Through the Eyes of Blue by Catherine Matsalla

Author:Catherine Matsalla
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: eBooks2go, Inc.

Chapter 25

Running Cold and Hot

My heart was pounding so hard; my ribs felt broken. The vibrations were making bile come up from my stomach into my mouth. I knew my legs were still there, even though they felt like tree stumps. The pain was gone because my muscles had been replaced with cement, and they were incredibly heavy. It was pouring rain, and I was soaking wet and shivering down to the bone while my teeth were chattering uncontrollably. It was the final hill of what felt like a hundred, the last of which I was slipping on the mud more than making headway. I had reached my breaking point. I kept thinking about what Coach had said. “D’Angelo, it is always lonely when you go that extra mile because no one has the drive and courage to go there.” So I kept pushing to that extra mile. My legs were done, but I was too afraid to stop because I thought I might drop and roll into a ditch, get covered in mud, and out of sight to anyone passing by. That is exactly what happened.

“Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!” I heard someone calling. I must have dozed off or was daydreaming. I didn’t know how much time had passed as I lay at the side of the road.

“What the…! What are you doing? What happened? Did you fall? I have been looking all over for you. You didn’t come back down after I thought you would be finished. You are soaking wet. Why didn’t you call me on your cell to come get you when this rain started?” It was Coach Lane. He had been giving me new supplies every three hours. I was late for the pick-up.

My cell. I forgot. Coach helped me up off the ground, and I took off my pack, which was dripping in mud. I didn’t think of trying to keep my cell dry even though it was my lifeline on all my runs. I felt stupid and disappointed in myself, and started apologizing, but because I was so exhausted, the words came out slurred.

“I could see on the GPS tracker that you stopped and didn’t start back moving. God girl, I didn’t intend for you to push yourself to this point.” Coach sounded exacerbated. I quickly lost the strength in my legs and slipped in the mud. “I have you. It’s OK. Don’t worry. I have you.” He changed his mood quickly consoling me as he picked me up off the ground. I sensed panic in his voice.

I was being lifted and carried, while I kept apologizing, and he kept telling me it was OK. He held me tight to his chest to keep me warm, so I rested my head on his shoulder. When we got to his truck, he placed me inside the passenger seat, returned with a blanket, and started the engine to blast the heat. He reached over to push the hair away from my face, wiped my eyes and face dry and rubbed my shoulders, back and legs, moving me as if I was a rag doll.

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