Western States With the Idiot Ultrarunner

So I finally figured out how to avoid being an ultrarunner widow! I volunteer my husband and myself to crew races. This ensures that he isn't running and must help the runner we are crewing therefore he is with me ALL weekend! Pretty brilliant, right?!

The idiot ultrarunner!

Let me back up a bit and explain. Back in February, I was working out with Bree Lambert. Well, not working out WITH her, more like training with her. We have an exchange, I give her daughter voice lessons and she puts me through the wringer at her gym. Actually, we talk a lot while I pretend to be working hard. (Don't tell her I said that, she thinks I'm getting a major workout!) During one of these lovely chat sessions I discovered that she hadn't put her crew together yet for Western States.  I thought to myself, "Gee, we helped at the Duncan Canyon Aid Station last year and it wasn't too bad. We could help out Bree!".

"Bree, Duke and I could crew you. Would that work?"

"Would you really?! That would be awesome!",  exclaims Bree.

And so the journey to another Western States began. Apparently I am a glutton for punishment.

After two crew meetings with the other crew whom we were to leap frog with, the plans were made and we were all geared up to help Bree. Friday we met for the pre-race meeting in Squaw Valley. Spot the Ultrarunner made her appearance with Bree as well as several other superstars. That turtle really gets around!

Spot getting kisses from our lovely Bree.

Spot with the infamous Jim Walmsley, Spot's owner Kim, and the Ultrarunner Widow

Spot seen here with Gunhild Swanson. See Spot smile? She knows she is with greatness!

Spot and Kim with last years winner the Pixie Ninja, Kaci!

That night we headed to Duncan Canyon to stay overnight so that we could help out at the aid station in the morning until Bree came through. The weather was hot that day but the night was very pleasant although I could have done without the mosquitos. Morning arrived sooner than I would have preferred but such is the luck of those camping in the back of their van in the high Sierra's. I guess Duke had it slightly worse, he slept on the ground outside the van so that our daughter and I could be inside. Did I say that we were together all weekend....??

As was predicted, Jim Walmsley came through way ahead of schedule. The next lead men came through at a more respectable time or at least a less idiot inducing pace. (Refer to Duke's blog the greateridiot.blogspot.com to get this inference.) Bree came in slightly behind schedule but still within the top 20 women. She needed to change her shoes due to the amount of mud and snow that she had come through. This was a change in the race plan but not outside of the unexpected. We got her on her way and headed to where we would see her next, Dusty Corners.

Bree coming into Duncan Canyon with a smile on her face. Thanks Tonya Perme for the picure!

We got set up at Dusty Corners and began our wait. Again we played the "Hurry Up and Wait" game. Bree's early arrival time came and went. Her late arrival time was getting closer. We began to worry a bit. But we knew she is a seasoned runner and would arrive shortly. When she did come in, she was looking a little frazzled. We got her cooled down, fueled up, and I had the honor of giving her a pep talk. Spot did her best as well, of course. You would think it would be the ultrarunner on the crew to give this pep talk. Was Duke even there?? Oh yeah, he was the one making sure everything was in order so that I could talk to Bree. Good thing there was two of us.  We got her on her way and she headed out. The next time we would see her was Forest Hill. In the meantime, her other team would catch her at Michigan Bluff.

Spot makes everyone smile!

Unfortunately, things didn't get better for Bree. She was late to Michigan Bluff. We were able to get texts from the crew there and found out that due to her late arrival she would need a headlamp sooner than expected. Duke hopped in the van to get one to her, leaving me with Bree's daughter. (We had dropped our daughter off earlier at the hotel so she wouldn't have to sit in the van for the next few hours.) Hmmmmmm, Duke leaving the kids with me for another woman...

Duke managed to get the light to her in time and Bree left Michigan Bluff with darkness falling. This was NOT what we planned. Duke returned to Forest Hill (OK, so he didn't leave me for another woman) and we hunkered down to wait for Bree to arrive. By this time her daughter was so worried she kept walking up and down the main street of Forest Hill to rid herself of nervous energy.  Spot did her best to keep her occupied.

Bree's daughter Summer with Spot at Forest Hill. They look like they are the best of friends!

When Bree finally arrived at Forest Hill, Summer threw herself into her arms and hugged her like she hadn't seen her in a month. I'm sure it felt that way! And I think Bree felt like she had been running for a month. Her foot was banged up from climbing up and down Devil's Thumb and her spirits were not far behind. But in the end it was her foot that was the deciding factor in pulling out of the race, not her spirits. We all were grateful that she wasn't hurt any worse and that she would recover quickly. We later found out that when going up the escarpment at the start of the race, she fell through the snow with her right leg up to the top of her thigh and that was just the start of dealing with the snow and mud!

