<$BlogRSDURL$>
Transplant Athlete
Friday, July 08, 2005
  Suck it up and donate a kidney

Due to some miscommunication, Martin blew by the final time station. I caught up to him and told him I would ride the last nine miles to the finish. When I passed he was on the shoulder with the Jet Truck. I assumed he would get in the truck and drive the rest of the way, I kept waiting for the jet truck to come up behind me to be my follow vehicle when the van came blowing by. I didn't have a water bottle with me, so I was pretty pissed at the time, but I figured that the Jet Truck would eventually catch up. I got to the finish line and the rest of the team was there, except Martin and the Jet Truck. He had decided to ride the rest of the way. While we were sitting around waiting for Martin, we didn't realize we were in the wrong place, so we wasted about twenty minutes, before they stopped the official race clock. That was the story of our RAAM, but at that point it didn't matter.

Bill kept saying he was going to sprint to the finish line once we hit the boardwalk, so I was a bit nervous that he'd take off. I kept thinking, "Keep it in an easy gear that you can spin up, just in case..." We hopped on the Atlantic City Expressway and rolled into town. The Police blocked all the intersections, I felt like a rock star. It was a good day. They hand out these huge medals at the stage (7 days 14 hours 39 minutes for those keeping score at home). The finishing ceremony was kind of a blur. The next thing I know, my daughter is wearing my medal and we're cleaning out the RV and Minivan. Then my family went to breakfast and back to my parent's house for sleep. My mom accompanied me back to AC for the Finish Line Banquet. Then the Team went for drinks afterwards. Mike, who had been denied beer all week, let loose and got a bit fresh with my mom.

I slept the whole next day and drove home on Friday. We had to drive home on Friday because while I was away, my daughter missed me and did some bad things. First, she locked herself in my bedroom. My wife had to take the door knob apart to get her out. Later, she wiggled herself out of her bed in the middle of the night and cut herself just above the eye. It required stitches and we returned on friday to get them removed. I slept most of Saturday with a short recovery ride thrown in for good measure. Its been a week since we finished but I've been having the weirdest dreams, they generally involve me starting or finishing a pull at the RV. The other weird thing is that the first three nights at home, when waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, I had to convince myself that I was home and not in the RV.

I'm struck by two major impressions from RAAM. First, I slept too much. And I mean that in the "its the toughest race in the world I should be dead on my feet way" Second, I really want to do solo RAAM.

 

Email This Article
Comments: Post a Comment
I've gone through kidney failure twice. The first time in 2000, my mother donated a kidney; and again in 2008, I'm on dialysis waiting for a breakthrough in immuno-suppression medicines before seeking a new kidney.

ARCHIVES
January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 December 2009 January 2010 February 2010 March 2010 April 2010 May 2010 June 2010 July 2010 August 2010 September 2010 October 2010 December 2010 January 2011 February 2011 March 2011 April 2011 May 2011 June 2011 July 2011




Google


Warning Signs for Kidney Disease:

  • High Blood Pressure
  • Burning or Difficulty when Urinating
  • Frequent Urination at Night
  • Blood in your urine
  • Cola or tea colored urine
  • Swellig of the eyes, ankles, or feet
  • Lower back pain unrelated to physical activity


Send Me Email:


Blogs I Read:
PACTour
Ultra Rob
Get Rich Slowly
Ecomodder