I am NEVER taking Joe to a trail race again! Joe got himself into a battle with a bee and ended up in the freaking hospital... I mean COME ON…… but you have to give him an “A” for creativity… I mean what a creative way to get out of running! At least he keeps the blog interesting. Note: Joe had a serious life threatening reaction to a bee sting yesterday, thankfully we were at a race with medics on hand… here is the story:
Yesterday was the Bear Creek Half Marathon (21K) Trail Race at the Bear Creek Mountain Ski Resort (used to be Doe Mountain Ski Resort) and it was the last race in my trail running series… each race you earned points depending on how you placed…I was currently leading the points for my age group (40-44) and so all I had to do was finish this race and I would win my age group… so I signed Joe and I up and told him it would be a really great training run.. trails are better for the legs and such anyway.. yeah….
So knowing all I had to do was finish I was really excited about running.. no pressure, just finish and I will win series.. Joe was actually quite excited too.. taking pictures on drive up..Here is elevation chart:
When we got there we got our race bibs and they explained the course, it would be two loops approximately 13.1 miles for the 21K and only one loop (approximately 6.2 miles) for the 10K.. OF COURSE we were doing the 21k two loops…we would run around two ponds, then into the woods on single track heading up the mountain, most of the up and down would be on switch backs (back and forth) with a few straight ups and straight downs.
So off we go...yeah… it was a bit crowded at the start with everyone jostling for a good position and I lost sight of Joe... I didn’t realize he got held up behind some slower people and thus he finally found and PASSED me at mile 2.. he looked strong barreling up the hill… GOOD LUCK HONEY! (I said as I was trying to breathe WALKING up the hill)…
I thought I saw Joe smack his leg, so I thought …damn he just got stung.. that aint cool…..then I realized.. shit I have to pass right by there in a few minutes… THAT AINT COOL!!..
I was hoping the little bastards were too tired from jabbing their little pointers at the others to get me.. I was lucky.. no stings...whew… didn’t think too much about it afterwards except that we would have to come back and do this same path again on loop two.. UGH.. oh well… then I started to wonder how Joe was.. I really hoped he hadn’t gotten stung.. I mean I knew he did swell a bit a couple years ago when he got stung and I wasn’t worried about anything serious I just thought it may throw him off a bit…
The course was really rocky i
n spots and it took a great deal of concentration not to fall, slip, twist or splat... I myself was having an extremely difficult time with stabilizing my right ankle …Joe was still way ahead and out of sight.. I was really excited for him at how fast he was running..it was going to be a great day!As I rounded the end of the first loop (around mile 6), we came out into a small clearing where there were some volunteers and a water stop.. I saw Joe sitting on the grass..... I looked over a bit puzzled as why he would stop when he was doing so well and I asked him if he was alright…..he said, “Yeah, I’m done I got stung”..... I said, “Are you sure?” .. He said, “Yeah go ahead”…
Joe and I have an understanding.. if one of us drops for a reason (other than serious injury).. the other is to go on.. of course had I known he was near death.. well.. that would have changed everything… as I left him I felt really sad.. when your buddy is down you are down.. and I knew this was a real big disappointment... then I thought, oh he will need truck keys.
I hadn’t even gone 200 yards when I thought I should turn around and give him the keys.. I was carrying them and if he wanted to get in the truck for a change of clothes or to rest or whatever ... I am most certain he doesn't want to wait another hour for me to come back from loop two... so I went to turn around..but something held me back..
It was A REALLY REALLY STRONG something ...(ok you can make your jokes now)… I tried to go back but I couldnt... I am not sure I can fully describe it but it was definitely very weird.. so I just continued on…
(Thankfully for this I didn’t turn back as it turns out, if I had given the truck keys to him and he had made it back to the truck, he would have passed out ALONE in the truck with no medical attention)
After I left he said this is what he could recall.. he said he still has lapses on what exactly happen but the volunteers kept asking him if he was ok and then he tried to get up and couldnt… he said he started to lose his vision, his entire body was swollen and got hives and he was having trouble breathing, they called the medics..they put him in the golf cart to get him back to the lodge and he passed out. They called the ambulance… then he goes into shock.. convulsing and shit. 
