TREK UPDATE DAY 21
Coudersport, PA to New Milford, PA
Total daily mileage: 142. Total team mileage: 70. Total Individual mileage: 14.2
Last night we stayed in a nice hotel. It had the amenitie that was most sought after during our trip, high speed internet service. We were like kids in a candy store with the ability to pop out emails with out having to wait for dial up service.
The weather pattern was exactly the same as it was the night before. It rained hard through the evening but then subsided as the morning dawned.
I was running the whiners and took the first leg in the rotation. I had perhaps one of the best runs I’ve had on the entire trip. It contained all the elements of what I enjoy about running. It was a cool morning, a bit misty, after a mile or so of flat the road began to climb (I love hills), there was a soft shoulder to run on and the scenery was beautiful. Combined with the fact that my legs were feeling good (after being flat yesterday), I enjoyed myself immensely. It was a nice pick me up with three days left to know that I was still able to be uplifted by the simple act of running. In it’s essence, that’s what this trip is about, running.
My second and third legs were equally as good. The roads were classic rolling hills. You’d go up and then you would go down. I did this twice for 5 miles each. After all the flat roads we ran on in the Midwest, it was nice to have a different terrain.. I go t lucky because although it did rain while we were running, I dodged the bullet and all my runs were dry.
I finished my last run at the top of a hill that afforded me a great panoramic vista of the Pennsylvania countryside. It was a great way to end the day. It reinforced the fact that all parts of this country are gorgeous. They are all certainly different but they all share a great beauty.
As we near the end of the TREK, it’s amazing to look back and think about what it is we have accomplished.
In my next email, I’ll attempt to capture some of the feelings I’m experiencing as we near the final day of our journey.
Total trek mileage thus far is 3,035 (w ecracked the 3,000 barrier). I’ve now run 303.5 miles in three weeks. That’s an average of over 100 miles per week. I never thought I would run that quantity in my life. It’s amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it.
Stay healthy,
Josh
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TREK UPDATE DAY 20
Meadville, PA to Coudersport, PA
Total team mileage: 154. Total group mileage: 77. Total individual mileage: 15.4
I woke up on the morning of the 20th day and as I’ve been doing each of the mornings (when the technology is available), I checked my emails. You might remember that I told you yesterday about meeting a couple who were biking while I was running. I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from them. I thought that the essence of the trip was epitomized when I read it and saw that they had made on line donation. Three strangers meeting on a country road in PA, who connected in less than 10 minutes yet came together to help out the charities that we are running for. I truly believe that most people have good hearts and it was proved to me once again by the actions taken by these strangers from the road in PA.
The word for the day was RAIN!!!. All night long it had rained hard and if the rain wasn’t enough the thunder and lightening added visual and audible theatrics. When I stepped outside at 5:15 am to make the coffee ( I feel like Fred the donut maker from Dunkin Donuts “Time to get up and make the donuts”), the rain was still falling strong.
The town of Meadville from where we were starting was evidently flooded in the downtown area and there was uncertainty as to whether we would be able to run through town. After a quick consult with the local police it was determined that the road we needed torun on was open and we were able to proceed.
I was running with the whiners this morning. We decided to break our 15.4 miles into segments of 5.2,5.1, and 5.1 miles. I was the fifth man up in the rotation. Our first three runners got pretty wet but when the 4th man was out, the rain subsided and from that point on, although the skys were gloomy and we got occasional drizzle we dodged the bullet. It was incredible to see the effect the hard rain had on the rivers,lakes and ponds we passed. All the water levels were high, all the currents were screaming and when we did go through Meadville we could see the section of town that was flooded. It was a scary sight to see a street under 6 feet of water.
As we started the run, we were all a bit apprehensive about the PA terrain that lay ahead of us. We had all heard so much about the unrelenting up and down hills and now we were there. We were to find out that all that we had been told was true.
As I started my run, I heard noises that I didn’t quite recognize. It took me a moment but I soon realized I was hearing bull frogs from the bodies of water I was passing. At first it was a bit unsettling but it soon turned into a soothing sound. I thought about the many animals I saw and heard as I did my miles. We are not alone out there.
