We were informed that using saline 2 weeks before an official race was considered doping. This was because the saline could flush any other substances that were banned. The fact that the IV was too close to the NY event was an issue. How did USADA find out? Well, there was a post on FB of Casey getting an IV. And you know all of those kind, supporting HATERS that follow us, well, they reported it. I find it ironic that people who HATE us, follow us. Sounds pretty time consuming for something you hate and don’t believe in. But that is how it works, isn’t it?! People LOVE to HATE, so they allow it to consume them. They are ‘trolls’ watching your every move, waiting for the right moment to strike! They want to catch you doing something, ANYTHING, where they can discredit you, and make an attempt to destroy you. Our ‘trolls’ so kindly took this opportunity to come after the Iron Cowboy and his crew.
(My favorite part is that Casey is craaaaazy fast. He did this race slow, goofed off the whole time, and posted an embarrassing time, as far as competing. Yet he was accused of doping…way to get that edge Casey!)
Our day in Pennsylvania was stationed in a mountainous, beautiful area. We were kind of in the middle of nowhere. We pulled in, from our drive, in the middle of the night. We parked the RV and slept until morning. One by one, people started to show up. There was a small group that hiked down to the water’s edge to swim with James. He ended up swimming in place, against the current. Finally realizing it, they turned the other way and swam with the current, instead of against it. They were picked up a little ways down, and brought back to the RV to start the bike.
We spent the day hanging out on sight. Because we were in the middle of the boondocks, there wasn’t anywhere to go, or anything to do. We did end up making a trip into town, a ways away, to a Walmart to get supplies and souvenirs. It was uneventful, but we were able to get some food for the day, and the kids found their goods.
Later in the afternoon, the ranger came and tried to ticket all of us. I guess because we had pulled in in the middle of the night, there was no one at the booth. So the Wingmen obviously didn’t pay much attention. We talked him into removing all of the tickets, from all of the cars of people coming to support us, and paying the regular park fees.
We used this day to get organized. We emptied out the van, went through everything, downsized with boxes and bins. With the Zyto girls helping us, we were able to get through this quickly and efficiently. The van was packed up nicely and things were now much more accessible. During this time, a few of the kids had gone down to the river to play in the water for a bit, and to cool off.
Fortunately for us, the AC was working in the RV. It was a hot day, and everyone wanted to be in the RV with the AC! It was packed! And really, there was nowhere else for anyone to hang out.
When James was ready to move onto the run, a balloon guy came. He made a lot of fun balloons for us, and it gave the kids a highlight for the day. It was unique, and it was age appropriate for my ducklings, they loved it.
The 5k was at another location. It got tricky because there was some sort of festival there. They gave us some grief at the booth, but somehow we managed to get through and park. We waited in the parking lot as the 5k occurred. James had requested that I fly with him that night, the drive was very long and James wouldn’t be able to make the start the next day if he drove. I was very hesitant, I didn’t want to leave my kids. I was worried that the RV would crash and everyone would die if I wasn’t there. Not sure how me being there would help that, but I seemed to think it would.
I decided to fly, so that I could be with James, and the RV took off before us. I had a camping chair and waited in the parking lot while James and Dallas finished the run. I talked on the phone with my friend for 2 hours as I waited. I was in a really frustrating place, figuring out all the issues with this doping thing, sorting out stuff with shirts, and many more issues that I won’t bore you with. We were getting so close…yet it still felt like there was so much that needed to happen before we finished.
That was a long night as I waited. I wasn’t completely alone, but it was the first time that I felt like I had any alone time on this journey. The call to my friend really helped, and I pulled myself together to endure.
We got a ride to a small airport. We were riding in a small plane. Dallas had run with James, and was now going with us on this flight. We all were uncomfortable on this plane, trying to figure out how to have Dallas work on James as we flew. I looked out the window as we took off, praying that my kids would be there alive when we got there. Before I knew it, I was sound asleep.
