Dare I Say It?

The signs are just about done! More than 50 of them are sitting in my family room right now, under construction, but hours away from completion. I had to get on and tell all of you in hopes of some sort of celebration. I think this may be the one part of race directing that I absolutely WON'T miss. The great news, once the signs are done, they are done. This is not a project that comes back every year.

Speaking with Travis, the past race director and great friend of mine, last night, we both agreed that these signs were well overdue. Since the first set lasted 8 years, hopefully these will last AT LEAST that long. I know as a runner, I don't normally even pay attention to the signs, but have realized they set the overall tone of a race. However, as a race director, I have been observing signs at ALL of the races I have attended or participated in lately. Many races have great ideas, and I used some with a little tweaking. I hope that you all, my blog followers, will appreciate the hard work and thought that went into these signs, and take them all in on race day!

Loops, rolls, darts...

Yes, I am talking about my aerobatic flight this morning. I did make Scheri go first, and I am glad I did. After Gary, the pilot, went through the safety details, like how to release the parachute (I was screaming inside) Scheri went up and came back safely. It was my turn. Gulp.
Gary starts off with, "Do you want to do the takeoff? Scheri did it." So I reluctantly grab the controls, while he fidgets around with the camera. It wasn't the type of situation where he made me think I was flying, but I really wasn't...I was really flying AND I DIDN'T LIKE IT. I continued and took us about 15 miles east of the airport, where we go to do all of the fun stuff. For about 2 minutes on the way there, I seriously thought, "I don't want to do this...I just want to go back and land this plane. I don't want to do this." I then told myself to get over it because Marc, my husband, would be so disappointed if I didn't take advantage of this opportunity.

So, Gary then tells me that I am going to do a roll. I, now, start verbalizing how uncomfortable I am and that I can not relax and enjoy it. He lets me know I just have to do one while he films it...will add pics in a bit. So I complete one to the left, and it was awesome. Then he says, "Now do one to the right." So I do it. Amazing. Then he finally agrees to take over.

I love roller coasters and I let Gary know this - He says, "This will be the ultimate roller coaster! I will do a loop, barrel roll, and fly inverted (upside down)." I loved every second of it. He asked if I wanted to go back. I was just warming up, "I can do more." "We will do a spin (the plane will spin around and feel out of control), a dart (you go straight up and let the plane roll over and drop back down), and then fly with zero G's." Gary informs. Again, it was better than any roller coaster. We pulled 4 G's and -1 G's the other way.
What a fantastic day. I actually thought, "The older I get, the more I get to experience." I love getting to try new things and enjoy new opportunities.
One more thing...Gary has donated two more flights for me to giveaway to runners at Pasta in the Park. I can't wait to see who the lucky two are! Happy thoughts.

Jack Quinn's Running Club

We visited Quinns last night to promote the race and it was such a success. So many people asked about our relay and other aspects of the race. Travis was so awesome and brought a huge elevation map for everyone to see...that sold so many runners! It is great to see people excited about the race and I can't wait to see how many Quinn's runners we end up having in the relay and other races. Thanks to Jon, Heather, Travis, Natalie, Gina, Scheri, Harsha, Marc, and Vince for coming out to support the race.

Signs, Mile Markers, and Crew Leaders, oh my!

Just to name a few things I am working on today...I will add to it with promotional posters (to be picked up tomorrow), a visit to Jack Quinn's Running Club to promote the races, and an acrobatic flight on Wednesday. First things first!

The signs are being made as I write. The mile markers will change ever so slightly: we are taking the old "frame" and painting them blue (marathon) and red (half marathon) and then getting new inserts made with the new logo. The numbers for each mile will be much larger as well. They will be so pretty! Be sure to notice them as you are running down the course, and hopefully with careful placement, they will all be in the right places.

We have a great group of guys helping with our aid stations. We have broken the course into 4 sections (have I told you this?) and we have some great help to be in charge of those aid stations. (I have told you this...) Anyways, we are having a crew leader meeting on Wednesday to figure out the details and logistics of everything. I can't say it enough, "It is great to have such a fantastic team to be working with in the planning of this race!"

Oh, now you want to hear about going to Jack Quinns tomorrow? Oh, my acrobatic flight!!! Gary Frith, the father that will be running the marathon with his son to raise funds for CP, is an acrobatic pilot. He has been gracious enough to give me a gift certificate to go on a flight. He was even more generous when he told me to pick someone that has done a lot for me on the race committee, to bring with me. Since Scheri designed the website, has made reservations, placed orders, ran errands for me, and been available every step of the way, I felt she was more than worthy of this adventure...not to mention, I am making her go first! We go up separately so I get to watch her to make sure she lives through it! Now I am making myself laugh. Of course, we will both make it, and we will come back down energized to work on ADT some more!

Hope you are all enjoying the summer: I know that I sure am!

Little Hang-Ups

I had to write about my week and a little hang-up. I was sent a bid that I needed to officially "sign" and send back. I couldn't just approve it over email. So I attempted to go buy a print cartridge for my printer that ran out of ink, about a week before the end of the school year. I took the old one to Walmart and of course, they did not have that one, but one that was compatible...for my wonderful Lexmark 2600 series printer. So I purchased it and brought it home. (Now, I know we all have a story like this - I am hoping I am not the only one that has weeks like this!) Did it work? Of course not. So later that day, I headed back to Walmart, after looking in my owner's manual, and bought two cartridges, a color and a black. Following the instructions, I did everything right. Still, an error message occured saying that the print cartridges were not compatible for my printer. I finally resorted to googling my issue. Had I really bought the wrong cartridges again??? No, everything was right, but wait, there is this special warning on the Lexmark website, "Printers sold at Circuit City in the U.S. need special cartridges. See table below to find compatible cartridges that can only be purchased at Circuit City stores." (Not to mention, they are out of business in the Springs.)

