Well, it was an interesting weekend, to say the least.
Luke & I signed up for a four race trail series in Rock Cut this past winter. A 5k in December, a 10k in January, a 15k in February and a 20k in March all starting with a noon race time. 5k I ran in under 30 minutes with a fresh dusting of snow on the trails. 10k was my worst showing since 6" of snow had fallen the night before, I was crying after the race. I twisted my ankle so many times on the footsteps already in the snow. 15k was great, sunny, 2 layers on top, 1 layer on bottom and I started early at 11 am to avoid the footsteps. And the last one, the 20k, was this past weekend.
Unfortunately, as all of you know in northern Illinois, we've had this unexpected heat wave for March. It ended up being 80 degrees in Rockford that day and with a noon start, it was hot.
I started the race per usual at 11 am. But before the start, I realised that I forgot my Garmin and called Luke to bring it to me. Alas, he didn't make it in time and I started a minute after every one else. Luckily, he stopped at one of the road crossings and managed to hand it off to me right after the 1 mile mark.
I had a bottle of water with me and used half it before mile 3, knowing I was told that there was going to be water at mile 3. Alas, there was none. So I rationed the rest of it but it was gone at mile 5. Water should be at mile 6. Alas, again, there was none. Now, we're all getting pissed. Make our way around the other 3 miles, I did more walking than running by this point and back to the mile 6 checkpoint which is also mile 9 and FINALLY water! But it was because the noon starters are running so they provided water to them, not the ones that optioned to start earlier.
I reached the final miles, being passed by about 12-15 noon starters in them. I know that passing mile 12, was the 12th person to pass me. I ran up the final hill, also in the chute and finished with the timer saying 1:40 and add an hour to that 2:40. Whether or not that's official, I'm not sure yet.
Luke's parents were there & his brother. I stood around so excited that I finished before Luke! We were thinking that he would either pass me in the last mile or I would be ahead of him by just a few minutes. Then the first girl finished from the noon starters. Luke usually beats her. Then another guy finishes that Luke usually beats. Then we saw an ambulance drive through the parking lot at the finish line. I didn't like waiting, not knowing, so I head back on the course to go on it backwards.
I pass a few people, can't see him and I start asking if they pass anybody who's hurt or hobbling. Someone says yea, there's someone down at the dam. I take off! Then a few more people, I ask again, they said there's an ambulance at the dam. I asked did you see their bib number? No they say but he has black socks on. Well, that's not Luke. I pass a few more people, asking again, no bib number but another description of someone with black hair. No, that's not Luke. I finally realise that I'm doing no where with the runners coming towards me so I get on the road and hustle my way to the dam. Sure enough, there's an ambulance, lifting a stretcher off the ground. As they make their way down the embankment, I recognise Luke and scream his name, he raises his arm towards me.
I went running towards him and the EMTs were asking who I was and where they should take him. Apparently, he said SwedishAmerican Hospital but he goes to St. Anthony's and Luke doesn't even remember saying Swedes. He was sooo pale (he has olive skin and was paler than me that day!) & eyes wide as saucers, shirt off, wrapped in a blanket.
I was able to use an EMT's cell phone to call Luke's dad. Luckily, his number is 1 number off of Luke's. Told them that he's with EMTs and to meet us at St. Anthony's. I asked if I can ride with the ambulance and they allowed me in the front seat.
We made it to St. Anthony's and in the trama rooms. I was wearing my running clothes, drenched in sweat & water. They keep the trama rooms very cold, my socks & shoes were so wet & muddy. I even had to ask for a blanket to keep warm. Luke had white socks on that turned black from the mud and his hair was so wet from the water he poured on himself, that his hair was dark so that would explain why the other runners told me the description they did!!
They diagnosed him with severe heat exhaustion and even gave him a doctor's note for his work for 2 days off. I had been asking him if he remembers certain points of the race and after mile 6, it gets fuzzy for him and he doesn't remember mile 9-12 at all.
After 2 bags of fluid and a 3 hour ER stay, he was released and his parents picked us up and all went home. Later that night, I put on the Coyotes trail running Facebook group what happened to Luke and we heard from several people that he was disorientated, stumbling about, several people stopped their own race to help him out, even took his pulse a couple times.
Well, on Sunday morning, I ran a 5k with his brother, his first 5k ever and we did it together! Luke cheered for us along the way and Brian & I crossed the finish line in 33:44. We came back, I showered and Luke & I went back to the park to see the "scene of the crime," he remembers it one place, I remember it somewhere else. Then we started walking the trails, just finding random ones to go on. I'm wearing jeans, rolled up to my knees & a drug free shirt, not exactly, hot stuff! We get to this spot next to a creek, he's pacing around, walking around and I, impatient and hot, say, can we go up the hill now? He says yes, go ahead and I start heading up, then he says wait, come back here for a second, he pulls out a box from his velcro pocket, which made a lot of sound, and gets down on one knee and says "Will you be my wife?" A man of many words! :-)
Apparently, he meant to do it after the race, but that got changed. :) He also meant to originally hide the ring at the finish line but since I had called him to come out to the race before to give me my Garmin, he didn't have the time to hide it. Which is NOW a good thing since the ring would have been there all night! And he thought of running with the ring in his shorts but decided against it, in case he fell in the mud & it got dirty or he lost it. He's been teased by saying he was nervous of the proposal and had a lot on his mind so that cost him the race.
Also, when he family left the hospital to take his car back home from the park, his mother saw the black box in his race packet bag. She didn't look in it but she knew what it was. She told her husband, who said, well, bring in the bag, we can't leave it in the car. But then she changed her mind and put it back in the car, so Luke didn't know that they saw it. He told me after it was done that he assumed his mother knows because if she saw the black box, she would know. Come to find out, she told us the truth later on and said she assumed as much and was begging me in her head to go out to the park on Sunday, but I kept dragging my feet because I didn't want him to get overexerted so soon.
When we got back to his parents from the park, his family was all there was over there but no one was expecting it. So I thought grabbing the baby would be a good way to show off the ring. But no one saw it. Then I held the baby on my lap and put my left hand on his belly but still no one noticed. Luckily, Luke's father mentioned that they received several of these lawn chairs as a wedding present. I saw my chance! Unfortunately, at the exact same moment, the phone rang & Luke got up to get it and Claire (4 year old niece), went running around the house with her father (Luke's brother) chasing her but I added loudly "Speaking of wedding, Cameron (the baby) look at your new aunt's new ring!" and held my hand in front of his face. It took a few beats but then they all caught on and was soooo surprised!!! Of course, when Brian got back from chasing Claire, he didn't know what was going on, so we had to fill him in.
Anyway, so it's a long story but at least it's interesting, "one to tell the grandkids" as they say.
So a scary Saturday turned into a happy Sunday!
