The Village....

We have all heard the saying, "It takes a whole village to raise a child."  And I totally agree.  As you can possibly imagine, it also takes a whole village to raise an ultrarunner.  Which means I have a really large, supportive village helping me in my 2nd shot at the Umstead 100 miler and with Ella. 
There are those villagers that help in my daily life...Kris and Ella by far help tremendously in tangible and intangible ways, especially when I get that special smile or hug...or even that, "How was your run, mommy?  Can I run with you next time?"  Perhaps it is the fact that I know Kris is supportive of my goals, and always willing to help me with the logistics.  Now, I go out of my way to be fair here, and I try to run when others are sleeping (the one area where Kris has failed this training cycle :)- making sure he is up for that extra motivation when I am heading out for a run!) or when it impacts the family the least; however, this is not always possible, and I am quite aware that our family is affected by my training and racing.  Even if it is not a logistical matter, the family is affected when I am tired, or recovering from a crazy run. What's that other saying...."If momma aint happy, aint nobody happy!"?  Kris also provides support for my long crazy run...he is race director, crew chief, etc. for my 50 mile run this weekend!  Now, that is support! 
My mom and Lacy also provide tremendous assistance....they or she even comes to spend the night sometimes when Kris travels so I can stay on my running schedule.  And they are one of our frequent babysitters when we are off racing!  Then of course there are neighbors that have kept, or even offered to keep, Ella while I squeeze in a run (Thanks Kelli, Holly, Liza, Trish, Caroline...and Aunt Steph and Uncle John- even though you aren't neighbors).  And of course our favorite Saturday morning babysitter- Carrie, who still comes to play with Ella even though she is all grown up now and has a real job!
On the running side, there are those that have agreed to pace me for a lap for Umstead- or that paced me last year.  There are also those that just come out to provide support and a smiling face on race day(s).  This is such a motivator- and I was amazed at all the people that came out to show support last year!!!  [Especially when they bring donuts (Cari)! ] And I can't thank those that run with  me during the week or on the weekends enough- having company on my runs is so much better than dragging myself out by myself every day!  Thanks to Trish, Mark, Caroline, Holly, Liza, Steph, Crystal, KO, Jim, Bill, Teresa, and any other trail treasures I have happened to find along the way!  Kelli and Holly are even going to come along for a lap of my long run this weekend....and Steph is going  to join me too!  There should be lots of trail treasure friends out this weekend as the marathon is Saturday morning! 
And then there are those people that simply ask....and truly care- How's your training?  How was your run today?  I can't even begin to list all of those people- as there are so many. This simple question and interest is more powerful than one may imagine.  As there have been days when I was struggling to find the  motivation to get on those shoes and get out the door, and just talking about the training or the race or something that has provided me the extra "mmph" required.  Or at least the extra, suck it up required.
I am thankful for the Village in which I live...and for all the supportive villagers!  Hopefully everyone knows how important they have been in my journey!
And of course the journey would likely be less successful- or enjoyable at least- without the assistance of Coach Ian.