This weekend my daughter and I worked an aid station for a half marathon. We have worked mile 3 for the last few years where hopes and dreams are still alive. In the past we have worked mile 9 where there's a lot of sadness, second thoughts, regrets, and misery.

One thing that has always surprised me is how many people need the outhouses that early in the race. I run quite a bit and have found myself in trouble a few times, but it seems to me if you're running in an event that you've trained, planned and traveled for, you'd put some extra effort into sorting this kind of stuff out...but I digress. The line for the outhouses was getting pretty long and we told the group there was a vault toilet just 50 yards off course they could use if they wanted. A vault toilet is a permanant facillity, usually concrete, with no water sittiing over a deep pit. They're not the most glamourous experience, but they'll do if you're in trouble. A short while later, I was approached by a young man who said, " this is a little embarrassing, but do you have something, I uh dropped my phone in the toilet and it's way down there." I really had nothing more than some paper towels and off he went back to the toilet. A little while later, he came back, utterly distraught, and asked if I could call the "For Assistance" phone number. I called and just got a recorded message. In full panic mode, he let a few expletives go and then apologized. I told him, " look, go finish your race, get with whoever you came with and come back and call the number. There's nothing you can do about it now, just go finish the race, get your medal and let it go." He didn't seem consoled at all and eventually got back on course. The whole time, I'm thinking, if I lose my phone in a deep hole full of excrement, it's gone. I don't want to touch that phone ever again and I am certainly not going to put it up to my face to make a call. But to each his own.

Also, pro tip: if you're in an outhouse, make sure your phone is in a zipped pocket before you go in. There's really no reason to use your phone in there anyway, it's a disgusting outhouse. Get your business done and get out of there.