It was difficult to watch them cut off her tag. I am so proud of her for not being an "idiot" (which Bree is by no means an idiot, ever. And again, refer to this blog greateridiot.blogspot.com) and making the smart decision to pull out.

How does that turtle keep getting in the SPOTlight? Must have something to do with her name...

Bree wasn't alone that day. Several of the projected top 10 men and women ended up DNF'ing. The conditions were atrocious between the snow, ice and mud and then the triple digit temperatures. It's amazing that anyone finished!

You know who else wasn't alone? ME! Apparently, even though I didn't sleep with Duke and he took off to meet another woman, he still was with me for 48 hours AND at an ultramarathon! I even have pictures to prove it!

We really were in Squaw Valley together!

And with our daughter...and Spot

Trying to beat the heat at Dusty Corners.

No that isn't Duke. Occasionally I sit on other Asian men's laps. Duke took the picture. Not sure who is sicker....

Did I mention it was hot? This was the day before at the top of the escarpment. Kim needed to cool off.

100 Mile Race to a Better Marriage

It's been over three months since Duke finished his first 100 mile race, The Marin Headlands,  and I still am having a hard time putting into words that surreal weekend. (And it's the first time he's really been back to training were I am home by myself again with time to write. #ultrarunnerwidow) The weekend started off with the usual 4:00am wakeup call. (The things I do for my husband.) But that was only to be the beginning. We drove up to Rodeo Beach in Marin County from our home in the South Bay. During the hour + drive, the sky began to get light but the clouds and fog decided to hide the face of the sun. No cheery sunrise for me that Duke is so often gleefully bragging about seeing as an ultrarunner. "Oh Mart, it's so great to get up in the dark and start running because you get to see the most gorgeous sunrise!"  Sure you do. We arrived with plenty of time for him to check in and visit with the other runners (or idiots if you prefer, #idiotultrarunner). 

The runners lined up and the race director, John Brooks, gave a short but sweet speech and without any fanfare, the runners were off. Duke had said he didn't need me at the first aid station but as I was grabbing coffee in town, my instincts heard to go back and meet him. It paid off as his shorts he was wearing were chaffing and he needed the ones that were in the van, not his drop bag. He changed quickly and was on his way.

Duke at the start wearing his Marine Corps T-shirt.

The next aid station I saw him at was around mile 25, Tennessee Valley. He was looking good and feeling great. (See picture below.) I would see Duke here several times and it was here that our dear friend Ramiro arrived to pace Duke. For the next 24 hours, he would either keep Duke company or sleep with me in the van. Nothing like being the ultrarunnerwidow and sleeping with another man when your husband is running!

The next time I saw Duke was under the Golden Gate and this was where I would go to sleep and wake up that night. Not too shabby! It was also here that Duke arrived with a small limp. He said that he had gotten a calf cramp but that he thought it would work itself out. I did some Reiki energy work on it and sent him on his way. I saw him again at Tennessee Valley and he indicated that his calf was better. He looked tired but in good spirits so Ramiro and I left to go get some sleep under the Bridge.



Duke arrived under the bridge early that morning. He was definitely tired but his nutrition and hydration seemed to be completely on track for him to continue. He left the aid station that morning after having some hot oatmeal that I had made for him and with Ramiro to accompany him. I headed back to town to get them hot breakfast sandwiches and to get myself warmed up. I haven't mentioned that this entire time the wind has blown incessantly and the fog has been thick enough to cut it with a knife. The only way to get warm is to get in the van and turn it on or crawl in my sleeping bag and pull it over my head. Again, the things I do for my husband.

With breakfast sandwiches in hand, I arrived back at Tennessee Valley in time to meet the guys as they slowly came through. By this time Duke had been up for over 28 hours. He was looking a little worn down. What I didn't know was that his calf was still cramping and he was in pain. They took their food and headed down (up) the trail. They were to make an 8 mile loop out to Muir Beach and back to T.V. With the pace he was going I estimated that he would be back to T.V. in about 3-4 hours with his arrival time being around noon. By 1:00, I was getting nervous. Most runners had already come through the aid station. I began walking to meet them. What I thought would be a short 1/2 mile walk turned into over a mile before I finally spotted Duke limping down the steep fire road coming off the ridge. He was moving excruciatingly slowly and I knew that he was in trouble. I used what cell coverage I had to post on FB for prayers and energy for him to all my friends that do energy work. I even called a dear friend up in the far corner of MT to ask her to send healing Reiki energy to him. When I reached them, I had Duke lie down and I ran Reiki in his leg. When I touched his calf gently he yelled out at me in pain. This wasn't good. We got him up and started walking him down the trail. The closer we got to T.V., the better Duke started to walk. I mentioned this to him and he started to feel a bit better.

