Volunteer report: See Jane Run Half-marathon/5k, Alameda
Usually I race races, or go for anricat, but finally I was able to volunteer to help at one. I'd tried to before but either scheduling forces were against me or it was too late to sign up.
I've had some hectic times lately so it's sort of shocking that I didn't just bail on it, especially since two nights before I was asked if I could be one of the bike course monitors. That actually made it sound more fun, but logistically ended up more of a hassle because I had to ride to and from the race.
The paperwork I was sent ahead of time about volunteering was not very helpful. I did read it, but my assignment was still not clear. So I got up at like quarter to 6am and just rode over there-- an experience which was harrowing because I ended on a busy street that was not meant for bikes. :-/
I have a bike map of San Francisco that shows the best routes, but not for the "East Bay." I made a note to buy one very soon.
I rode up to the volunteer table at the start area and confirmed the part of the course I was to ride. Never again will I give stink eye to a race volunteer that "isn't helpful" because they can't answer a question; as I watched volunteers come and go, it was clear that no one was told anything. I rode down the course a little bit and found the closest water stop and met a couple other volunteers. I put someone's number in my cell who seemed important, in case someone passed out like right in front of me.
I have been playing around with video from my phone. I created an account at Qik.com (say "quick") to stream video to. In the future, if I'm going to be doing something of interest I'll let you know and you can log into www.qik.com/dru and see what I'm doing. You can also chat me directly to my phone and make comments like "Hold the camera steady!" or "This is lame, video something cool."
So here is the beginning of the Half.
And here is the 5k.
I know it's not very exciting. I'm just starting at this.
Those 5k people are f-ing fast! I had just enough time to use the restroom and ride to my spot when I saw them coming. Sure enough some old lady IN A CAR ended up on the course headed straight for the lead runners... They were still a bit far off, but God, scary! Especially since my gesticulating wildly and screaming GET OFF THE COURSE didn't seem to do the trick. I finally got her to turn off and make a three point turn to turn around (the other side of the street was open). She seemed nice, just a little confused: "...but I want to get over there..."
The spot I was stationed ended up being pretty important. The finish line was in a slightly different place and I spent all my time telling people, "Stay on the path, don't go back towards the start!" It was poorly marked. The guy who's phone number I'd taken down turns out is one of the main coaches with Jane's run program and it was great to talk to him. I'd wanted to join a run program for a while and really liked him. So I'm definitely going to check it out.
I especially enjoyed cheering on the Half-marathon folks. I got to see the winner coming, then the 2nd person, and 3rd etc... all spaced quite a ways away from one another... then a pack would come, then another, and a whole mess of people. A lot thanked us for cheering, which I always try to do. Some just would smile a little bit when they heard us encourage them. That felt good, too. Some people's bodies looked so uncomfortable. I know I felt like that after our Half.
My only goal in my next half is to finish and not feel wrecked. I haven't really started training and it's in about 2 months, my gosh! But my fitness level is pretty good. I did Bay to Breakers (I'll post later) with NO training and finished strong and pain free. I was pretty tired the next couple days though. Heh, I was tired after all the bike riding on the day of the race!
To sum up my volunteer experience-- Jane's seems like a good group. I know a big recipient of theirs is Girls, Inc., so I was glad to help that. They needed way more volunteers near the end of the course. You don't need an entire sorority of girls handing out timing-chips. They (or at least part of them) should have been where I was. They need people to stay til the end too... my shift was supposed to end at 11:30 but there were still runners and walkers on the course. I stayed an extra 15 minutes then rode the course away from the finish, telling everyone to stay on the path. When I got to the water stop near me it had already been abandoned. I just felt bad for the people who had a difficult race. You get to the last water stop and go, "Thanks. There is no one here because I'm totally slow."
Afterward I went to this extremely new fancy Borders in Alameda where you can make your own mix CD, or create a customized photo-album, or buy an audio book and put it straight on your .mp3 player, etc. I had a latte that tasted like air and browsed the graphic novels (dork). I looked up This Ascension in their mix machine thingy and I could have made a mix of all our CDs but SeVer. Weird. They only had Underworld in the system for tMitG. I bought a bike guide for the East Bay and had a much better ride home.
