“What’s that smell?”
“5 AM. Let’s go.”
(From
the movie Lara Croft, Tomb Raider)
I’m a morning person by nature. I’ve been waking between 4 and 5 AM without
an alarm clock for almost six decades.
That’s not to say I’m completely functional at that hour. The days of being required to be awake,
alert, oriented and hardworking in the wee hours of the morning, aka o’dark
hundred, are long past and not missed in the slightest. The waking process is now quieter, gentler,
and spurred on by vitamins, a once daily medication, and a lone cup of
coffee. Okay, sometimes two cups.
Yet, on this Sunday, I was inclined to revisit my abilities
to smile and be personable, string words together coherently and coordinate
cognition with correct action starting at 5 AM and continuing for a few hours
for a good cause. My local Kiwanis chapter, as part of its
fundraising activities, helps coordinate an annual running event now known as
the Kiwanis Kingston Classic. Dedicated runners and volunteers have been
coming together with their help for the last 5 of the race’s 32-year history. I’d thought about volunteering for this event
for quite a while. Frankly, I’d rather
be running in it, but that’s not happening with these orthopedically challenged
feet of mine. So, 2016 was the year I
finally decided to help out, and they seemed to have the perfect volunteer slot
for me – 5:00 to 9:30 AM. I’m awake
early in the morning anyway, I thought, so why not put it to good use?
While most people can be awake, dressed and going in a
matter of minutes in an emergency or crunch-time situation, myself included, the
whole greeting the day process done right takes at least an hour. Additionally, showing up at 5 AM meant being
on the road by 4:30 to get the stadium where the multiple-length races would start
and end. Doing the math, that meant
getting up at 3:30 AM. Fortunately, I recognized this requirement
early enough to carry it out. But, I had
forgotten what waking one hour earlier than normal and going out into the world
really meant – or felt like.
Ask anyone involved in treating sleep disorders and they’ll
tell you your body and mind do not take well to messing with the normal wake-up
time. Bleary-eyed, in a fog, I did one
of of my best grunting zombie impersonations in the trek downstairs. Mmph - start the morning mud and don’t put
the coffee in the water hopper before you hit the button. Breakfast, coffee, med and vitamins were
consumed without fanfare. It was then off
to wash up and pour myself into the clothes of choice which, had I bothered to
check the outside temperature would have included a sweatshirt and gloves, as it
was 37°F when I left at exactly 4:30 with my still wet hair. Yeah, that helped wake me up. Although I wondered shortly after the 3:30
alarm if I might get ticketed for DUISD (Driving Under the Influence of Sleep
Deprivation – don’t laugh, drowsy driving
is real and can be very dangerous), the trip over was a fully conscious and
uneventful experience. I took in and
carried out the instructions for checking in pre-registered runners fairly well,
and in my final hour of volunteering I got to direct the half-marathon
participants onto the running track for the final few yards of the race as well
as protect them from being walked into by spectators in their path. Most importantly for me, I got to applaud
them in encouragement and support of finishing what I wish I could still do.
I had a great time this morning. My dogs (feet) were barking, my back was
yipping a bit as well, and I had to take a two-hour crash-nap this afternoon,
but it was all worth it. It was helping
others, which is never a bad thing, and it was proving to myself that I can
still be alive and kicking at an hour when others are still looking at the
inside of their eyelids. Will I do it
again next year? Maybe, although I think
it will be a two cuppa coffee kind of morning if I do.
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