I also remarked to myself that the landscape seemed very familiar. Although I’ve never been to this part of PA, it had the look and feel of New England. I felt like I was running on native soil. Other famalier signs appeared and I read “Entering the township of…., or entering the Borough of…..”. These town descriptives are local to this neck of the woods. I didn’t see a lot of boroughs while running through Nebraska.
I got through my first leg just fine. When I returned to the RV, I saw my teammates being interviewed by a local newspaper reporter who had seen the sign on our RV and stopped to find out what it was we were doing. She was going to write a piece for her paper. Once again, we saw the message of TREK being disseminated to the public. We’re continually amazed at how this adventure intrigues people and how much they want to learn about it.
My second leg was marked by my continual observance of just how green everything was around us (by this time a little sun was peeking through). We are truly in springtime and it felt good to see the trees and grass in full bloom. My legs felt smooth on both my first and second run. Not a lot of speed but I still feel fluid.
My third leg was the one that would mark the en of the days running for the whiners. I like taking this spot in the rotation as it’s nice to know that you’re bringing the days work to an end for your friends. I finally felt some snap in the legs and was able to generate some quicker miles. We finished on a nice spot in the road and took a group picture. It will be so nice to look back at these photos and rekindle the memories of the trip.
On our way to the motel, we stopped at a campground to dump the RV (what goes in, must come out). As we’ve come across country and stopped at campgrounds to clean out the vehiclesI am amazed at how many people live in campgrounds. Again, it shows that there is no “one” way in which Americans lead their lives. Some live in suburbs, some live in the City, others live in campgrouonds. Now, if we could all get along, that would truly be the story of the day.
While we were there Dave McGillivray did a radio interview. We’re getting a lot more exposure as we near the end of our journey. We hope it will translate into additional fund raising revenues.
At the end of the day we had completed 2,893 miles of our 3,3372 total miles. We have 479 miles left to do in 4 days . I have now run 289.3 miles in 20 days. That’s an average of over 14 miles a day.
Tomorrow we continue through PA. I’ll keep you posted on how the hills are.
Have a nice weekend
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TREK UPDATE DAY 19
Cleveland, OH to Meadville, PA
Total team mileage :78. Total Group mileage: 39. Total individual mileage: 7.8
I can’t believe that as I write this update, I put Day 19 on the title line. It seems just a short while ago that I was penning update number 1. As I say to my spin classes when I am treating them to multiple quantities of hill repeats or speed intervals, and we go over the halfway point, the numbers are now working in our favor.
Although each day has a repetitive feel to it (i.e get up, make breakfast, do the runs, clean the RV’s, eat dinner, do emails and updates, go to sleep), each day has been unique. I imagine it’s been the structure of the routine that has facilitated the ability to go out and enjoy each day on it’s own merits.
The strongest merit of todays run was our bidding adieu to Cleveland. Although I love big cities, I’d rather spend my time there engaging in activities other than running. When it comes to racking up the miles, it’s much easier done on the open roads than on the congested streets.
I was running with the moaners again. Since the days starting spot for the TREK was about 15 miles from the motel, we traveled en masse to the intersection of Euclid Ave and Cliffview Rd. From that point we left the whiners and began our sojourn 39 miles down the road where we would start our half of the course.
It was amazing that within 3 miles we had completely left the urban landscape behind us and once again found ourselves in the country. It was an incredible transition from concrete to grass but one that we all enjoyed making.
For the second day in a row our mileage was significantly less than what we had been doing on a daily basis. In addition to resting the legs for the final push that will take place on Friday thru Tuesday, we had also originally been scheduled to appear at Jacobs Filed at a Cleveland Indians home game. Unfortunately, this did not pan out but we welcomed the rest anyway. I feel the body has a tremendous capacity to produce enormous physical acts, but you need to give it recovery in order to keep going.
The moaners decided to do our allotment in one fell swoop. We would each do a leg of 7.8 miles.
I was the 4th man up in the rotation. My leg carried me from Ohio into Pennsylvania. Nine states down three to go (PA, NY, and MA). The PA countryside was much different from what we had seen since we left San Fran on May 1. For the first time on the TREK, open land was not dedicated to crops, cattle or horses. I saw open fields of just grass and trees. It reminded me so much of what I am used to seeing in New England. As I’ve written before, the greens of spring are now so vibrant. It was great to be running admidst the splendor of the pastures.