I am up in the mountain now.. having NO idea this is going on.. and I hear an ambulance... you know how you can hear stuff for miles up on top of a mountain… echoing… well I am thinking Mother F- better not be for Joe, it better be for some old man who tripped or something... I am thinking hmmm....no way.. I mean what are the chances? So I pick up the pace A LOT…
As I am picking up the pace I am also losing concentration as I am starting to worry now… what if it is Joe.. what is going on??.. how can I get back faster? ....No, it cant be Joe.. NO… so one of the things that is BAD when you are trail running is to NOT pay attention..
I stumbled, then I caught my foot on a small rock ledge ....as I am flying through the air something caught me… and I didn’t smash my head on the rock bed.. in fact I remained upright.. and back running.. it was the weirdest experience… and I continued on.. ok.. so maybe you folks dont believe it but either I can fly or something is watching my back… because when I clipped that rock I was propelling forward mid air with absolutely no control of my feet… how I remained upright is unknown…
As I was coming up to the finish line I knew.. somehow you just know… boy what a weird feeling… I don’t know how I knew but I did... as soon as I cross they read my number and called the race director over.. he is a friend and soon as he saw me he pulled me aside… and between my gasping breaths (I was trying to breath)… I said, “How’s Joe?”
He tells me they had to take Joe to hospital, he was stable….that he had a really bad reaction to some bee stings... and to talk to the EMT.. I am trying really hard not to freak out.. my mind is racing around in five million ways but I remain calm and I concentrate on what he says.. I find the EMT.
I feel utterly alone.. I don’t know what to do..like I need Joe to be here and help... I listen really carefully as the EMT gives me the info and goes over his condition... then he gives me instructions to the hospital. We were in upstate PA and thankfully I also had the truck Garmin with us… and so I clicked on hospitals and it listed Lehigh… and I was on my way.
I tried not to think too much on the ride over, tears were welled up in the corners of my eyes... and my mind started to wander... I just don’t know what I would do without him...this seems so surreal.. we were just laughing and carrying on an hour or so ago and now I am rushing to the hospital and I dont know.. I mean he is like my right arm... and what the H-ll am I suppose to do with all of our freaking toys?! What an eerie feeling that ride was..
You will be very proud of me... I didn’t even stop to check the race board for my race results before I went to the hospital…..although I did sideway glance over that direction I didnt stop! ... Ok... so perhaps that’s sick humor but for those who really know me .. you know you are thinking that!
When I got to the hospital.. my heart did a flip flop when I asked the admission personnel for Joe Mastripolito and she took a long time with lots of hmms to look him up and then non smiling like she said come with me... SO NOT COOL... but my heart swelled back up and I got a huge smile on my face when I saw him resting comfortably with all sorts of things hooked up to him…(damn he sure knows how to get some rest and relaxation!!)… I gave him the biggest hug and kiss and then an ugh don’t ever do this to me again!
We would end up staying at the hospital for half the day as they wanted to keep him for observation and to make sure he didn’t have a secondary reaction. He was still a bit swollen but the medicine had worked… we talked a lot about things.. and he said that he had wished he had finished the race… SIGH....
They released him with instructions to me on what to look for in the next few days, that if he even has the slightest problem breathing or wheezing or doesn’t feel well to come right back to the ER… so with a couple prescriptions we head off… he has to carry Epinephrine (spell) Epi Pen now.. it’s a needle you jab into the thigh if he were to get stung again… so he has to figure out how to carry it while trail running, mountain biking and stuff… I told him to give it to me when we are together because I will have NO PROBLEM jabbing him with it!
Joe said yesterday am…. prior to us racing that I was trying to kill him (joking, meaning that I was training him too hard with running and such) and now he has proof... yikes... what a way to get out of doing a run!
I think this really scared him.. I know it scared the h-ll out of me… I think the feeling that something like this…. so off the wall and unexpected could almost kill him really is unnerving… what I am very very thankful is… that we were in a race and that there were medical people right there.. and that they could transport him to the hospital in an ambulance…. I think all that helped save him…
To his credit he ran over 3 miles with the bee sting venom in him.. he is a very lucky man. My guy.. needs a bubble put around him.. my bubble boy.
PS: today he said he can tell the poison is still in him (itchiness), and his ankle is still a kankle (swollen). As of mid-morning, he could tell his body was trying to kick it because he’s still getting intermittent tingling in different areas. His leg has been really sore at times. But he’s being watched closely at work.. and all is going well…
PSS: Our one friend Michelle put it nicely… "Glad he is okay, don’t you think you had enough excitement for one summer?? How about just sitting on the beach and relaxing with a good book for a change.” That Michelle is the plan! One vacation coming up… 7 days and counting ....
