Tahoe Triple: Marathon 2

The Cal-Neva Marathon was the second of the three marathons. This leg of the race started at Sand Harbor, Nevada, which is south of Incline Village, and ends just south of Homewood, California.  This race was also considered a boutique race with only 39 runners total.  As before of the 39 runners only 12 of those runners were running the Tahoe Triple.  The views of this race were incredible running lakeside the majority of the run.  The Cal-Neva Marathon starts at lake-level and ends at lake-level, elevation 6230’. 

I thought that my anticipation and anxiety would have dissipated from Marathon 1, but I was sorely mistaken.  The start line was an entirely new group of individuals with the exception of the Tahoe Triple runners. This group felt more intense. I am not sure why, maybe it was the Xena: Warrior Princess who led from the start all the way to the finish in three hours and some change. Maybe it was the gentleman who looked like he had been running for over 25 years. Or maybe it was the energy that I felt off of each runner but could not place.  It was another caliber of runners.  I felt out of my league and out of place, but with no time to waste we were lining up on the starting line with our headlamps on and ready for the gun shot on 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.  Bang!  The pack moved forward together under the light of the moon and 39 tiny lights guided our path.  The pack quickly dispersed and I found myself evenly and comfortably paced next to another woman.  We introduced ourselves to one another and our conversation started.  Stacey is an athlete from head-to-toe inside-and-out. She was tiny but mighty. This was her 25TH marathon.  She is a professional running coach and personal trainer and she speaks running fluently.  What a wonderful and welcomed surprise to make a knowledgeable running friend amongst numerous other qualities that would be shared on our 26.2 mile journey together.

Stacey was running the single marathon so she came out with a fresh and vibrant energy that morning and it did not waver the majority of the run.  I do believe that my mind made a very conscious decision once we met that I was going to stick with this woman the entirety of the race if I was physically able.  This run was a run where I needed to be out of my thoughts completely or I may have decided this undertaking was too big, unnecessary or just simply ridiculous. 

So, we shared stories mile after mile.  We shared stories of our lives.  We laughed a lot and if we had the energy and the hydration we may have cried too.  She shared a plethora of marathon tales that kept me engaged mentally while my body could do the job of running the marathon.  Each mile when our watch’s would alert us that another mile had been completed Stacey would let out a loud and energetic “Wooo!”  You know the wooo if you have ever attended a workout class at any gym.  The wooo that makes you question where all of the fitness instructors energy is stored. The one that makes you feel excited and giddy or just pissed if your tired. The one that makes you want to wooo back, but you know that your wooo would not be authentic so it would come out as a whoa or wow which would awkwardly land on your audience.  I tried one wooo and left the other 25 wooos to Stacey.

Our discussions embraced everything from the surface to depths that are difficult to reach with even a close friend.  The surface conversations consisted of the best hydration, the latest podcast and different methods used to track our running programs.  The deep conversations covered our beliefs, tragedies and traumas and our whys for running.  It was really incredible to be taking in the most exquisite scenery, moving in nature, breathing in fresh crisp air and being able to share easily with one another.  A beautiful shared experience on our own journeys.  The miles flew by as did the water and electrolyte stations. Stacey was well practiced with running marathons and she knew what she needed.  I, on the other hand, am very inexperienced with running marathons and did not listen to my body.  I was carrying some electrolytes and water with me but my intake was low.  I was honestly too busy making sure I did not lose Stacey so I never stopped.  I never had an ounce of liquid from the recovery stations.  I never used a restroom.  I never let up.  I never lost Stacey.  In fact I will be etched into her memories of the run forever because the photographer of the race and her husband snapped photos along the entire course and I am right next to her in every photo.  Poor woman does not have a chance of not remembering me.  

Overall, the run was relatively flat.  Two small hill climbs but nothing like the day before.  Around mile 20 we hit a small decline and it was then I knew I had made a dire mistake by not listening to my body.  My quadriceps tightened with a savagery I was unfamiliar with and did not ease up for the last six miles of my run.  This was the first time during the event that I had serious doubts that I would not be able to complete all three runs.  Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of fear going into each run but that was the mental aspect of the run.  This was the first real concern and doubt that I experienced on a physical scale that I may not be able to achieve my goal.  I pushed the fear and the pain aside which I am well practiced at in this life which has caused great harm but in this case would serve me well.  In all honesty, mile 22-26 become less about the physical and more about the mental.  Stacey started to talk less and her wooos were less enthusiastic after mile 22.  Her hip was causing her quite a bit of discomfort as well.  Mile 25 Stacey picked up the pace and I stayed close behind.  I had little to nothing left and my quadriceps were relentless and in a state of perpetual muscle cramping.  I felt the mental and physical fatigue and thought that this is where I would lose Stacey.  I could not keep up with this increased pace for over a mile to the finish line, so I stopped pushing and I stayed steady in my pace.  I watched the gap between Stacey and I increase.  I could not see the finish line yet, but I could hear the cowbells ringing runners in and the excitement from the crowd.  As I rounded the final bend the finish line was in sight, and I picked up my pace.  I started to close the gap!  Seeing the large blue inflated arch representing the finish line and the mass of people on either side making a tunnel of celebration to cross the line gave me the last surge of motivation and sheer will to dig deep and sprint to complete the second marathon.  I passed Stacey and kept running hard.  I ran as hard as I could through the tunnel of cheers and threw the arch and through the finish line where an official time of 4 hours and 11 minutes was recorded.  The exact same time as the day before, “Wooo!”  

Jewel and Hazel were next to me in a matter of moments.  I clumsily introduced Jewel to Stacey and Stacey introduced me to her husband.  We snapped a photo together and exchanged phone numbers.  Then as quickly as we had met, we parted ways.  I knew I was in bad shape physically, so I told Jewel I needed to make my way to the lake to sit in natures ice bath.  We were in a very rocky portion of the lake so it took me navigating the rocky terrain with legs that were cramping, fatigued and seizing.  I sat down in the water and remained there for no longer than five minutes.  When I attempted to get up I was barely functional.  I made my way back to Jewel and needed her help to get back to the car to make the drive back to our Airbnb. 

I had never experienced my muscles completely seizing and shutting down.  My legs were not functional.  I was in-and-out of consciousness on the drive back to the house.  I could not eat as my stomach was tied in knots.  I was not functioning at full capacity.  Once we arrived at the house it took me an abnormally long time to hoist myself from the car, up four stairs and to the bathroom.  I ran a hot shower and hoped that the hot water would bring something relief to my body.  The remainder of the day, I moved from hot showers to heating pads and blankets laying in the sun.  I attempted eating and rehydrating as my stomach would allow. 

While laying in the sun, on one of my rotations, I called my sister.  I expressed my fear that I was not going to be able to complete the goal I had set out to do.  She met me with compassion and concern.  She said that it was okay for me not to run the following day.  I had already completed a huge goal and undertaking.  As soon as I heard her words I knew I needed to be by myself.  I needed to rest.  I needed to find the determination and strength to continue or to stop but I needed to do that alone.  I so appreciated her love and support but it was time to go within. 

I spent a fair amount of time laying in the sunshine under a large pine tree simply exhausted.  Too exhausted to feel or think which I do believe worked to my advantage because I feel and think too much too often.  It was finally calm and quiet enough for me to just be.  I spent the day recovering and resting in nature which is the best medicine of all.  I healed my body, mind and spirit by connecting to source energy.  I went to bed early with a feeling that I would wake up the following morning to run the final marathon of the Tahoe Triple.