Nothing of great significance happened on this run. The weather today was stormy so the clouds dominated the sky. I was fortunate that I didn’t get drenched in a downpour as did some of my moanermates. I started easy and worked my way into a nice pace. About 2 miles into it I was passed by a couple doing a bile tour. They slowed down to say hi and we ended up running/cycling alongside each other for a few miles. I told them my tale and they shared theirs (retired, travel to campgrounds, do a bike tour of 20 to 30 mile every day). It was a great exchange between strangers. It reinforced my feeling that there is no right or no wrong when it comes down to choices about what you do for physical activity. It doesn’t matter if you run, bike , or walk. The important thing is just finding something you like to do and going out an doing it.
We said so long after our chat and I was left with a nice warm feeling as I finished up my run.
When we got to our end point we realized we were about 7 miles short of our designated end point. One of our support crew, Dave Leonard volunteered to run it and I volunteered to support him. The rest of the team plowed onto the motel and I stayed with Dave as he cranked out the miles. For the second time in a short while, I had a nice feeling. This time it was associated with being able to give support to the guy who has given me so much on this trip. It reinforced our team spirit and confirmed that we allare contributing to the success of the TREK. Dave was ecstatic that he could for the first time on our trip actually say that he ran some of the miles on the days assigned course.
Once we got back to the motel, it was a bit earlier than we usually arrive. Mike Barry and I found a local gym and went through a weight work out. It felt good to lift weights. We had only done it once before on the TREK. Giving the arms as opposed to the legs a workout was a nice change of pace.
Tommorow we head further into PA. We know we have lots of hills ahead of us.
With 2,739 miles down (I’ve now run 273.9 miles in 19 days), we know the end is in sight.
It will be great to see the Citgo sign on Tuesday afternoon.
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TREK UPDATE DAY 18
Freemont, OH to Independence, OH
Total team mileage: 98 miles. Total group mileage: 49 miles. Total individual mileage: 9.8 miles.
After spending the night in Freemont we’re making our way into the Cleveland area.
Given that we changed time zones and had to drive 20 miles from our ending spot to the motel, we arrived fairly late. After a quick shower we went out for a bite to eat. We’ve become fans of all you can eat buffets because they satisfy our need for copious quantities of food and we can get in and out of there quickly.
Todays mileage is nearly a third less than what we have been covering. We did this by design. It gives us a chance to recover a bit from the work we’ve been doing over the last 10 days and to recharge our bodies in anticipation of the tough roads that lie ahead of us in Pennsylvania.
It’s clear that we are now in the industrialized part of the country. The large patches of wide open spaces that we’ve grown accustomed to have now virtually disappeared. The roads that we found easy to follow because it was “straight ahead” now become more challenging to stay on course.
I was running with the moaners again so we drove 48 miles to begin our half of the course.
We decided to run two splits of 5 miles and 4.8 miles respectively.
Although, I just mentioned above that the roads were becoming harder to follow (which they were as we were driving to our starting spot), once we arrived we found ourselves on the shores of Lake Erie. It was the first major body of water we had seen since the Pacific Ocean. The communities we ran through for the first 40 miles were delightful lakeside communities. It reminded me of Lake Winnapausakee in NH. Little did I know the contrast we would experience as we entered Cleveland for the final 10 miles of our day .
Lake Erie is huge as were the houses that adorned the lakefront. There were lots of trees to provide shade and the weather was cooperating with cool temperatures. I was running in the 4th spot of the rotation and when I finally got out to run I was rearing to go. I was moving along fine when somewhere in the second mile of my run, I had something happen to me that has only happened once before in my entire life. A bird flying above me decided that I was just the right target to make a deposit it on. Fortunately, I had my trusty handkerchief with me and with the assistance of some water I was carrying was able to clean myself off and continue on my way. My first inclination was to get angry but I realized that would do me no good. So I chuckled to myself and continued on enjoying the lake front scenery.
I mentioned the contrasts in my two legs above and now I’ll tell you what that was about. As I began my 4.8 mile leg, I stood on the western edge of the bridge that brought you into downtown Cleveland. I ran over the bridge and stepped foot onto the first big city street since may 1. It felt good to be back in an urban environment similar to that which I am comfortable with in Boston. I like running in the heart of the city (as much as I love running in the solitude of the countryside). For my first mile and a half I was running through the downtown business section with big buildings and lots of office workers.
