The Future and Friends

Today I found out that a good friend of mine was killed in the line of duty as a Law Enforcement Officer. The shooting took place last week; however, I just learned today that Eric Sutphin was the Officer shot and killed. Eric and I was stationed together at Ft. Ritchie MD. 1989-1991. He worked as a Desk Sergeant and we often worked together at Site-R. We were also in the same platoon for awhile. He was a great guy who was always laughing and joking with people.

The odd thing is, that he worked less then an hour from Galax and if I had know I could have stopped and visited with him. While working night shifts together and spending a lot of time discuss the future, neither of us could have foretold the future. It makes me wonder what has happened to the dozen of friends that I have known and lost contact with. How many have died or has went on to great future? How many have fallen on hard times? In the Army you spend a lot of time discussing life after the Army. Some guys have concrete plans, while others plan on just winging it. I just wished that I had a crystal ball where I could see where my friends are.

Catoctin 50K Trail Race

Today I finished the Catoctin 50K Trail Race. It was the hardest race I've ever did. It made the JFK 50 miler seem like a walk in the park. What made this race so difficult was the terrain. The trail was very, very rocky and in some place washed out. There was also two very long climbs, one at the turn around point and one at the end.

The journey started on Friday, when Dad and Alis accompained to the place where we would be staying. My friend Paul lives in Greencastle which is a short distance from the start of the race at Gambrill State Park. He own a farm there and we decieded that we would put up a tent on his place. After we got there, I had one of my dumb ideas. Paul has a barn and I thought that it would be nice to sleep in the loft. Dad thought the idea was great but Alis wasn't too sure, but she was a great sport and agreed to give it a try.

After we made our beds and laid down, the sleepless night began. First off there was a dog barking and it wouldn't stop. It kept on for hours. There was also the fact that I didn't have an alarm clock and I was afraid I would sleep through the 0400 wake-up. I called Gil to have her set the clock so that she could call me, I also set my cell phone as did Alis. Even though I had the alarm issue covered, I still could not sleep. Alis, had slept most of the day in the car and wasn't sleepy at all. She kept moving around and playing with her ipod and cell phone. Finally around 0100 I went into a half sleep. I was then awaken by Alis who had seen some bats fly into the loft. I woke up in time to see one flying around my head. I joking told Alis to cover up her feet or they would suck on her toes. She didn't think it was too funny.

Finally 0400 came and we got up, packed up, and left. We went to a truck stop and had pancakes for breakfast. From there we proceeded to the start of the race. We got there early enough to pretty much have a pick of parking places. I relaxed in the car and tried to catch up on my sleep until the start time.

At the begaining of the race you run around the parking lot and then start down the trail. The begaining is mostly a two mile downhill which isn't too bad until you remember that you have to come back up it at the end. I tried to run my own race and take my time but as usual I got caught up with other runners and kept pace with them. The first aid station is 6 miles away but for some reason it seemed to take forever. The next aid station is only three miles and it comes up very quickly. The third one is at the turn around point and is 6.5 miles. This is the toughest leg. There are several places where it is easy to get off trail. The closest that I came was when I was following this woman and we were going down hill on this jeep trail. A little over halfway down, Someone behind me called out that we had missed a turn. I hate to think what would have happen if not for the warning. After this I followed that kind man to the turn around point - since this was his fifth race. At the turn around point I was forced to leave my guide. He had slowed down and I wanted to get the climb over as soon as possible. I then tagged along with a three guys who I managed to stay with up to the end. They finished a little ahead of me due to the last great hill. This hill was a killer since it was at the end of the race and I had already ran almost thirty miles. At the top I was surprised to see Alis and Dad waiting for me. They took a photo and shouted words of ecourgement. It meant alot to see them and provided the final push to the end. I had a little trouble finguring out the trail to the parking lot and had to ask the lady who came up behind me. It sure was a great feeling to finally see the finish line, cross it, and receive my CAT CARD from the race director Kevin. I ended up with a 7:48.16 finishing time and placed 69 out of 114.

I was really beat at the end and told myself, Dad, and Alis that this would be the last time I would do this race. I've since changed my mind and plan on doing it again next year. As a matter of fact I can't wait to sign up.