Time to rest, relax and recover

We did it! Ryan crossed the finish line of the Arkansas Traveller 100 mile race a mere 28 hours after he started it. I use the word "we" because it's always a group effort keeping a runner on his feet for 100 miles. Usually, I just crew for Ryan, which is difficult, but a lot of fun, but this year, he asked me to pace him during the second half of the race. Usually a runner chooses a pacer who is equal in running pace or faster than him, but Ryan chose me. Ryan can run circles around me, and not just because his legs are twice as long as mine, but he was insistent that I train and try to go about 20 miles with him. I've gotten the feeling over the last 12 years of marriage that he kinda likes my company, so I guess that outweighed my running ability. So, with a crazy nervous stomach, I joined him at Copperhead aid station, which is 63 miles into it. The last aid station to which crews have access before the finish line is Lake Winona at 83 miles. So we decided Ryan's dad could pick me up there, and Ryan would finish the last 17 on his own. I was happy to see that Ryan still seemed to be doing well when he ran in to meet me, because this was the aid station where he dropped last year. We filled our water bottles, put on our head lamps and headed out around 7:30 or 8pm. At this point, Ryan's legs were really giving him pain, so we alternated running and walking for a while. It was great actually being with him during every step of these miles and not just waiting anxiously at aid stations. The waiting and not-knowing parts of crewing are so agonizing, so pacing felt great, and I left all the nerves I'd been working up throughout the day at Copperhead.

As we packed on the miles, Ryan's legs continued to get worse. He was starting to do the crazy-talk of "Why am I doing this?", "I'm giving up running" and "I can't make it 25 more miles." To which I answered, "because you love it", "yeah, right" and "You just have to get to the next aid station. Then we'll talk." Well, of course I was lying on the third one. I had no intention of entertaining the possibility of him dropping, but I had to shut him up. Then, around 1 or 2 am, it started to rain. It wasn't supposed to start until late in the morning, but the sky had other plans. Luckily, it started at the aid station where Ryan had a poncho in his drop bag. One of the volunteers at that aid station offered me one from her bag, so we put them on and headed out. It started light and then quickly picked up. Ryan was hurting and asked if I'd stay with him until the end. We were mostly walking at this point, which made it seem totally possible for my legs, but I was getting sleepy. I started having little 2 or 3 second dreams while walking. I don't know if my eyes were open or closed, but it was freaking me out and making me wonder if I could go on past Lake Winona. I wasn't letting him know, of course, that I was anything but totally awake and feeling great, so I figured I'd save that conversation for Lake Winona. However, I just couldn't imagine Ryan being out there in the dark and the rain with aching legs and wet feet and totally alone. I knew if I told him I was stopping, that he'd ask them to cut his arm band right there and go home. He just wasn't in it mentally, and his body was done. The only way he'd stay on his feet was if I told him that's what we were doing. He didn't have the energy to argue or make decisions.

Lake Winona was like a beacon in the night, a lighthouse to a lost ship in a storm. I now see the difference between an aid station and an aid station with crew access. It was so good to see crowds of people cheering us in, and I have never been more happy to see my father-in-law. Ryan and I both got an extra shirt to keep us warm, some hot food, and I took in some Mountain Dew for the caffeine. It worked. On our way out, I perked up and started talking a mile a minute. Ryan really needed the distraction, and I finally felt like I might be able to stay awake till the end. I had three cups total of Mountain Dew during the night.

Then, it got cold. What was supposed to be a low of 56 degrees, turned out to be 42 degrees. The short 3 or 4 miles between the aid stations seemed like impossible distances, but we kept focused on getting from one aid station to the next and then one glow stick to the next. The campfires that were set up at the aid stations were tempting, but, as one runner put it, "the devil sits by the fire", and we avoided them. We didn't even sit at all, if Ryan thought he could do without.

The last 6 miles from the last aid station to the finish were brutal. I was done pretending, since we had no choice but to keep moving forward, and we both stopped talking for the most part. With all the rain, we were having to walk through cold water over and over, and though I hated the cold, it numbed my feet a little, which was nice. The last two miles were on the road, and the rain was steady. As cars passed, Ryan kept talking about how much he wanted to stop. I told him if I saw his thumb go up, I'd rip it off. Many of the cars were driven by volunteers for the race, and I defied Ryan to find one of them who'd let him in the car. In fact, I told him the only person at this race who'd pick him up would be his mom... and then she'd make him a sandwich.

Ryan's whole family was waiting at the finish line. The race ended at the bottom of the road leading into the parking lot of the lodge where they started. Ryan's dad saw us and ran inside to get Garrett, who wanted to run his daddy in. I told Ryan to wait a little near the top of the road, and I ran ahead to grab G and my camera. G ran to meet Ryan, and then turned around to run across the finish line with his daddy and his hero. For the first time in his life, he was faster than Ryan and got a little ahead of him, and as they crossed the finish line, G exclaimed, "I'm so glad we won!" I knew he thought Ryan always won.

We stayed at the lodge for a pancake breakfast and the awards. As Ryan hobbled up to get his belt buckle, G ran up to hug the race director. Super cute. They let him take some Hammer gel for that one, which they were giving out to age-category winners. We went home, and Ryan let me have the first shower for helping him finish. It may not sound like a lot, but with one shower at our cabin and as cold, wet and dirty as we were, trust me, it was a grand gesture.

Well, Ryan's second 100 miler is under his belt (and attached to it). The Arkansas Traveller has been put to rest, and I can't tell you how proud I am of my husband. To see what he went through first-hand and to see him finish after that, I can't express how impressive it really was. I also can't express how privileged I feel to have done those miles with him. Thank you for asking me and trusting me, Ryan!

We both slept in the car on the way to our next stop on our Arkansas vacation. Though it was hard getting out of that car, we were happy to be in our beautiful rented cabin in Mountain View and ready to rest, relax and recover. And that's what we're doing now!