Toto's Human Race Report
October 28, 2009
Nike+ Human Race Quick Links
2009.10.24. Human Race day started out like most race days: I woke up and had an energy bar for breakfast and coffee to jump start the brain, followed by a carefully paced hydration scheme. My friend George was supposed to pick me up, but his alarm didn't go off so I ended up driving over to his house. He couldn't find his Nike+ sensor, so we had to go back to my house to pick up my spare one. I drove like I had diplomatic immunity so that we would make it to Niketown on time (we did).
Once there I met up with the folks from Nike who were organizing the event, Tracy and Eric. They were going to introduce me as a Nike Human Race Ambassador. What started out as an announcement turned into a, "So how do you feel about talking about the Human Race and Nike+?"
I didn't have a speech prepared, so I had to freestyle, which inevitably led to a little trash talking. I mentioned that USC had kicked off the Human Race at midnight and asked if anyone in Portland was faster than someone from Los Angeles. Needless to say everyone got fired up after that. (Just Kidding! I love all y'all in LA.)
I wanted to make sure that everyone had Nike+. "I heard that there was one Nike employee who doesn't have Nike+ and I'm not going to say who it is (Missy), but you need to have Nike+ to have your race count today."
Eric announced that they were raffling off some Nike gear and an iPod nano, so I quickly filled out a raffle card and when I looked up everyone had taken off already. My friend George is fast, so we quickly caught up with people.
It was a brisk fall morning in Portland. And by "brisk" I mean freezing cold. Okay, not really. It was a little cold, but as the sun came up it warmed up to perfect racing temperature (in my humble opinion, of course). The Ross Island Bridge that spans the Willamette River in downtown Portland appeared to disappear into the fog. It was a beautiful sight.
When going on group runs I like to encourage people by throwing out peace signs, thumbs up, or just hollering like a maniac (especially on out-and-backs where you see everyone in front of you and behind you). The Human Race was a little different though. EVERYONE knew my name. George would later comment that it was like running with the President, who smiles and waves at everyone. Slight correction, George: I think you mean, "It was like running with an Ambassador."
A HUGE thanks to the Nike volunteers along the course. They were positioned at mile 1, 2, and 3.1 (the turnaround) and were cheering the entire time.
During most races, I try to focus and stay in the Zone. The way I look at it is that you're RACING, not going out on a Sunday (or in this case, Saturday) stroll. But again the Human Race was different. Yes, we were all racing, but we were running together.
I talked to a gentleman who had run the Human Race with his daughter last year in New York on Randall's Island, and I shared my thoughts on running in Taiwan. The beauty of the Human Race is that you can run it anywhere. His daughter later won the iPod in the raffle.
During the race I slowed down to chat with a woman named Phoebe who was running her first race. We talked for a while about shoes, and running, and how well designed Nike apparel and footwear are. I almost forget that we were supposed to be racing.
I spoke with another woman who was a cyclist, and was adding running to her workout regimen. What she liked about racing is that it's the ultimate personal measuring stick; every time you go out you're competing against all your previous times. Once again the model of continuous improvement in running can be applied to life as well. She set a PR that day.
At the finish line Tracy set it up so that everyone could break the finishing tape. I rounded the final corner, saw the finish line, and went into a dead sprint. I out kicked a group of women and broke the tape to complete the Human Race. Afterwards I realized that I had broken THEIR tape (Sorry about that ladies!). My friend Kyle laughed at me.
Post race, I chatted with a guy named Rudy who ran with his sister. We shared the same love for racing. "The energy from all the runners on a race day is just a good vibe, man." I couldn't have said it better myself.
But by far the most amazing story was Heather's: she had just started running and had decided to make the Human Race her first race. Having a goal helped keep her motivated while training. Oh and along the way she lost 107 pounds. One hundred and seven. So inspiring. Nike had given me many Human Race shirts to give away to my team and had included a Women's XS size. I'd been thinking that I didn't know any xtra small women, but when I saw Heather's daughter there cheering her on I had a classic epiphany and gave her the XS shirt. They looked great in their matching shirts.
Being a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador has been the most incredible experience. The Ambassadors spent two days at the Nike world campus learning about our role in the Human Race and how it fits in with the Nike+ system. We got Nike+ Sportbands and LunarGlides (both of which I was planning on getting anyway). We ran with a 2004 Olympian! They photographed us and interviewed us on video. We met the designer who had created Michael Johnson's gold shoes. That's as legit as it gets. It was like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for runners.
Runners are the friendliest people. There's always so much positive energy at running events because they're all good people. The other Human Race Ambassadors were no different. But there's something even more special about them and the way they connect with other people.
Sarah and her Pied Pipers led the way. Drew grew a serious mustache for his PostFontaines. daRevoluCHIN will NOT be televised, but Ken's team will be broadcasting. Erin will be grooving with her jams and funky style with Team Supreme the whole way. Shannon really did find the Runner's High. Justin is always RunningStrong. Heidi found Strength in Numbers. Petey sped all the way down the Electric Highway.And Amandah (Pandah) and her Up to Speeders sprinted for the finish line. I feel really fortunate to be included with such an amazing group of people. Thanks to our team at Nike for putting this all together: Heather, Karly, Jen, Abby, and of course Dr. PowerSong.
