Day 7 Vol State Race

What a fun day it was, all 34 miles of it! It’s now Wednesday. Not quite a week since the race started last Thursday. Everyone has until Sunday morning by 7:30 am to finish, and of course finishing earlier is always fine and encouraged for that matter. The Race Director actually loves to see people suffer, so whether you drag out the finish - or hustle and about kill yourself doing so - it pleases Laz. 

Fortunately, I awoke in a comfy bed at the Holiday Inn Express in Manchester Tennessee this morning about 5 AM. I was ready to have some coffee and a little breakfast and get going. I was slow with that, but did eventually get out the door sometime after 6:30 AM. As I headed down Highway 41 I could see the mountains ahead. Today, I was to head up to Monteagle, Tennessee which is about a 3.5 mile climb, The city is high atop this mountain, and climbing it is always tough for everyone. But it’s only one of several mountains that we will now climb to reach the finish line. That’s just the next one in line for me.  There are participants in front of me, behind me, and those that have chosen to stop their journey and go home. Oh yeah, and there are those who have already finished. I would love for everyone to finish, and I’m rooting for them all.

As I start down Highway 41, I can see the mountains ahead and they are majestic.

The views 💕and being on foot, allows for
a longer appreciation time

I know I'm heading to climb that mountain.

It’s actually a slight downhill for many miles from Manchester all the way down to the base of the mountain where there is a small valley town named Pelham. Once you start going up the mountain, it’s twisty turny and one must be on high alert at all times for cars coming at you. I’m still not sure how they can do this race because it just seems dangerous at many points of the course, but somehow the state of Tennessee knows about this race and gives them the permit to put this race on. 

This has the all-time best aid station set up by a community.
So fancy, full of food and drinks with unlimited choices.
Port-a-potty and blow up bed available as well. 

As I continue to approach the mountain with a steady and methodical gait, the traffic is so very light on Hwy 41 because it parallels I24 and I think most cars and other traffic uses that thoroughfare. As I’m pushing my cart down Highway 41 on a wide shouldered highway with Sugar riding along, I see that David pulls up in the truck after about 8 miles and asks me if I'd like to have Buddy run with me (due to the extra wide shoulder and almost no traffic). I'd love for Buddy to run with us, and I stop long enough to attach him to a special lease I use on the cart , and off we go. We do this back home on the country roads in Gunter, so this is not a foreign concept to him. He's just happy to get out and do something different and so we do.

It's early morning still, the weather is mild and Buddy is loving his chance at a run. He's smelling all the smells, seeing all the things and moving quite well down the road. We do this for a few miles, with me putting him in the cart to rest every now and again, then back out to run again.

He's a good rider, too, just heavy

They ride well together

Eventually, he's worn out, and it's time to head back to the truck. He, I and Sugar have been having a blast moving down the highway as if the highway is our own. It really was so much fun, and it felt good to be having fun. 

Like we do at home 👍

I see David pulling up in the truck up ahead, and get both Sugar and Buddy out of the cart and into the truck. I start back down the road again and realize how light the cart is now. 

His run wore him out today

Sugar took a short morning break

So much fun, and with little to no traffic, the miles to the base of the mountain clicked away like magic. Before I knew it, I was 16 miles down the highway, and within a mile or two, I would be at the base and ready to climb up to Monteagle.

Finally arrived at the base of the mountain,
and it's time to climb it

So the time arrives, and the next kind of fun begins. 3.5 miles of  upward motion.

Once I arrive to Monteagle up atop the mountain.....

Yeah baby

I go around another corner or two to finish the mountain climb, and there's David awaiting my arrival. 

It was a fun climb y'all

Time for a choc shake please

Now that was fun, too! Then, the fun continues as David goes to a Sonic in Monteagle, and gets us both a shake - and wow - was that yummy! It's time to make a few turns in town and he directs for those and off I go into the great yonder again heading this time, for Tracy City. It's only about 6-8 miles, but there was so much traffic and very little shoulder, that it was not fun. This fun-sucking time was cramping my fun day. But I pressed on. Various people would stop and offer me water, gatorade, or soda. This is very much a community who supports the race. 

The day needed to come to a close for running, yet there would be no motel or hotel. We found ourselves out in the middle of the mountains looking for a camp spot again. 

Round 2 of cemetery fun/sleeping

Some people came to visit a tombstone/grave
while we were here just camping out. I'm
surprised they did not call the police on us. 

Luckily, there was the Burns Cemetery waiting for us. We once again get ready for the night, but first, we need to throw the ball for Buddy over and over, get the air mattress set up for David, and settle Sugar down as the thunder and possibility of rain (dark clouds looming) all were part of the evening. David wanted to sleep on the ground this time, and I will still sleep on top of the bed of the truck. 

Our life has come down to this. I know David
is more than ready to be finished. Poor guy. 

It's only fair to say that Buddy has been in and out of the truck for six days now, and there really hasn’t been the right time for him to come with me and participate on the side of the road. But if there ever was a time to do it, it was this morning. The conditions were just right with a lovely morning, very little traffic, and Buddy had lots of pent up energy to burn. Granted, Sugar has not been in the truck much, as she's spent most all her time with me riding in the cart.

She's become a bit of a popular race participant.

This kind of fun was a much needed break for all of us today. With so many miles to cover, taking time to enjoy where we’re at is something that we relish.

Part of the route was fun, part of the route was very busy, and then we ended at the cemetery. 

I'd love to type so much more, but I'm pooped and need to lay down for the very big day tomorrow, which may actually be the day I finish. I never like to make a definitive prediction on this kind of thing, because things happen. So we'll just wait and see.

Optimally, I'd love to start on Thursday (which we did last week) and finish tomorrow, Thursday. The one thing I know for sure its that the race folks are excited about Sugar's finish as are the race participants. Even the people at the makeshift aid stations know about Sugar and her participation ("Oh, your the lady with the little dog") If Sugar is ever not in the cart (which is not often) people will ask where she is. It's the first time a pup will finish this race, and I have an idea it's going to be puptacluar. Sugar is well supported by everyone. The irony in this is that I never intended for her to travel in the cart the whole way across Tennessee. But Sugar had other plans and wanted to be included in this race with me - and the race participants, the race director/assistants, and all the communities we went through cheered her on - and are still cheering her on - and everyone is always asking about her. Who knew. 

I think she may deserve a medal too, once we reach Castle Rock, and you can bet she'll be with me at the finish. When we get there.

Let's get some rest, as we have lots of mountains to climb tomorrow. 

Cyndi