The saga continues, my series was not on the table...by now, I am severely frustrated. Options? Cartridge World! I can take my old cartridge and have it filled, then I can print. I am a genius. Nope, wrong again. My husband and I drove into town (about 10 hours into problem solving) and got our cartridge refilled, brought it home, tried it, didn't work.

Our final option, go and buy a new printer. After 3 returns, yes 3, and several hours, I have officially printed the bid...to be turned in on Monday! I thought I would include a blog about the little, or not-so-little hang ups, so you all could see that things don't always run smoothly... as you already know!

Signs and Another Committee Meeting

Well, we had another committee meeting on Monday and we got a lot done. When we all get together, sometimes the forgotten details are remembered and it really helps to have a team to work on those things. Since we have 3 months, there is still time to get things done. All of the big tasks are completed, but some smaller jobs still need to be done. For example, the signage for on the course, at the finish line, and in the park is still being finalized. I had started to pull it all together and was hoping to have it well done by now, but with working full-time, it was put aside. So I have now taken on a full time job figuring out who and where these signs will be made...how they will be made, out of what material, what they will look like, and how to make them sturdy and noticeable.

A committee member asked me at the meeting, about the mile markers because the old mile markers have the old logo on them. I replied, "Well, I am working on it right now, but it really is a full-time job!" He said, "I know." I would have never thought that putting together signs for a race was such a big deal. He is an experienced race director, so he obviously knew it was. :(
I have most banners and signs ordered, however, I am still working on the mile markers. While running the last 8 miles of the Colorado Marathon, I took note of their signs, and loved their mile markers. They are A-frame, or small sandwich board signs that seemed to be made out of plywood for sturdiness. They sat simply next to the trail and no stakes were required...a big deal for us since we have so many on the AFA (No stakes allowed). I am now trying to figure out the best way to get all of these completed by race day, or by the beginning of my new school year, and keep the price VERY reasonable. This is where the difficulty of the task comes in. Anyways, that is my current project and hopefully next time I blog, it will completed or almost done.

I will leave you on a great note, our registration is higher than ever this year! This is good for runners because the more runners, the more crowds there are to cheer you on!

Aid Stations and Course Directing

As mentioned earlier, my husband is the course director this year. God bless him! He is still trying to balance work with finalizing the aid station captains. I gladly offered to help him since I am out of work now.

He did much of the foot work and had everything well on its way. Last night we sat down, (many evenings are spent discussing or making plans for the race) and discussed what he needed help with. We sent out a few emails and set up a few spreadsheets, and now he is feeling much better. We have 90% of our aid stations confirmed and are just waiting to hear back from a couple with a final confirmation. We have many volunteers that graciously volunteer year after year, and they have made our job easier.

This year we have recruited 4 "crew leaders" to be in charge of 3-4 aid stations each. Breaking the course up into sections will hopefully make it more manageable come race day. Our goal is that Marc can be on the course for emergencies. He is also in charge of putting out the mile markers...something that we really want to get right this year! So if he has crew leaders to deliver supplies and ensure the aid stations are prepared, he can tackle the task of placing the mile markers, at about 4am. Yikes. Many have told us to plan on taking Tuesday off from work because the entire weekend is late nights and early mornings. I don't take time off (1 day last year) so I will shuffle through the work week. Side note: I have such a hard time getting a sub. My students know they can depend on me, "even if my leg is dangling behind me!" I tell them that often. I am sure all of the excitement will keep us both going.

I have learned a lot from race directing this year, but one of the main things is to delegate. I am one that likes to take on too much, do it myself, and make sure it gets done right; however, I have found that many others can do things very well, and sometimes, better. I love to see and hear the passion that people have about their jobs, whether it be Kids' Races or the speaker for the prerace dinner. People are passionate about this race and it is great.

Off to weed the yard and hang out with my girls. Ahhh, summer time is fantastic.

Running hard...Working Hard!

California was a blast, I ran hard, but now that I am back, it means it is time to get back to work on those loose ends. I finished up a lot last week, but as the list shortens, I think of a few more things to do. I got home late Tuesday, and Wednesday morning I was off to a Dr. Appt. for my daughter and then to the paint store. Both of my daughters have their birthdays in summer and so for this year we decided to give them new bedrooms! I painted all day yesterday and then, painted and cleaned all day today. Since finishing, I have sat down and already sent out 5 emails in regards to the race. I made about 10 calls in California, and took a few as well. I received an order yesterday, and two last week. We got our volunteer hats that were embroidered. They look awesome. I know I am rambling, but that is the way it is these days. I have jury duty next week, so hopefully it is a quick one. We have a committee meeting on Monday, before jury duty. Then the end of next week will be getting back into running and riding, and of course, a little work on the race!

Quickly, if you are from another part of the country...we have had so much rain this spring! It is absolutely gorgeous here. Let's hope it keeps up to make a gorgeous summer and marathon course!