Re-sentenced to Prison

It's been a long couple of weeks sitting around and waiting. After returning from the 416 fire, we had 3 firefighters who were removed from our team. While we were fighting fire down in Durango, we were assigned to protect a couple of nice houses - we were on what they call "structure protection". A couple of my fellow, astute inmates, decided it would be OK to steal marijuana from one of the homeowners whose home we were protecting. And in classic inmate fashion - they got caught. And it resulted in them being charged with new crimes (while in prison). 

Of course, the entire state of Colorado is currently on fire and we are hopelessly sidelined until we fill the three positions-which will hopefully be done this week. I've been reading and writing a lot during our pause, and recently finished a great book called, "The Big Burn". It's a fantastic book about the largest wildfire in American History. "The Big Burn", located on the Idaho/Montana border (near Wallace), burned 3 million acres in 2 days. The smoke plume stretched all the way to Greenland! There was a quote in the book that said that, "Fighting fires was the closest thing as going to war." I have obviously never been near a war zone, but I can see the similarities. And I can tell you that the adrenaline rush that I feel on the front lines of a fire are unlike anything I've ever felt. The exhaustion of fighting an opponent as formidable as a fire, alongside other firemen, all the while knowing in the back of your mind that your life is always on the line is incredible. And so to just sit here in the facility, watching the fire on the news, hearing about the lack of resources, the homes burning, poor containment, dry conditions-is like being re-sentenced to prison. Maybe it's only something that other firemen can understand-but I want back in the action-I've never enjoyed the sidelines. 

There was another  1.5 mile run for the new recruits, but little did I know that we would all be expected to run with them. If you've followed my blog, you know that in order to qualify for the inmate fire team, candidates must run a 1.5 mile race in 12 minutes. I ran the qualifying race in 11:59.7 in March-barely qualifying. Fortunately for me, I've got a secret weapon known as Brandon Stokey. 

Stokey was instrumental in helping me train for the initial run. After making the run and the team, he told me that our real training was 'just the beginning'. And so, much like when I was preparing for the qualifying run, Stokey and I have continued our regime for the past 4 months. If you were asking me, I'd tell you we're running ALL THE TIME. If you ask Stokey, he'll tell you that we're not running enough. Between long-distance runs, sprints, and cross training, we typically run 15-20 miles a week. Stokey is either the best or worst workout partner that you could ever have-depending how you look it. He will never let us miss a day (other than our day off, Sunday). Imagine those mornings where you're tired, want to sleep a little longer... don't want to workout... now imagine a human alarm clock/trainer that comes to the house and forces you onto the track or into the weight room-that's my man Stokey. All the training has definitely paid off. I currently weigh 248 lbs- a total loss of 40 lbs since coming into prison on January 24. And my 1.5 mile was 11:10- 49 seconds faster than my qualifying time. My one mile split was 6:37-something that I'm very proud of. I've also been moved to a "sawyer" (chainsaw dude) on the fire team which is very physically demanding, so the training has helped tremendously.

The only positive thing about being sidelined was being able to get a visit from Sallie. She and the kids are back from her parent's ranch and she came over to visit on Saturday and Sunday. Spending time with her has never meant more to me than it does now. I find myself wondering how I ever made the mistake of taking our Friday and Saturday date nights for granted. I find myself daydreaming about just cuddling and watching a good movie. The dream does not end there, but for my kids' sakes, this post must... 


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