I mentioned to George that I was a little sad that my tenure as a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador was nearing its end, to which he replied, "An Ambassador's work is never finished."
It's always on from now on.
Check out some photos from the Human Race at Niketown Portland here.
And come share your Human Race experiences on my Facebook page here.
Once there I met up with the folks from Nike who were organizing the event, Tracy and Eric. They were going to introduce me as a Nike Human Race Ambassador. What started out as an announcement turned into a, "So how do you feel about talking about the Human Race and Nike+?"
I didn't have a speech prepared, so I had to freestyle, which inevitably led to a little trash talking. I mentioned that USC had kicked off the Human Race at midnight and asked if anyone in Portland was faster than someone from Los Angeles. Needless to say everyone got fired up after that. (Just Kidding! I love all y'all in LA.)
I wanted to make sure that everyone had Nike+. "I heard that there was one Nike employee who doesn't have Nike+ and I'm not going to say who it is (Missy), but you need to have Nike+ to have your race count today."
Eric announced that they were raffling off some Nike gear and an iPod nano, so I quickly filled out a raffle card and when I looked up everyone had taken off already. My friend George is fast, so we quickly caught up with people.
It was a brisk fall morning in Portland. And by "brisk" I mean freezing cold. Okay, not really. It was a little cold, but as the sun came up it warmed up to perfect racing temperature (in my humble opinion, of course). The Ross Island Bridge that spans the Willamette River in downtown Portland appeared to disappear into the fog. It was a beautiful sight.
When going on group runs I like to encourage people by throwing out peace signs, thumbs up, or just hollering like a maniac (especially on out-and-backs where you see everyone in front of you and behind you). The Human Race was a little different though. EVERYONE knew my name. George would later comment that it was like running with the President, who smiles and waves at everyone. Slight correction, George: I think you mean, "It was like running with an Ambassador."
A HUGE thanks to the Nike volunteers along the course. They were positioned at mile 1, 2, and 3.1 (the turnaround) and were cheering the entire time.
During most races, I try to focus and stay in the Zone. The way I look at it is that you're RACING, not going out on a Sunday (or in this case, Saturday) stroll. But again the Human Race was different. Yes, we were all racing, but we were running together.
I talked to a gentleman who had run the Human Race with his daughter last year in New York on Randall's Island, and I shared my thoughts on running in Taiwan. The beauty of the Human Race is that you can run it anywhere. His daughter later won the iPod in the raffle.
During the race I slowed down to chat with a woman named Phoebe who was running her first race. We talked for a while about shoes, and running, and how well designed Nike apparel and footwear are. I almost forget that we were supposed to be racing.
I spoke with another woman who was a cyclist, and was adding running to her workout regimen. What she liked about racing is that it's the ultimate personal measuring stick; every time you go out you're competing against all your previous times. Once again the model of continuous improvement in running can be applied to life as well. She set a PR that day.
At the finish line Tracy set it up so that everyone could break the finishing tape. I rounded the final corner, saw the finish line, and went into a dead sprint. I out kicked a group of women and broke the tape to complete the Human Race. Afterwards I realized that I had broken THEIR tape (Sorry about that ladies!). My friend Kyle laughed at me.
Post race, I chatted with a guy named Rudy who ran with his sister. We shared the same love for racing. "The energy from all the runners on a race day is just a good vibe, man." I couldn't have said it better myself.
But by far the most amazing story was Heather's: she had just started running and had decided to make the Human Race her first race. Having a goal helped keep her motivated while training. Oh and along the way she lost 107 pounds. One hundred and seven. So inspiring. Nike had given me many Human Race shirts to give away to my team and had included a Women's XS size. I'd been thinking that I didn't know any xtra small women, but when I saw Heather's daughter there cheering her on I had a classic epiphany and gave her the XS shirt. They looked great in their matching shirts.
Being a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador has been the most incredible experience. The Ambassadors spent two days at the Nike world campus learning about our role in the Human Race and how it fits in with the Nike+ system. We got Nike+ Sportbands and LunarGlides (both of which I was planning on getting anyway). We ran with a 2004 Olympian! They photographed us and interviewed us on video. We met the designer who had created Michael Johnson's gold shoes. That's as legit as it gets. It was like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for runners.
Runners are the friendliest people. There's always so much positive energy at running events because they're all good people. The other Human Race Ambassadors were no different. But there's something even more special about them and the way they connect with other people.
Sarah and her Pied Pipers led the way. Drew grew a serious mustache for his PostFontaines. daRevoluCHIN will NOT be televised, but Ken's team will be broadcasting. Erin will be grooving with her jams and funky style with Team Supreme the whole way. Shannon really did find the Runner's High. Justin is always RunningStrong. Heidi found Strength in Numbers. Petey sped all the way down the Electric Highway.And Amandah (Pandah) and her Up to Speeders sprinted for the finish line. I feel really fortunate to be included with such an amazing group of people. Thanks to our team at Nike for putting this all together: Heather, Karly, Jen, Abby, and of course Dr. PowerSong.
I mentioned to George that I was a little sad that my tenure as a Nike+ Human Race Ambassador was nearing its end, to which he replied, "An Ambassador's work is never finished."
It's always on from now on.
Check out some photos from the Human Race at Niketown Portland here.
And come share your Human Race experiences on my Facebook page here.
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