By the time we got to T.V. he had and hour and a half to finish the last 4.1 miles. With how slowly he was moving, he wasn't going to make the time cutoff. The aid station leader was on the phone with John, the race director, when we arrived. Duke asked him to ask John if there was any leeway with the cutoff time. (That's the nice thing about small races, it's all about helping people succeed.) He told Duke that if he thought he could finish within reason, that he would get his buckle. I was going to walk Duke in but he grabbed some food and took off before I could grab my water bottle and change my pants. Ramiro caught up to him and I went back to the van to drive back to the finish line. When I arrived only a handful of people were left out on the course. As the minutes ticked by, I saw each person cross the finish line and I anxiously waited for Duke to come over the ridge. The official cutoff time was 4:00. At around 3:50, I saw Duke appear over the top of the ridge. I started screaming to him, "Motivate your ass down that hill, Marine!". I was screaming and had tears streaming down my face. He came across the finish line with just over three minutes to spare. No extended cutoff was needed! I had never been so proud of someone in my life nor had I felt so keenly the pain, pride of accomplishment and sense of deep personal growth of another human being.

Ramiro and Duke celebrating together.

Duke's calf muscle after running with it cramped for 55 miles!

Duke couldn't walk without help when he was done. He body was shocky and he couldn't get warm. That night we were in bed and I reached over to touch Duke's forehead. He was burning up. I panicked and hauled him to the ER. They ran some X-rays, gave him an IV and took some blood tests. I found myself sleeping in my car again that night while he was in the hospital bed. It turns out that he was fine but I was glad to have the confirmation. When I woke up the next morning, I had no voice. If you've read my previous blog posts, you know that I'm a singer. That is NOT a good thing to lose! It turns out that I had also made the ultimate sacrifice for the weekend. Was it worth it?

The Marin Headlands race is a much smaller race with an intimate atmosphere to it that I actually began to really appreciate. When the runners started to line up, what in hindsight was an auspicious omen, turned up on the hillside. A coyote was spotted very close to the starting line. Why was it auspicious, one might ask. Here are a few things that the coyote spiritually means to the Native Americans and those of us who follow an earth based spirituality:

• Jokester
• Adaptability
• Playfulness
• Reveal the truth behind illusion and chaos
• Beware of the dark side of things and play on your resources
• Paradoxical nature, personality difficult to categorize

As I look at that list, I see the attributes needed for a runner to finish a major race such as this. When things get tough, making a joke can really ease the tension. Duke is a master at bad dad jokes so he's a natural at keeping things light on the trail. 

Being adaptable speaks for itself. If you aren't adaptable, you aren't going to finish the race. In fact, you probably won't even start!

 A sense of playfulness must be required to keep the fun going for that many hours. You can't take yourself too seriously or you will get to caught up in your own brain web of self doubt. 

Which then brings me to seeing one's own personal truth amidst the chaos, i.e. "am I tough enough to finish this journey?". It seems to be that runners have to look at the pain as being an illusion otherwise they would just quit, or they go to the dark side. And the dark side is when the Jokester needs to be used again. 

The last quality of the coyote, "personality difficult to categorize", well, those of us that live with an ultra runner know what this means. They are in a category all of their own! Having a paradoxical nature maybe one of the main things that keeps an ultra runner going. The fact that they can contradict their own brain into believing that they aren't in pain and that they can keep going is an amazing feat!

When that coyote presented itself, I choose to believe that it was telling Duke and the other runners that it was there to support them and give them the courage they needed to accomplish their goal for that weekend. Each one of these races is a journey into the physical, emotional, and spiritual depths of ones being. Although most of us can't understand why these runners do what they do, we can certainly understand the need to access those deeps parts of our souls. Crewing Duke through this deep process was an honor. I watched that part of him emerge that is the strongest and yet the most vulnerable. And yet, when we are at our most vulnerable, that is when we are the strongest. When two souls get to share that intimate process, a connection or re-connection is made. We both said that we felt stronger and more emotionally bonded after the experience. Who knew that a stupid 100 mile foot race could make a marriage grow stronger! So, yes, it was worth it!