Before my injuries, I was planning on racing today at the annual Spring Thaw race in North Park, Pittsburgh.  I couldn’t run, but I still went.

Instead of running, I volunteered at one of the water stops.  It was so much fun and with over 500 runners to help, it was busy too.  I need to volunteer at races more often.  I have enjoyed it every time that I have done it and I always end up seeing a lot of familiar faces.

When I first got into endurance running, I chose to run with a local running group.  The group was based around a local running store (originally Elite Runners and Walkers but now Pro Bike+Run).  I have made a lot of really good friends over the years, through this group.  Today, I got to see a whole bunch of them racing and they all did great.  If you have never run with a group, give it a try; it’s great if you can find a good community to join.

There is a definite technique to handing out water cups. This is especially true with the really fast runners and there were some really fast runners today!  You have to try and move your hand to match their speed, so that the water has momentum when they grab it.  This avoids you getting soaked and also means the runner doesn’t end up with only one mouthful of water left in the cup.  It’s even more important with Gatorade; that stuff is sticky.

I’m happy to report that my gloves stayed dry and that I went home happy.  I can’t wait to get out there and be on the side, where I am grabbing the water and not handing it out.