Special Times with Special Friends

We dragged ourselves out of the car and up the stairs at Jason and Natalie's. Fatigue was setting in, but we were really looking forward to spending some time with them before we had to say goodbye. I tried to put a smile on my face and not let the pain or disappointment show. We had a great visit, and to his credit, all Jason said was that he was happy I finished and never once said anything about my time. He talked with the boys about their race and congratulated them on their second and third place finishes in their age group. Natalie called their twins up and we all introduced ourselves. The Broncos were on TV and I wanted to sit and watch just as much as the boys, so, taking pity on them, I told them to go watch the game. My boys grabbed spots on the sofa to watch too - though I wasn't sure if they were rooting for Don's team and their hometown team (Giants) or my team (Broncos). Either way, they got occupied with the game and the four of us adults had time to talk.

We remembered we'd brought fruit and fudge for them, and wanted to get a group photo. So we interrupted the boys one more time to take a picture. This has become my favorite photo by far from the entire trip. This is what this race was all about.

Traditionally, I give a finisher medal to the person who I ran the race in honor of. I realized as I was grabbing the medal from the car, that I was giving a Run Tahoe medal to the director of Rock Tahoe and that there was going to be some awkwardness due to history between the two groups. I explained to Jason that I had a medal for him, as was tradition, and apologized that it was a Run Tahoe one. Thankfully, he and Natalie both laughed and awkwardness was gone. Hopefully, when he sees the medal he thinks about the fact that he inspired someone to run a tough race, and not about the race organization the medal is from.

Much too soon, it was time to say goodnight and goodbye. We had an hour drive to our hotel in Reno, and a really early flight in the morning. There was so much more I wanted to say to Jason and Natalie, but I could not find the words and was afraid if I tried, the emotions would take over and it would just be a mess. So, leaving much unsaid, I gave them hugs and we headed out. At the door they said they'd see me in June, and I had to laugh. I had not agreed to Rock Tahoe yet, and the way I was feeling at the moment, I wasn't sure I'd ever run a mile again, much less 13. I promised them I would think about it and be in touch. They said again, "See you in June." I left with a big smile on my face, even though I was shaking my head.

It was a quiet drive to the hotel. The boys fell asleep quickly in the car. I was lost in thought and then getting quite sleepy. After a stop to fill up the gas tank of the rental car, we arrived at the hotel to find there was not a single parking spot in the lot. The hotel worker was amazing and got us quickly checked in and came out to show me a spot where I could leave the car. He made sure we got our stuff in and to our room okay. Really top-notch service. The boys immediately crashed and Amanda jumped in a shower. I tried to rearrange our bags to make sure none of the checked bags weighed too much. I was beyond exhausted but got everything done that needed to be done, set the alarm, and climbed in bed. I had a hard time falling asleep, even as tired as I was, and ended up tossing and turning all night. I could not shake the feeling that I'd failed and that this race had not turned out as well as I'd hoped.

Now, it's 3:45 AM and I'm heading to the shower. We are leaving the hotel around 4:30 to get there in time to check in for our 6 AM flights. Praying we have a smooth, uneventful day of travel.