderful husband and person.