I have an entourage that I take with me when I race. Sometimes only two members can make it, sometimes more. I am so grateful that for my upcoming race, the AR50, 5.5 members of my crew will be there. The following is an introduction to the members of my crew:

She's the one on the right!

Mom a.k.a. Team Mother/Team Medic (Primary) She’s pretty much the president of my entourage/crew. She gives the orders, books the hotels, and makes sure everyone has packed their underwear. She’s also the go-to gal for tissues, chapstick, granola bars, you name it. On top of that, she’s a doctor, so she gives me doctorly advice, like “ice!” and pushes Ibuprofen accordingly.

Pop a.k.a. Paparazzi/Team Medic (Secondary) My dad is the family paparazzi. I don’t say photographer, because photographers don’t get pictures of you picking your nose/wedgie. He says about 5% of his pictures are publishable. Thank goodness he doesn’t have facebook. He’s also the second doctor in the family and provides pretty good on-call medical service.

Jason a.k.a. Weird Face Maker/Occasional Training Partner/Running Advisor This is my brother Jason. He’s always making weird faces to disguise the fact that I got the good genes and not him. Having ran 8 marathons, several halves, and several relays, he’s the guy I sometimes ask for running or racing advice. We also go on runs together occasionally, and he helps increase my speed because he has to be one step ahead at all times, and I’m always trying to catch up.

She's the pretty one. Not the weirdo in blue.

Meg a.k.a. Team Cheerleader Meg is super cool because she’s so thoughtful. At the finish line of the Napa Valley Marathon, she gave me a box of Samoas with a ribbon and a card. She’s also the biggest cheerer and a fabulous sign maker. I was running the Nike Women’s Marathon and jealously wishing I had a sign when I rounded the corner and saw this poster. Thanks Meg! Conveniently, we have the same name so if she ever runs a race I plan on asking her if I can borrow it.

Tony a.k.a Amateur Videographer/Cheesy Saying Guy/Partner in Crime Tony’s the main squeeze and he makes it to almost all my races. Like Pop, he’s a fan of embarrassing me with running videos. Unfortunately, he has facebook. He’s also a fan of motivational musings like, “life is a beautiful struggle” and such. Sometimes I think that if I didn’t love him so much, I’d punch him in the face when he says stuff like that. But he has such a pretty face so, no can do. He’s also always game to carbo-load with me pre race and strongly encourages my ice cream/candy/frozen yogurt habit.

Gus a.k.a The .5 This little guy is Jason and Meg’s puppy. He’s new to the family and will probably be coming around to more and more races. He’s super cute and super portable. Unfortunately, he’s cuter than me so sometimes he gets more attention from spectators. But that’s ok, it’s not his fault.

Gus’s brother Satchel would love to join the crew, but sometimes his social schedule gets in the way.

He’s also the size of a small horse so doesn’t fit into one’s lap for the car ride there. He’ll be left behind for this upcoming race. I think he pretended he was busy so he could have the house to himself while mom, dad, and .5 were away. See that wood floor? Risky Business all the way.

Who’s in YOUR crew?