Wow - Nuff Said

The Way Life Should Be

I heart Maine – there, I said it. It truly is “The Way Life Should Be”…at least that’s my opinion. Maine has some of the most beautiful landscape in our country, four seasons, mountains, lakes, the ocean, vibrant wildlife, great academic institutions, LL Bean, tons of locally owned coffee shops and breweries, organic farms, fresh seafood, protected wilderness areas, affordable living, a train to Boston, and down-to-earth hard working people.  You can pretty much wear shorts and flip flops or a pair of jeans anywhere and feel welcome.  Enjoy playing outside? You can ski or snowboard, hike, climb, swim, walk, run trails or beautiful running paths, mountain bike, cycle, sail, water ski, skydive, canoe, kayak, sled, raft, row, roll, flip, cartwheel, hopscotch…pretty much anything, surrounded by eye candy (I’m talking about the environment).  Where am I going with this? Promoting sustainable lifestyle choices is at the core of everything Atayne does – because by not doing so, places like Maine will either cease to exist in it’s current beauty or will be closed off for us to play in. We don’t want ‘The Way Life Should Be’ to become ‘The Way Life USED To Be.’

Team Atayne @ The Maine Marathon, Oct 5th 2008

Team Atayne - Good Looking Bunch

A couple weekends ago Atayne partnered with the Maine Marathon to help reduce the event’s environmental footprint on the Greater Portland area. One part of a more holistic approach by Atayne to help manage this event (we did a lot of other things as well) was another execution of our ‘trash runners’ program…led by yours truly. So, as Jeremy ran for glory and qualified for the Boston Marathon (congrats, dude) and Rebecca tirelessly managed the non-running volunteers and Atayne tent, I went out on a 14.5 mile ‘treasure hunt’ with 11 other soon to be dirty but smiling runners. I get to have all the fun :)

It started with us spread out along the course helping out at the various aid stations – sorting trash from recyclables, lending a hand with handing out water, cheering on and encouraging runners as they passed. I threw in a few high fives and once joked, “you’re almost there”…which nearly got me killed – I was at the 11.5-mile mark – oops. Anyways, as soon as the last remnants of runners had passed, the trash running began. Four of us started from the furthest point at the 11.5-mile station and would run the entire course, picking up trash, and other trash runners located along the way. By the end, our pack of trash runners would grow to 12 strong – a force to be reckoned with should you love a trashy environment.  Overall, the trash run was a complete blast of a good time. The volunteer trash runners put on a great show, ran for over 3 hours, worked hard, had fun, picked up unimaginable things (more to follow), and really made Atayne proud. Thanks friends. Below I recap a few of the more memorable events of our run – hope you enjoy.

The Trash Hauling Machine

Jeff, Ian, Yours Truly, Paige + Trash Hauler

About 3 miles into our run we picked up our trash-hauling machine. I had the idea following a previous event to retrofit a jogging stroller to collect trash – I’ll do anything for Atayne, but carrying bags for 14.5-miles filled with trash was inefficient and just plain tiresome. Of course, Jeremy loved the idea and we launched an attack on the local Goodwill in search of a good bargain. At the end of the day we found two – a double seater for $30 and single for $10! Being a penny-pinching new company, we were all fired up. After spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out how these darn strollers break down so we could fit them in the car (obvious to others, we had no kids), we had to figure out how to convert them to haul trash. Thankfully, Jeremy’s father is like a human Swiss Army Knife (he can do anything), so we thrust the job on him a day before the event. Up for the task, Jeremy’s father rolled the double stroller into his barn, closed the door, and went to work. What resulted was exactly what we needed – a double barrel, trash bin-holding, fast, agile, trash hauler. Even better, he created a platform that allowed for us to carry extra supplies underneath the bins – gloves, bags, antibacterial soap…etc. With the exception of a slight veer to the left and the need for trash bag clips to keep the bags in place, the hauler performed brilliantly…and really made the effort more efficient and fun.

Things Found Along the Way

You would be amazed at what you can find on a 14.5-mile run when you are actually looking for trash. Of course, we found tons of the usual suspects – plastic bags, bottles, cups, paper bags, straws, cigarette boxes, snack wrappers, napkins/tissues, string and rope, and Gu packets (why a runner strong enough to run 26.2 miles can’t carry these to the next aid station will always boggle my mind). On the more interesting side, we also found – a fish net, toenail clippers, a toilet seat, an iPod, and a porn DVD titled “Soy Sauce Sluts” – which I did not keep, I promise ☺. We also noticed a TON of tossed runner clothing, which we didn’t properly plan for but tried to keep separate for Goodwill. Next time we’ll adjust our plans and have a strategy for clothing donation.

Trash Runner Lingo

When you run all day and collect trash, naturally your mind looks for things to do to help pass the time. One of the fun things we did is begin to build our trash runner dictionary/lingo. Here are some of the words/terms and definitions we established along the way:

• Gu-dar: a trash runner’s internal beacon for finding Gu packets. Having a great Gu-dar is essential to being a great trash runner. It takes some time to naturally spot those shiny little packets and tabs, but once you develop a strong Gu-dar, Gu packets beware
• Buckner or Bucknered: the art of picking up a piece of trash without breaking stride is an invaluable skill to the trash runner. BUT, even the most experience trash runner has a Buckner moment or is Bucknered on occasion. Basically, it’s when you reach for a piece of trash while running and miss it. This most often results from not committing your hand long enough to the pickup and pulling your hand up too soon – much like Bill Buckner did in the 1986 World Series. Sorry Bill ☺
• Drafting or Drafter (or Tailgating, Tailgater): a true trash runner NEVER drafts or wants to be called a drafter…although it can happen easily if you’re not paying attention. Basically, this is when one trash runner follows right behind another trash runner, drafting off his hard work and not having to pick up trash. Not only is this inefficient (less ground covered) but it’s dangerous (see next definition)
• Rear-Ended: this is self explanatory, but basically occurs when someone is drafting or tailgating and the drafted trash runner stops quickly to pick up trash – not pretty – someone could get hurt. The most skilled trash runner could employ a leapfrog move to avoid the collision, but it’s best to prevent it altogether by NOT DRAFTING.
• Rubber Necking: missing trash due to taking in the scenery, watching other trash runners, or simply not paying attention. A drafting, rubber-necker is a recipe for disaster.
• TIVO Moment: this happens to every good trash runner. It’s when a piece of trash is noticed at the last moment as you run by – maybe it’s slightly off the beaten path – and your good conscience requires you to backtrack and pick it up.

Final Thoughts

I remember driving the course the day before the event with Jeremy and Rebecca and saying, “This is going to be a breeze, it’s so clean.” It amazed me as I ran the course how much unseen trash sits along our roads – out of sight, out of mind. Next time you go for a walk or run, take a look, bend over, and pick something up. Everyone needs to do his or her part to keep our communities “The Way Life Should Be.”

For other blogs that covered the Maine Marathon Trash Running event, visit: Serious Case of the Runs, The Story of a Red Shirt, & Trail Monster Running

Keep it clean,
Mike

**Polka Dot Shorts will be following up with “Toaster Oven Cooking with Mike & Jeremy”, “How to Compost your Dog’s Poop”, and “10 Ways to Recycle or Reuse your Foam Roller.” Stay tuned!