However, this urban landscape was soon replaced by the urban blight which plagues all of our major cities in the US. It was fairly depressing to see the “poor side” of town after seeing so much of the beauty of America. But the reality in our society is that the “ugly” coexists with the “pretty” and you have to be able to deal with all aspects of our culture.
I kept my head up and my pace strong as I ran my final 2.5 miles to the bewildered stares of the people on the streets. There were a lot of unusual looks and cat calls, but O ultimately made it to my end point.
All in all it was a great day (as all of the days have been).
We’ve covered 2661 miles as a team and I’ve personally run 266 miles in 18 days . That’s an average of 14.8 miles per day.
I’ll close by telling you that a good friend of mine wrote to tell me that one of her family members was suffering from a serious illness at a young age. She reminded me that we need to take nothing for granted and to squeeze every bit out of every day we live.
I feel like this TREK has reinforced that sentiment for me. It’s so important to tell those who you love that you love them. It’s so important to find time to do the things you want to do. It’s so important to find a way to give back.
I wish nothing but the best to all of you and once again thank you for your support of me.
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TREK UPDATE DAY 17
Plymouth Indiana to Freemont, OH
Total mileage for the day: 166. Total miles for each group: 83.3 Total individual mileage: 16.6.
We’ve covered 2,563 miles as a team. I’ve personally run 256.3 miles on 16 days of running. I continue to feel good and my spirits are high. I get up each day excited about covering the assigned distance. In fact as we get closer to home, I’m thinking about adding mileage to the assigned daily amount. I’ll let you know how that goes.
For the second day in a row I ran with the Whiners (group 1 covering the forst half of the course). When I awoke at 4:30 am it was pouring outside. Fortunately it stopped by the time I got out to the RV’s at 5:15 to make the coffee and set up the breakfast (Bob Whirty and I have been doing this for the team each day).
Once we began running at 6:15 it had turned cool but you could feel the humidity mounting. I ran the first leg which was 6 miles. I started easy but once I warmed up the pace quickened. It must have been wide loads on the roads day because within the first mile I had been passed by what seemed like 20 trucks carrying wide loads. I had to jump out of the way a few times. I got sprinkled on a few times as well. But that felt good, unlike being passed by the big trucks.
After I finished my leg, we soon passed through Elkhart, IN where they manufacture, RV’s. That explained the number of wide load trucks that went by me. They were all coming from the factory.
Also, after I finished my run, Hap Farber, Bill Lapsley and I had to find an RV campground so we could dump the waste contents of the RV. I point this out just to show you that the TREK isn’t all glamour. Often you have to get your hands dirty and take care of business.
As we continued on down the road we passed through pockets of Amsih culture. Saw horse drawn buggy carriages, women and men wearing traditional Amish Garb. I had expected to see this in PA, not in OH. But there is an active community from what we saw.
The next time my rotation came up, I decided to combine my 6 and 4.6 mile legs together and get it done in one fell swoop of 10.6 miles. When I started to run, the sound of thunder was rumbling in the distance. The forecast had called for storms in the afternoon and evidently they were out there. Fortunately, the sound stayed in the distance and I never got hit with any rain. The 10.6 miles went great. I started conservatively but by the time I got to 4 miles I was moving along strong.
We crossed the IN/OH border today and finally caught up to Eastern Time Zone.
We’ve done 8 states thus far and have 4 more to go (OH, PA, NY and MA).
I’ll check in with all of you tomorrow.
Josh
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TREK Update Day 16
Ottowa, IL to Plymouth,IN
Total mileage for the day: 150. Total miles coverd by each group:75. Total individual mileage.
When we finished Day 15 (on Sunday May 16) in Ottowa, IL, Dave McGillivray and I continued our non running activity trend by shooting baskets. There was a school yard close by and we played “21”, two games out of three. It went all three and Dave squeaked out a narrow victory in the third and final game. It’s a nice feeling at the end of the day to be able to do something other than just flop into bed exhausted. Next up on our list of activities is Whiffle ball. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
The end of Day 15 continued on a positive note because two of our friends from St Louis had come to meet us and run with us the next day.
