One week ago I wrote about the pending Chicago Marathon on October 13, and my son’s plans to run it with me as the support team.
Today’s the day I take the South Shore commuter train into Chicago and meet Kevin at the Palmer House, our home for the next three days. He has trained well for this event, and our conversation yesterday was about carb loading, where I should stand at various points as he runs by, and where to meet after the 26.2 mile race.
What wasn’t said — because I don’t want to add any stress to his preparation – is that I’ve tried to put in place a security system for my husband who, at eighty-nine, is prone to falling. He’s also prone to doing well when I’m not around. Hopefully, one balances out the other.
I know Earl doesn’t like me to be gone; at the same time, he understands this is how I see my grown children. I follow one around the country to marathons; I spent nine years working in the other son’s company and Zoom with him every week. Both sons live hundreds of miles from us, so it takes concerted effort to stay connected.
While I’m gone, I’ll stay connected with Earl too. Friends are checking on him; he and I will talk or text a couple times a day, and I’ll be home in 72 hours. Should something unforeseen happen, I can get home from Chicago in a matter of a few hours.
In the meantime, there’s homemade navy bean soup, homemade barbecued chicken, and homemade egg salad for croissant sandwiches for him to enjoy while Kevin and I are carb loading with pasta.
Wish everybody luck!
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