I was thinking about my two previous years in the world-famous "Mother of All Relays", as covered in this and this post. Which year was the BEST?
Now typically, you can't duplicate your "first time" with anything. The "first time" sets the expectation level, and often that level is at a point that defies repetition. An exception to this would be my honeymoon which was so disastrous that we've been making up for it ever since. (Another post.)
My first year in the HTC left me giddy for weeks afterwards. I went into it with no expectations and no responsibilities other than to run when told. THAT I cannot duplicate. It was that giddiness that drove me to blithely volunteer to be captain of our next team. Having experienced the magic, I was now on a mission to share it with the world.
I blended old and new runners into a team, strapped on my pompoms and began cheerleading. "Run!! You can do it!!" The year was a bit stressful, because I was determined to my bones, that everyone was going to have the good experience that I had had. The thought of an unhappy teammate would send me into despair. They will LOVE it too, or I will die!
As the days wound down and the date got closer, my stress began to rise. Being the Detail Person that I am, my brain launched into warp speed. Make lists, send another email, collect money, check on vans, gather supplies, study the website & the route, arrange for rest spots, think, think, think --- did I remember everything? Better buy a tarp; find someone to unlock the church where we plan to nap; do we have safety pins for the bib numbers? OH, and make another copy of the handbook for the other van. And WHERE did I put the window paints for decorating???
One doesn't expect glitches specifically, other than that there WILL be some. One of our vans wasn't registered -- pay the fee for that. Start time assignment -- 6:30 a.m. -- are you kidding me??? (The previous year it was noon!) Head speakers are no longer allowed on runners??? I can't run with my music??! NO!!!!! Breathe.... breathe.... One of our three mandatory volunteers is in the hospital! Quick, gotta get a sub. OH NO, we lost that volunteer's assigned spot and have been reassigned a new spot in the remote mountains near Astoria at 2 a.m. Who can I talk into doing that!!?? Breathe ..... breathe ..... Yikes! Forgot one of my own bags - call Favorite Third Son - It's the red & white bag on my bathroom counter! Get it to Van 2 before they leave home!
All in all, however, it was awesome. The weather was great. The vans worked. We had fun! Real honest-to-goodness feel-the-joy FUN. Lives changed as teammates did what they didn't know they could actually do. We met the challenge with gusto. Every pre-race crisis slipped off into distant memory.
So in nine days, we're heading off for my 3rd HTC. Being captain was decidedly easier this year, as I initially agreed to do it only with help. Yes, we've had some glitches, but they're being handled. Last minute volunteer sub again. (Feeling GREAT appreciation for our dependable volunteers Leon and Alan who happily step up each year.) Some last minute runner subs, one due to ill-timed appendicitis. ("Walk it off", teammate Ben says, "walk it off!") Watching the weather -- so far so good. Gotta collect more money which I HATE doing, and again I don't remember where the window paints are. And we got an even worse start time -- 5:15 a.m.!!!
But I'm excited. This MAY be my last year as a team runner. This WILL be my last year as a captain. And it WILL BE FUN. How will it compare with years One and Two? Who knows, but one thing is for sure ....
We're already feeling giddy.
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