I was assigned to run with the Whiners today (running the first half of the course). We decided to break our mileage into three segments of 6 miles, 5 miles and 4 miles. This descending distance has now become de rigeur and I personally look forward to the last installment which seems relatively short.
Our friends from St Louis (Nancy and Mona) ran the first leg with us. Dave and I decided to shake up our routine a bit. We both ran the first leg together. We did this so we could run with Nancy and Mona together. After about a ¼ mile, Dave and Mona separated from Nancy and I (they were running just a tad faster) and I continued on with Nancy. Two things happened on the first run that made it special. The first was that I was running with a running partner for the first time since we started the TREK. I had forgotten how fast the miles slip away when you’re chatting away (and you know how I love to chat). The second thing that happened was the first mile from the motel went through a classic suburban style neighborhood. It was the first time since we had started the TREK that I had run on anything other than”main” roads.. Again, it reminded me what runnking is like when you do it at home. You have your well established routes that are generally nice roads to run on. Since we need to make tracks eastward, we never run through “back roads”. So all in all the first run was a great one.
After we said good bye to Nancy and Mona we plowed ahead. We were three men into the rotation when I realized I had left my wallet and phone back at the hotel. This would prove to be the first of two logistical blunders I experienced today. I had to take the van and high tail it back to the hotel and retrieve my valuable items. It took slightly less than an hour to get it done and by the time I hooked back up with the Whiners, I was so aggravated that I needed to quell my frustration by going out for a run.
Dave was back up in the rotation (he was first up in the second rotation) that I decided to jump in with him. We covered 5 miles with each other and similar to what I experienced with Nancy a bit earlier that day, the miles flew by as we talked about nothing and everything (actually we were planning our next non running activity).
Shortly after we finished we encountered a detour off of our planned route due to construction. We consulted maps and formulated an alternate route to continue on. We ran through Joliet, IL which was very urban. Not the prettiest place to run.
My third leg of 5 miles started outside of Joliet. It began with an urban touch and then transformed itself into more farm oriented territory. That would prove to be the last “pretty” part we would run through today.
My second logistical blunder occurred a moment later when I missed a turn (I was driving the RV) and took us 5 miles the wrong way). We quickly regrouped and got back on course, but I felt bad about my navigational skills .
From that point on we ran in UGLYVILLE. Picture route 1 north coupled with decaying urban grime and you get the idea of what we ran in to finish the day. We all knew that everyday wasn’t going to be gorgeous, but it had been a while since we ran in stuff like this.
Dave and I finished together through Harvey, IL. Our 4 mile piece was just a survival run as we dodged cars and tried to carve out some room to run.
We finished strong and I felt good about the day, the logistical blunders aside and our experience with the decaying side of America.
It made me realize that not every day can be perfect and you’ve got to take the good with the bad.
Toatl mileage thus far is 2397. I’ve rune 239.7 miles in 16 days (today was an individual high total or 20 miles ) and I continue to feel good.
We get closer and closer to home.
Tomorrow we conquer Ohio. I’ll let you know if we are victorious.
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TREK Day 14
Osceola, IA to Burlington, IA. Total distance for the day is 145. Each team is doing 72.5 miles. Each runner will cover 14.5 miles.
Last night in Osceola, we ate at a great diner called my Familys Table. It was classic mid western cooking. It had a menu that offered breakfast all day. I enjoyed a large stack of pancackes and eggs with home fries and toast. It was a great way to replenish the calories in advance of the effort we were going to put forth today (in the next update, I’ll spend some time describing the various restaurants we’ve eaten in along the way. It’s a whole different spin on how to see the country).
For the second time in a row, I ran with the whiners. We drove up to Ottomwa, IA from Osceola to begin our day. It was an interesting drive up the road as there were pockets of fog on the road. As we drove in and out of the fog banks, I was reminded of the play Brigadoon, where a lost traveler, stumbles into a fog bank and finds himself in a town that time had forgotten about. I was hoping that when we reemerged from our fog bank that we remained in Iowa and weren’t in some place that time forgot about.
We started our run in Ottomwa, IA. The team decided to run splits of 5, miles, 5 miles and 4.5 miles. I was the fifth man up in the rotation. I began my run in typical IA countryside, lots of crop fields. But I quickly came upon civilization in the form of Fairfield, IA. It was a moderate sized town. It was nice to see some signs of life other than that which exists on the farm, but I’ll be candid with you, I much prefer running in the solitude of the countryside than in the tumult of the towns.
