Why I LOVE being an ID'er

Recently, I was accepted to be a Brooks ID athlete. It is a great reward and honor to be a member of such elite, strong, and encouraging group of athletes. At first, I was excited to get the stuff I love at a discounted price. But now, I can see that it is WAY more than that! Recently, we've been in discussions about the Marathon Maniacs and the pros and cons, who's in, who's not, and so on. I didn't know they existed until my second marathon in Washington (Whidbey Island), in which I had a not-so-awesome encounter. However, my fellow teammates have demonstrated to me that they aren't all that bad (hey, some of them are phenomenal Brooks IDers), there's just a few rotten apples here and there.

Here's a brief correspondence, in which I had described my first Maniac encounter, and a wonderful woman gave me encouragement:

Me: it is my goal to run 50marathons in 50states before I am 50- which is a lofty goal for most- but in a crowd like this it's "nothing special."
Her: Dude, don't discount that awesome goal. Indeed it is SOMETHING special!
Me: My fastest marathon thus far was my first, a 3:22, in which I spent the entire first half chatting,...
Her: And that kind of speed, especially with the first half at your self-proclaimed "not at fastest effort", is something MORE special. Rock on, sister!

The encouragement in this group is outrageous. I absolutely love it, and I am really excited to mingle with the group members and plan my future races around what they are doing. It would be so awesome to have another ID'er at my next marathon or 10K. To meet these people in person is something I am looking forward to!

So, whether you're a new runner, or you've been running for fifty years, there are some great people out there waiting to meet you on your travels through the running world. If it's your first marathon, or your thirtieth, if you are a little scared, running alone, whatever; just keep your head up. Look around; someone is there to support you. Ask if you have any questions, smile if you are feeling good. My teammates and I- we'll be there to smile back.