A mother's intuition

Call me crazy if you want.  My son, John, ran in a marathon last weekend, the Richmond Marathon.  Both of my sons have been competitive since "way back."  But they are smart about it too.  John trained for months for this marathon.  He knew what he was doing.

I can't explain it, but on Saturday morning, long before the race began, I had an unsettling feeling inside me.  I ignored it.  John was so looking forward to this marathon - his first - and I was happy for him.  Yet there was that nagging feeling deep inside me that just wouldn't go away.

I went on the website he gave me where you can follow the progress of the runners.  His name never appeared.  Although, later I learned that list is often not complete.

I really didn't have time to dwell on my fears.  I have a new puppy in the house and on weekends, I have a lot to do around the house.  The work is never done.

I was driving down Elmwood Avenue when my cell phone rang.  Almost never will I answer my phone when I'm driving.  But it was John's twin brother calling.  So I answered.

John had collapsed at the 25+ mile mark of the marathon.  I think my heart stopped beating at that point.  I quickly pulled onto a side street where I could stop and hear more from Michael.  I am a mother, first and foremost.  I can - and have - endured a lot of emotional and physical pain in my life.  But don't harm my children.

At that point, all we knew was John had gotten dehydrated and they had taken him to the hospital for "observation" and would most likely let him go home in awhile or maybe keep him overnight.

It was a long few days as they continued to keep John in the hospital.  I learned that when you get severely dehydrated, your kidneys go to your muscles to grab protein, which raises your protein levels and that's not good.  I was also told that had it not been for the swift action of the race organizers at the scene, things may have been much worse for John.

I am happy to report that John is home now and is much improved.  He's just working on regaining his strength.  He is the last person one would expect to have this happen.  In the last 5 months, he has run more than 600 miles.  He definitely prepared well for this race.

Thank God for happy endings.