A Supportive Wife

Martin decided to ride 100 miles this past weekend in the Castle Crags Century Ride…And I was there to be the best supportive wife ever. 

We left Friday after work, and after some horrific traffic, we managed to get out of the city and onto the open road of I-5 before I completely lost it.  Running slightly behind our intended schedule (to be in Shasta before 9pm to pick up Martin’s race packet), we admitted defeat and stopped for gas, groceries and dinner at the Brown Bear Diner in Redding.  Martin was excited and bought a mug to commemorate our elegant meal of salad and grilled cheese.

We arrived at the house after dark and unpacked quickly so Martin could get his much needed beauty sleep; he wanted to wake up at 4:30am to prepare for the day and ensure he was ready for the 6:30 start.  Being the loving wife, I put myself on alarm duty so Martin could have a sound sleep with earplugs in and without fear of missing the morning call…the noise of the train and river would keep any sane person awake without them.  I was willing to make the sacrifice.

He thankfully woke to the alarm without issue and I awoke shortly thereafter to my 5:10 alarm to drive him to the start.   We made it to check in by 5:30am and after a good luck kiss, I was back in bed by 6am for a few additional hours of sleep to make up for the night before. 

After my second sleep, followed by a morning of yoga and solo brunch in Shasta City, I headed back to Shasta City Park (both the start and finish line) to wait for Martin and properly celebrate his personal feat! He arrived around 2:30, sweaty, salty and smiling.  He quickly scarfed down a burrito, pepsi and all remaining food he had on him, enjoyed a chair massage compliments of the race organizers and we set off for home to relax the rest of the afternoon.  Surprisingly he wanted to relax on the deck with a few cold beers before dinner, and I was happy to oblige.  And on our walk to dinner, I even offered him a piggyback ride down the 50 stairs to save his tired legs from any additional strain…true to form, he declined, noting his legs weren’t that tired.

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner at Café Maddelena on the patio with a perfect combination of food, wine, beer and ambiance.  We even splurged on dessert to make the moment last a little longer.  And once again to my surprise, Martin wanted to stay up for once last beer at home before heading to bed. I was exhausted and passed.

The next morning I drove home with a tired but satisfied Martin riding in the passenger seat.  And I was able to feel great about my own performance as the supportive wife.