Cry Baby Double Beast
Beast of Burden Summer 100
The first loop was fun. I was battling some stomach issues, but I was able to stick
to the race plan. I started with
my traditional cry. I really don’t
plan to do this, but I get myself so worked up during taper, that I’ve got a lot
to let out once I can finally do what I do. Jim and Marco know that once I say, “give me a minute”, that
I’m going to take off and let loose.
I do my best mile splits during those times…
During the second loop, the wheels fell off. First I didn’t make the bridge. Uggh—up and over I go, which is REALLY
painful after running 26 miles.
Things were good until about mile 35. The nausea was back and I was worried about
hyponatremia. I got to the aid
station and found Jim. OH, THANK
GOD! We assumed our recovery position
on the floor, feet up on a chair and laughed hysterically. I stayed in time-out until I could keep
down some veggie broth. I still
wasn’t feeling well, but I could move.
Okay, back at it.
Finally, somewhere around mile 42, I decided to call it quits. I started doubting my ability to do
this at all. I was really beating
myself up, and trying to justify my choice. Thank heavens the aid stations are so far apart. First, you can’t just quit when the
urge strikes you. Secondly, it allows me to send a quick ‘hail Mary’ text to Jim: “You in?”.
“Heck yea” was the immediate response. It was all I needed.
When I run with my daughter, I often tell her not to listen
to the voices screaming in her head, but to pay close attention to the little
voice that whispers. I stopped in
my tracks and the whisper said, “suck it up, buttercup”. I can’t tell you how many times I
repeated that to myself until I finished that danged lap. I put the wheels back on
The third lap is my favorite lap. It is serene, except for the night critters. The sky was star-filled. I could escape
the heat of the day. And, there wasn’t a ripple to be found on the entire length
of the canal. It was beautiful. The only thing that went wrong was that
my iPod got fussy. I compensated
by listening to a comedy station on Pandora. I’m still giggling over a raccoon story!
For the fourth and final lap, I did my very best to put my
head down and get to work. The
nausea came and went throughout the race, and hit me hard when the sun was
strong. There is NO shade on
this course, and I spent much time trying to balance
dehydration/hyponatremia. It’s
what makes running in the heat so much harder than the cold. I was buoyed by inspirational words, an
unexpected physical jolt of energy at mile 83, and popsicles at the aid station.
With eight miles to go, Jim texted me. “What do you need?” “Cherry Coke”. Within minutes he, Marco and Marco’s effervescent girlfriend Nikki were at my side with the best dang cherry Coke I have
ever had. I had to do the pirate
ship slide before they would give it to me, but it, and they, were a godsend.
The course is on the Erie Canal, with bridges set about a
mile apart. Jim and Marco came up
with a plan that they would alternate pacing me. One would be with me, while the other drove the truck to the
next bridge and then they would switch.
Nikki took on the role of cheerleader and I found myself looking forward
to see what she would do next (BTW Marco---she is PERFECT for you!!!!)
It is of note, that both Jim and Marco were hurting. Their races did not go as planned, but
they still wanted to get me across that finish line. I am so in awe of this act of friendship. I mean it when I say I could not have
done it without you.
Marco was with me at mile 98 when we looked across the
canal, and I saw a bouncy little Asian kid holding a tough cookie sign. OMG! MY KIDS ARE HERE!!! Bratty Noah yelled out, “run faster!”
In true Marco form, he said, “That’s great!!!! I’m so happy for you!!!! Keep moving. Don’t cry.” I complied, but moved at the fastest pace my body would allow. Jim went to go pick up Noah, but told me not to cry when I saw him, as we were not done yet. We still had a mile to go. We were also able to add my friend Andy to the herd as he completed his race. With about 1/10 of a mile to go, Natalie and Mark appeared, with a frozen cherry berry cooler. Oh, this is good!
In true Marco form, he said, “That’s great!!!! I’m so happy for you!!!! Keep moving. Don’t cry.” I complied, but moved at the fastest pace my body would allow. Jim went to go pick up Noah, but told me not to cry when I saw him, as we were not done yet. We still had a mile to go. We were also able to add my friend Andy to the herd as he completed his race. With about 1/10 of a mile to go, Natalie and Mark appeared, with a frozen cherry berry cooler. Oh, this is good!
I got to cross the finish line surrounded by those I love,
and those who love me. Immediately
after crossing, I grabbed both Jim and Marco, and I cried (a little). Gentlemen, you mean the world to
me. I’ll never be able to thank
you enough.
Finally, I got the coveted “Double Buckle”. I am one of only three women who could
get it this year, and I am immensely proud of it. When I look at it, I don’t think of my efforts. My
thoughts go to all the friends who were there for me…. every step of the way.
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