I've had some hectic times lately so it's sort of shocking that I didn't just bail on it, especially since two nights before I was asked if I could be one of the bike course monitors. That actually made it sound more fun, but logistically ended up more of a hassle because I had to ride to and from the race.
The paperwork I was sent ahead of time about volunteering was not very helpful. I did read it, but my assignment was still not clear. So I got up at like quarter to 6am and just rode over there-- an experience which was harrowing because I ended on a busy street that was not meant for bikes. :-/
I have a bike map of San Francisco that shows the best routes, but not for the "East Bay." I made a note to buy one very soon.
I rode up to the volunteer table at the start area and confirmed the part of the course I was to ride. Never again will I give stink eye to a race volunteer that "isn't helpful" because they can't answer a question; as I watched volunteers come and go, it was clear that no one was told anything. I rode down the course a little bit and found the closest water stop and met a couple other volunteers. I put someone's number in my cell who seemed important, in case someone passed out like right in front of me.
I have been playing around with video from my phone. I created an account at Qik.com (say "quick") to stream video to. In the future, if I'm going to be doing something of interest I'll let you know and you can log into www.qik.com/dru and see what I'm doing. You can also chat me directly to my phone and make comments like "Hold the camera steady!" or "This is lame, video something cool."
So here is the beginning of the Half.
And here is the 5k.
I know it's not very exciting. I'm just starting at this.
Those 5k people are f-ing fast! I had just enough time to use the restroom and ride to my spot when I saw them coming. Sure enough some old lady IN A CAR ended up on the course headed straight for the lead runners... They were still a bit far off, but God, scary! Especially since my gesticulating wildly and screaming GET OFF THE COURSE didn't seem to do the trick. I finally got her to turn off and make a three point turn to turn around (the other side of the street was open). She seemed nice, just a little confused: "...but I want to get over there..."
The spot I was stationed ended up being pretty important. The finish line was in a slightly different place and I spent all my time telling people, "Stay on the path, don't go back towards the start!" It was poorly marked. The guy who's phone number I'd taken down turns out is one of the main coaches with Jane's run program and it was great to talk to him. I'd wanted to join a run program for a while and really liked him. So I'm definitely going to check it out.
I especially enjoyed cheering on the Half-marathon folks. I got to see the winner coming, then the 2nd person, and 3rd etc... all spaced quite a ways away from one another... then a pack would come, then another, and a whole mess of people. A lot thanked us for cheering, which I always try to do. Some just would smile a little bit when they heard us encourage them. That felt good, too. Some people's bodies looked so uncomfortable. I know I felt like that after our Half.
My only goal in my next half is to finish and not feel wrecked. I haven't really started training and it's in about 2 months, my gosh! But my fitness level is pretty good. I did Bay to Breakers (I'll post later) with NO training and finished strong and pain free. I was pretty tired the next couple days though. Heh, I was tired after all the bike riding on the day of the race!
To sum up my volunteer experience-- Jane's seems like a good group. I know a big recipient of theirs is Girls, Inc., so I was glad to help that. They needed way more volunteers near the end of the course. You don't need an entire sorority of girls handing out timing-chips. They (or at least part of them) should have been where I was. They need people to stay til the end too... my shift was supposed to end at 11:30 but there were still runners and walkers on the course. I stayed an extra 15 minutes then rode the course away from the finish, telling everyone to stay on the path. When I got to the water stop near me it had already been abandoned. I just felt bad for the people who had a difficult race. You get to the last water stop and go, "Thanks. There is no one here because I'm totally slow."
Afterward I went to this extremely new fancy Borders in Alameda where you can make your own mix CD, or create a customized photo-album, or buy an audio book and put it straight on your .mp3 player, etc. I had a latte that tasted like air and browsed the graphic novels (dork). I looked up This Ascension in their mix machine thingy and I could have made a mix of all our CDs but SeVer. Weird. They only had Underworld in the system for tMitG. I bought a bike guide for the East Bay and had a much better ride home.