2022 RRR - The Race part II

Summit to Billy's Rabbit Hole, the next aid station, is only 4.1 miles.  Yeah, I think we entered the twilight zone.  I am sort of thinking that it was in this stretch that Bucky thought he was coming out of his altitude altered state like he did at Never Summer.  He said he'd get me to Mindy and then he go.  Now any of you that know Bucky and me know that he should never be with me at a race and we'd already done over 10 miles together.  His recovery lasted all of two minutes. We tried running.  The next thing I knew was he was off to the side of the trail coughing hard which would turn into dry heaves.  Ok, he'd be staying with me.

So, we started picking landmarks.  We'll run from that rock till the bigger tree by the trail.  This, interspersed with fast walking was sort of working.  Then the hail and lightening came again.  Rain jackets back on.  The hail was bigger and harder.  It didn't just hurt my inner calves, but really hurt hitting my face.  We were getting pounded and cold since the stretches of running were not enough to keep us warm.  My hands were freezing.  So we tried to run more only to have both of us in dry heaves, though usually not at the same exact time.  Puke-aphobe that I am, I'd rush to put some distance between Bucky and me with the first sign of a cough.  I think it was on this stretch that Bucky first came up with whoever pukes first forfeits Mindy as their pacer (I agreed, knowing that it was always Scout and Squirrel no matter what...unless I dropped and Bucky kept going.  I didn't really see that as an option).

Just before we reached Billy's, the hail stopped.  The skies started to clear, but the wind was still cold.  We were cold.  Billy, I assumed, was out there welcoming runners at the top of his lungs.  Bucky and I found chairs around an non-lit gas fire pit.  I was shivering like I was having some sort of convulsion.  The aid station people came over to tend to us.  My standard, "Do you have hot chocolate?" followed by "Hot water?" and Bucky's, "Do you have any veggie broth?" were met with success!!!  He got his broth and I got my hot water.  I was so cold that I shook it all over me...and it was very hot.  While someone found more, slightly less-hot water for me so I didn't get scalded, another aid station person put a space blanket around me, while two more worked on getting our fire pit lit.

I splashed the luke warm water all over the place.  One of the aid station people then produced a very puffy down sleeping bag that they wrapped over my space blanket.  Oh, we're making more hot water, but it's coming.  I fell in love with this aid station.  They might not have had hot chocolate, but they were super attentive and making sure we were okay.  

Tammy!!!  Tammy V came in looking really strong.  We told her we'd get sick whenever we ran.  She said who's running.  She was power walking and powering through.  It didn't take her long to get in and out.  Go, Tammy!!!  I forgot to mention that I'd seen Tammy near the bottom of Fish Creek.  I said I didn't like this part.  She assured me it was the most technical of the entire race.  I told her she was moving great.  

Bucky and I realized we need to get going.  Ten miles till Dry Lake and Squirrel. I'd had a couple of warm waters by now, no food, but that's not unusual.  We felt so much better...until we started to move.  This is runnable!  We should be running.  We'd pick out our landmarks.  It was rough.  One time Bucky pointed out that we both stopped, but we hadn't picked a stopping mark.  I told him my stomach did.  Pretty soon, my dry heave wasn't dry.  Fuck.

Later, Bucky hurled.  He proclaimed that he lost Squirrel.  I confessed to already puking.  From there, Bucky put me to shame.  Anytime that he'd stop to cough, he'd puke.  I'd yell back to make sure he was okay.  Are you coming??  I'd ask other runners, "Did you see the guy puking?  Is he ok?"  Twice I ran back before he emerged.  

10 miles till Mindy.  At this rate, how long is it going to take us??  Time to get headlamps out.  Bucky already had his on.  I didn't even notice that he put it on at Billy's.  During a short running spurt, I heard Bucky swear and say something to indicate pain.  He'd been stung!  What the hell are yellow jackets doing up in the dark!!  He's been stung before, no novice, but said this was the most painful ever.  Turns out it was six stings not one!  That's it!!!  It's a sign!  Bucky was sure the Rockies were speaking to him and none too nicely.  I let him know I had Benadryl, but only if he felt a reaction was happening.  I didn't need a drowsy Bucky out there.

Uh oh!  I pulled over and barfed.  And barfed.  And barfed.  And BARFED!  It made me dizzy and weak.  This is where I thought, "I'm done."  Bucky had thought the same somewhere along the puking path.  He called Rick to let give him some notice of when we'd reach Dry Lake.  I didn't know he said we'd be dropping so wouldn't need a pacer.  I know I did tell him that, if we're dropping, it makes no sense to go further than Dry Lake to Olympian.  If we are really dropping, 44.5 is as good as 51.  

Did I already mention that Bucky had sworn off any races at altitude.  "I'm never racing at altitude again.  There are plenty of great races not at altitude!"  I told him I wasn't even going to try to convince him otherwise.

Holy shit!  How long can it take to go 10 miles?!  I think it seemed longer than it was.  I was still power hiking pretty fast.  We were turning in 17 to 18+ min miles.  Remember when I said I had no business being with Bucky in a race?  Well, there's not too many people who run with Bucky who need to wait for him.  He is a great runner.  Right here, right now, I was waiting even on the power hikes.  

We popped out from the trail onto a dirt road.  The volunteers assured us we were so close now!!  Oh, right, you don't know that over 1/2 mile up is not close.  Not close at all.  And though we really don't hate you because you are volunteering and up in the middle of the night to help on a race, right then we said very bad things about you.  Sorry.

Bucky went right to the number taker, "601 and I'm dropping."  I sat in a chair.  They had hot chocolate!  Mindy asked if I wanted a beer.  No.  That doesn't sound good.  Hot chocolate!!!  I had a fleeting thought that I should wait a bit, but turned to the number lady, "400 is a DNF."  

More in another installment....