Haliburton Wrap Up and Beyond (Life continues as normal? really?)

I started this weeks ago, but fell asleep before I got any of what I wanted to down.  Let's see if I can remember it, get it down, and really move on.

I think we all pretty much woke up from our naps at the same time.  We decided to go to the same restaurant as before for dinner.  I was sore, but not at all as bad as I expected.  At the restaurant, I remembered trying to soak in every second with our group.  I was in love with them all, with our experience...We ran 100 fucking miles!  The food was good and welcomed.  I loved hearing the stories of the crews, ours and the film.  I think they had epic adventures as well.

I can't really remember much after dinner.  I know we said bye to Ben and Matt, who planned on being gone before the rest of us were up.  Grrrr.  The start of the finish of it all.

In the morning Ann, George, and I were ready to go out into the world for coffee before the rest.  Ben and Matt were already gone.  I was surprised that I slept through them leaving.  100 miles, it does a body good.  We headed to Village Court Donut and Cafe, the place we discovered on our first morning.  We placed our orders with the same pleasant woman who'd waited on us before.  From the back came another person.  She erupted in a huge, welcoming smile.  "How are you feeling today?"  It was Toni from aid station 3.  She'd been up nearly as long as us and was back at work.  We traded stories, learned it was her 5th year of volunteering, that she lost 100 pounds since last years race and planned to do the 12k at the next race as well as still volunteering.  She told us how the aid station people got to know the runners and when to expect them.  They'd call back to the other aid stations to see when runner so-and-so went through.  More Hali love.  Before we got out the door, she came around with big hugs and see you next years. 

We returned to our cozy house with good coffee and yummy, yummy breakfast sandwiches.  I think the Squirrel was stirring.   Ann, George, Rick and I had been thinking of heading to Toronto for a night or two of George's normal NYC post-100 recovery technique.  Turns out it was the weekend of the film festival; all the hotels were outrageously priced.  We decided to head to Niagra Falls instead.  Mindy and Pete were gonna head home instead.  More reality.  The group couldn't stay together forever.  The event was going to be done.  Bye guys, see you soon.  Love you both.

George and Ann lead the way down to Niagra.  The ride was pleasant.  We did a few rest stops.  The legs appreciated the movement.  I still was amazed at how not terrible things felt.

We settled into our rooms before heading off to find the falls.  It was a weird place.  But we found a decent pub with outside seating pretty near the water; near enough we intermittently felt spray.  Mmmmm.  More recalling of the event, more soaking up the goodness of the team.  We had a couple of pitchers, ate well, then walked to the falls.  Weirdly, I had the sensation of it looking fake, while pictures of the falls looked real.  Finally, we headed back to the hotel.  I hated saying goodnight cause it meant we were that much closer to being done.

We had breakfast together before heading out.  Crossing back into the states, the adventure was that much closer to being done.  We stopped for lunch at a place frozen in time; the time seemed to be the late sixties.  The service was slow, the food - meh.  Not long onto the MA Pike, we saw a long stretch of stopped vehicles.  With not much time for thinking it out, Rick made the call to hop off the Pike.  We'd try to parallel it till we could get back on where it was moving.  Ugh!  We were on very twisty, old roads.  We kept expecting to pop out somewhere, but the road twisted on.  Text from the Jedi Princess; they were stuck on the pike.  In a way, that meant we were still on the same adventure.  I half expected to see them when we rejoined the pike.  I think they ended up reaching 495 about 1/2 hour before us.  Bye Jedi and Princess Ann.  You were both such a big part of the adventure.  Again, I wouldn't have even thought of doing the 100 if I hadn't paced George.

So.  Scout and Squirrel ran 100 miles in the wilds of Canada.  Recovery went well.  I expected to be more sore.  I really wasn't in pain by the 3rd day.  But I was tired.  I still think I have some residual tiredness.  I sleep better.  I still have sleepless nights, but they are followed by nights where I cannot stay awake.  I miss our little band.  I feel like we were a fellowship.  Not the nine, but a pretty special band any way. 

People (work people, non-TM people) are always impressed, surprised, incredulous of the 100, but they don't understand it.  Haliburton.