Alicia Shay has had a steady stream of visitors to the Flagstaff, Ariz., home that she and Ryan moved into a year ago. Her former Stanford teammates have come to train with her, including Lauren Fleshman, the 2006 U.S. 5,000 champion. Ryan Hall, the Olympic trials marathon champion, and his wife, Sara, stayed with Shay in January. Her parents and two sisters have been regular visitors.<\/p>\n
“I was amazed being there seeing first-hand how she deals with Ryan’s death day to day,” says Sara Hall, who was a bridesmaid in the Shays’ wedding. “She told me before that God was meeting her every need each day. To actually be there and see that was incredible. Her faith is very real.”<\/p>\n
So is the pain that can surface suddenly. “All day I have thoughts and memories of Ryan and us moving into my mind,” says Shay, who hosted an Easter brunch for 35 that included many runners. “When I’m not with people I can let down with, I’m constantly overriding and repressing those thoughts, memories and emotions. That’s when a small thing can set me off and it all comes crashing down.<\/p>\n
“A lot of times at night, it really gets hard. You lay there and there’s nothing to distract you. Sometimes If I can say it out loud, I can move on. Or I cry and five minutes later, I can handle the rest of the day.”<\/p>\n