And so it goes

So, I collapse, rest for a short while, and then we decide it's time to support the team. Pretty much everything else is a haze. The bike route is about 22 miles out, then back again. Plenty of time to catch K and root him on and get back for Jay's run.

I say hi to the family, don't listen as Dad tells me to train better next year, and drink some water out of the special “Finisher” water bottle. Then I take some time to ride the endorphins, wander around, bask in the glow of being done and alive, and to suck down gallons of free Red Bull, yogurt, Dunkin’s coffee, more Red Bull, bananas, Red Bull, pizza, and Red Bull.

Mmmm, Red Bull. Delicious athletes crack. My heart rate is about 346 by now.

Anyone who has seen me at a business Expo knows the free stuff frenzy I work myself into. Two years ago I got 85% of Timmy’s birthday presents at an expo. All my pens advertise people I have never met. I own 36 flying disks (A/K/A Frisbees, tm.) promoting everything from accounting services to male enhancement remedies. You get the picture.

I am eventually sated, so we go. Walk back to the house, jump in the car, and try to figure where K is by now. We follow the crowd of bikes, make a few shortcuts, and head out to the straightway. Bikes galore. I’m driving, so EVERY biker we pass gets a honk and a wave. We spot K about 5 miles down the road, and pull to the side. Clamber out of the car, just in time for him to pass us before we are ready. Ok, that didn’t work. Back up the road, and this time gave us lead time. Out the car, onto the road, and there he is. GO K!!! Looking strong. He gives us a smile, and a wave, as I bring up the camera, and rip off 3 quick frames. Of my camera cap. Oops. Maybe I should have just sunk to the bottom an hour ago. Oh well. Lather, rinse, repeat. We did this a few more times, and finally got the picture, but it was time to go. Jay is up next, and traffic back will probably be more difficult than out.

I’ll say.

Five miles from the house, the roads are stopped. Of course. Duh. We inch our way back, stopping for all bikes, of course, and finally get to our street. Which, of course, is now clogged with the runners. I have to be the D-bag everyone is cursing, but really have no choice. Parking, other than on private property, is forbidden back about five miles. And our runner is in the car. I can’t do a U-turn. I can only follow the slowest runner back to the house. Fine with me.

We finally park, jump out, and run down the road, about a mile, to the starting area. With about two minutes to spare. K comes down the road, looking a lot better than I was, passes the chip to Jay and off he goes.

K recovers much, much, much quicker than I did, and it’s off to the free stuff again. We tracked down our few friends who were done already, or who were there as support and fans. We stretched, hobbled, feasted, and smiled. A lot of smiling. The rest, really a blur. Jay came down the finisher’s chute, and it was over. We went and had beers, and then I woke up on my massage therapists table two days later.

Bring on next year.