Fate, Destiny, and an Angel?
Up in Wisconsin, I had the the oddest feeling about Clare. I couldn't put it in to words, but if pressed I would have said something like "a twin separated at birth or a long lost friend". During the 400K, I had planned on riding it in 16 hours, which would have put me back at the start just a little past dark. For some reason, I started at the back of the pack, just a bit slower than I had during the 200k and 300k. I was starting to work my way up the pack, when I stopped to chat briefly with Clare. Briefly turned into 2 hours, Which eventually turned into all day and night.
During the 600k, I committed to riding with Clare again (Steve Born had told me to ride it real easy). I've already written about the rainstorm and how well Clare took care of me. Again, we were out after dark and I didn't seem to mind. I was wide awake.
During RAAM 2006, I had difficulty staying awake on the first night, which wasn't a good sign. My plan was to ride straight through as most riders would do, but I needed a nap. I knew I was capable of riding straight through, but I couldn't stay awake.
So all the while I was in Wisconsin, I was trying to spend time with Clare hoping my brain would figure out why I had such an odd feeling about her, but like when you are trying to remember something, it comes to you after you stop thinking about it. It may seem obvious now, but I was 10 hours into my drive home when it hit me. That nagging feeling was my gut saying I needed her on my crew. I needed her to keep me awake and riding fast.
Way back when I first tried Sustained Energy by Hammer Nutrition, I wasn't really impressed (for about 30 seconds) and then it hit me how strong I was riding because of it. With Perpetuem, I had higher expectations, but again I was surprised by how strong I was riding because of it. I think having Clare on my crew is as essential as bringing along Perpetuem. She unlocked my potential; whether it will stay unlocked without her remains to be seen, I'm having a tough time convincing her to come along.
