Lessons from the Front Pt 2 - Medical ReliefIt is nearly impossible to make certain movements during the first minutes after finishing a marathon. Bending over, for example, is out of the question, especially with that bottle of wine in hand. Therefore, a close examination of whatever it was that was wrong with my toe was also out of the question. My friend suggested going to one of the medical tents. I didn't’t think my toe was worth a whole lot of concern, but with that much talent standing around, why not. I picked one and, wine bottle in hand, went inside. No one there spoke a word of English. I limped around in a circle and pointed at my left foot. One of the nurses led me to a cot and motioned for me to lie down. She tried several questions in French. I tried several answers in English: No success. She began a rather detailed examination of my foot. She called one of the others, who came over and did the same thing. She, in turn, called a third. The number of nurses gathered around my cot continued to grow. Each took turns prodding, wiggling, feeling and staring at my foot (it was wonderful). They would ask me another question in French. I would nod and wave the bottle of wine in the direction of my foot again. This was followed by more mumbling and then yet another recruit would come and look. I thought about how good it was that they were taking no chances. One of them made a sawing motion with her hands. The others agreed. She pulled two of my toes apart and they all bent over and looked. Again, each motioned agreement. “Whoa! Wait a minute!” I took a swig from the wine bottle and tried to sit up. “What are you going to do?” One of the women held her finger up and sawed at it with another finger and then pointed at a toe. "Coot, deeg." Containing the onset of a panic attack, I choked, “Are you kidding? What coot? ” She walked to the other end of the tent. The others looked at me and smiled the kind of sweet grins I got from a class of student nurses as they viewed the performance of my first colonoscopy. I began to frantically look for a way out. The woman came back with a small box. As she opened it, the others gathered around my foot, blocking my view. I felt the probing of several hands, there was some cold liquid, and then something else. Moments later, all but the first nurse left. Smiling, she handed me a piece of paper and motioned for me to sign it. I looked at my foot. Perched at the tip of one of my toes was a simple, single band-aid. She said, “Toe NAIL… Coot, coot… cut. It Dig.” And she repeated the sawing motion on her finger. There was an echo in the tent, "Next time, bring a dictionary." (rs) |
About The Wine Bottle About that full, uncorked large bottle of wine that was given to me at about the 38K mark one year? However, running with an open bottle, preserving the sum of its contents, put a further crimp in my ever more imperfect profile. I could not bring myself to throw the whole thing into a trash can. A whole bottle to share and enjoy after we finished... Never! So, on I went, arm outstretched in an attempt to smooth the bounce and keep as much wine in the bottle as I could. I still have the finish line picture. You could never tell by looking at it - big smiles, hand in hand, what a perfect picture. Fortunately, you can't see the finish clock, nor can you see the little old lady that waddled past us a half mile before the line. She was being interviewed on television. We were just smiling (according to the picture - I wish I knew why). I made my trip to the medical tent (see above) and then we left. It was a struggle getting it all the way back to the hotel, still without a cork. But, still with the bulk of its' contents. Then, there were no glasses, just a straw from something we got the night before. Two pulls on that straw and I was out like a light. There is a marathon in wine country. It's in Medoc to be exact. In addition to your typical water stops, they have wine stops. You run up and down among these rows of vines and there is a refreshment table at the end of each row. I understand many do not finish that event. Hmmm. I may do that one some day. (rs) |
Race Day: Finish Line
The red line on the map marks the course from the park through the finish line. Green squares (Friends and Family) identify the location of subway stations and meeting points. Place the mouse pointer over the circle to display the name of the station. Click on the name to view information on trains that are appropriate for those interested in following the progress of their runners across the course. Blue squares (Video Segments) mark the location at which the video segments listed in the viewer on this page were produced.