BFG Training and its Unexpected Significance.

Before I begin my story I want to lay out two facts:

Hometown - Bismarck, ND Elevation: 1,696 ft. (Only 80 feet higher than the town I grew up in for the first 22 years of my life.)

Today's adventure - Lake Marie, WY Elevation: 10505 ft.

Now that we understand the significant difference in the level of altitude I was dealing with I will begin.(Also keep in mind, I genuinely struggle with acclimation every time I visit WY or CO. Each year Mike Erwin , Executive Director of Team Red, White & Blue challenges employees to come up with a BFG, or a big fitness goal. Mine happens to be pretty common, run a half marathon in 2:25 in the fall.

I have been working hard at it, I hate most of it but I am determined. I am not fast. I struggle with speed and running in general which is probably why. However, I am up to a slow 6 miles and a decent speed 4 miles in my training.

I had no idea that this training would be the reason I was able to sprint and get to an area where I could get cell coverage to make a 911 call. I am visiting family in Wyoming and we wanted to head to the mountains. We were excited, my nephew trying to catch fish with his bare hands, me trying to get used to my camera. We were there maybe 30 minutes before we ventured down a very steep set of steps. Both my sister and I commented on the pain in was causing our knees, which is not a normal issue for us. My dad was ahead of us with the kids and I ran up to ask them to slow down so my step mom, Lorrie, could catch up. Just as my dad got to her on the steps, she stepped off the last one and slid.

I heard my dad scream my name and I took off running - 150 feet or so I would guess with a back pack full of camera gear. I get there and my dad says "get to the car, get to Libby Flats and call 911 - her ankle is broken, badly." I look down and it sure was. Full L shape. So I sprinted up those steps, my lungs burning every second, feeling like I was literally sucking in air. I had to get up the steep incline, around a short trail, across a roadway and to the parking lot. My dad realized I didn't know where we were so he rode with me to make sure 911 was able to get the essential information (former dispatcher here) and him to make sure the location was accurate. We left my sister Bethany, with Lorrie and drove the 10 miles to get the call out.

Trying to keep this short, the wrong dispatch center answered but was able to pinpoint the exact location of the incident, not where we were calling from before transferring us. The two centers worked together seamlessly and next thing we are heading back. Dad goes down while I stay up top to wave down Emergency Services and keep my niece up away from the injury. By the time we got back, there were a number of people who stepped up to help as Lorrie laid unable to move. From bringing water to blankets and an umbrella to keep her shaded, they were incredible. I found out while I was calling 911 my sister passed out completely, probably from Lorrie's accident and the elevation; she was mumbling and her eyes were rolled back and she began to twitch. Without hesitation my 11 year old nephew took off to find an adult to help and my 9 year old niece kept trying to wake my sister up. Needless to say it has been a traumatic day for the family.

We had 5 different agencies show up to assist and a number of young men and women who helped carry Lorrie up to the roadway.

Had I not been training for this BFG, one that I want to succeed in but haven't really loved training for, I would have never been able to run like I did for help. No amount of adrenaline would have gotten me up that incline and we know that seconds matter with emergency services. It has now been 15 hours since the accident and my lungs literally burn. I am emotionally drained but also wiped from the brief, but extreme physical exertion. It is fun to train for a big fitness goal, it is fun to see your body push itself, but it is incredible when that training allows you to provide real time assistance to someone in need. I could tell by my lungs that I did in fact sprint, but still, in my mind, it felt slow. When I went to visit Lorrie in the ER she thanked me for running as fast as I did, she said I flew by her so quickly she wasn't sure it was me.

I never thought I would be so grateful to be training for a half marathon, where a large focus on my training has been my posterior chain (my weakness) and speed work (something I never worked on in the past.) I am grateful for my Team Red, White & Blue coworkers who keep me accountable in sticking with my training and grateful for the realization today that training for my BFG is also helping me train for life.

*My step mom is out of surgery, had to have a plate and multiple screws. I had to have a very serious talk with two scared young kids, who thought their mom was dying when she passed out, and who also saw a very traumatic injury with their Grandma. I explained that regardless how scared they were, even through tears they didn't hesitate and did exactly what needed to be done, something not every grown up would have even done. I am still breathing horribly due to the exertion on the lungs, but every weird whistle is a reminder that I was prepared today to push myself when it absolutely mattered, not something I could have done 6 months ago. I will share more photos of the adventures in the comments.

And yes, we now know that I should have stayed on the ground with my military training and dispatching experience, not my sister. But I had the keys and was really concerned they wouldn't be able to locate us due to the lack of cell coverage.