View Workout (Joe Uhan)
OFF - post-race
June 29, 2014 (Morning)
Exercise Type: Run
Comments:
Wasn't terribly sore upon waking, but DAMN, was I tired! The many days in a row of poor sleep are adding up, and punctuated by a long day on the course.
BGD & I got our shit together then hustled over to Placer High. Per usual got to watch the final finishers, which was cool. Chatted with several folks, including Gary B (who finished in 29, 'no problems'!) and Jorge+Ashley, who "spilled the secret" finally! NO hiding it today! B-)
It got hot, quick, so we got a spot under a tent for the awards. KC and Miguel showed up and sat nearby...along with that Sidler, Z-BitZ! Ugh. WhatevZ. Stayed cool with a couple diet Cokes while the awards went. Chatted with some folks before and after, including the "Old Boys": Yassine, Paul T, and Brett Rivers, who fucking rocked it yesterday! Some quick chats with LB and Topher, and a bunch of final goodbyes, including to the Condit clan, who were taking off to Napa.
It got a teeny bit emotional for me, there. Adam thanked me a bunch, and specifically thanked me for "praying out there". I don't know WHY that is SUCH a big deal for me: a lot of it stems from that first solo 50-miler I did back in '11 on the course, where I spent the final 2-mile uphill climb, vocally expressing gratitude. There's just so much to be thankful for - and that trail, this event, embodies that and ALL the people who mean so much to me. It was great to see Adam had a positive, growing experience...and a Silver Buckle.
Caught Kaci as she was taking off - she's heading to Tahoe City TONIGHT! F! Now what? I wanted to hang out tonight AND tomorrow, but now? She was amenable to meeting in Rocklin, so we agreed to meet at Boneshaker at 4.
Before then, BGD and I hit AAH with a bunch of the Nike+SoCal folk. Had beers "with" Vargo and Ginger Runner Ethan, and shared some hellos with JD Freeman and some others before taking off for Rocklin.
I was uncertain how the hang-out with Kaci would go. Post-race at the track was a bit anti-climatic (with WAY too much "Sidling" by Miguel AND Z-BitZ for my liking), and now more of MigZ?? I was REALLY hoping that Sara would come, she's just SO solid as a "connector", and I knew she would do an incredible job of establishing comfort with Kaci, beyond just a bunch of us guys.
Thank God we somehow made it happen. At first, Sara was going to stay back, but then SadeZ woke up from her nap early, so just past four, the three of us were en route to Boneshaker!
After a slight snafu on my part, Kaci and Miguel showed up. The seating arrangement was PERFECT: long table, with me & BGD across, then KC next to me, across from Sara, and Miguel, "the 5th wheel" on the outside, beside KC.
GOOD chats. Jeez, can Sara "crack 'em". It went from light chit-chat to talking about family and Kaci's background: NO dad (other than "meeting him in a bar when I was 16, and he was drunk"), being raised by her grandparents while her mom was working nights... tough stuff. It was very cool to see BGD connect so well with that - having a lot in common, there.
But SARA just nailed it! Over and over again, just "tearing down the walls"! At times, it was all I could do to look down and scarcely hide my smirk as she "did her thing", ALWAYS authentic and genuine, but definitely engaging "the real deal" within everyone with such precision.
A couple less-than-great "red flags" (per Tom) came up: obviously not having a dad figure (and not connecting well with her stepdad,...or her step-grandpa, as it turned out) and spending a LOT of time with Miguel. I also suspect there's some disordered eating issues there, as Sara somehow 'went there" about what she eats, which is interesting.
BUT, I think she is overwhelmingly awesome. In between the chats, she and I joked a bit. She got closer, like, literally. Her arm touched mine...and stayed there, for a couple minutes. It's CRAZY how awesome - and meaningful - those moments are. I could tell that SHE was beginning to open up and TRUST: if not me, then US - the three of us there. And that was terrific.
Afterward, it was CLEAR that I wanted to see her again, and I wasn't about to let a couple hours' drive get in my way. As we walked out, she and I lingered behind a bit. I told her that "I'm driving up towards Tahoe", and then asked her if we could grab coffee in the morning. I made it sound like, 100%, I was going that way, as assertively as possible, though obviously it was out of my way. It didn't matter - she said yes, with enthusiasm.
As we all exchanged goodbyes in the parking lot, she and I exchanged a long look. What a great smile. Melting. :-)
The rest of the night: bought some beer and snacks, but barely touched them. BGD passed out on the couch, with me not much behind him!
GOOD. DAY.