For one thing, the nice wide shoulders that accompany the road disappear. I was forced to go into an off road style of running. I was running through cementeries, parking lots and any other available piece of real estate that allowed me to stay out of the way of cars.
As for the weather, it was just about as perfect a day as you could get. It was sunny, cooland dry. I started with a long sleeve shirt but quickly abandoned it and ran shirtless. My legs felt smooth and as always I tried to run a nice fluid even pace.
What I did see for the first time was a Little League baseball game being played. I was tempted to stop and watch for an inning as I terribly miss watching my kids play ball. But alas, the siren song of the road called me and I plowed ahead.
The second leg was also a five miler. Again I found myself running through what is considered in IA a large town (although they all seem small to me). This town was Mt Pleasant. Things were going pleasantly for me until for the first time on this trip, I got cut off by a driver. I was approaching the driveway of a fast food joint, I saw a car, the car saw me, I waved to the driver and then he proceeded to pull out in front of me. I guess I’m getting closer to big cities if the people are getting rude.
My anger at the driver quickly subsided when I realized that colors of spring were around me. It was green and the trees were blooming. It was the first time that I seen classic spring foliage since we had begun the TREK. It mad me think of the circle of life. We’ve seen little calves and ponies, we’ve seen the emerging of spring. It’s a comforting feeling to see and feel the elements of this time of year. In fact I finished my run to the chirping of birds. It was a nice way to conclude this second leg.
My third and final leg closed out the day for the Whiners. I brought the team into West Burlington, IA. Once again, I had to run through more of an urban environment than I wanted to. However, I tried to focus on the rythym of my running to get me through.
When I was finally finished (I stopped right at the motel where we were staying the night), I looked at a sign that was affixed to the fence of the outdoor pool. It said “NO RUNNING”. I got a big chuckle out of that one. I’ve run over 200 miles and I finally get told that no running is allowed. I wish somebody had told me that before I get started.
All in all it was a great day (honestly, they’ve all been great days). I feel that we’ve left the isolated stretches of the country behind us and though we might still run in rural areas, we’re going to be dealing with more urban oriented environments as we move further east.
Tommorow we run from Burlington, IA to Ottowa, IL. We will pass a major milestone when we cross the Mississippi River.
We’re nearly two thirds of the way done and I feel that I am getting stronger with each mile I run. I feel that my pace has quickened and that my recovery time has diminished .
More to follow tomorrow.
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TREK Day 13 Holdrige, NE to Lincoln, NE
Total distance for the day 156 miles. Each team is running 78 miles. Each person is running 15.6 miles.
For the second day in a row, I was assigned to the Whiners to run the first half of the course. I ran the first leg which left directly from the Super 8 motel where we stayed the night. We decided to run 6 miles on the first leg, 5 miles on the second leg, and 4.6 miles on the third leg.
Our luck with the good weather finally ran out. We’ve been fortunate to have had dry, warm weather to run in thus far. Todays weather couldn’t have been more opposite. In a word, it was RAW. The temp was 35degrees. The wind was howling and it was raining. Thank god for the experience we’ve gained running in New England winters. For the first time on the TREK I had to break out the tights, turtleneck, gloves, headband and heavy jacket. In fact even with all of that gear my hands were still cold on the first leg.
Given the weather conditions and the fact that it was dark at 6:15 am, I didn’t notice much of anything. I put my head down and bulled my way through the wind. This type of running is more work than any other type. Since my head was down what I did notice was the beer bottles and empty Dorito bags that littered the road I was running on. No matter where you are in the country, people still drink beer, eat Doritos and litter. I also noticed that the roads were full. People still got to get up and go to work even though some of us are running across the country. The other thing I noticed was how dark it was compared to the days before. This was due to the time zone change we went through (moving us from mountain time zone to Central time zone).
The weather on the second leg got only marginally better. While the rain subsided, the temp was constant and the wind just as severe. I wore an extra pair of gloves to keep my hands warm and I was happy that I did so. Who would have thought that I w ould be as cold in May in Nebraska as I was in December in Milton. I was able to pick my head upa bit more and when I did I noticed:
New England suburban style houses in the middle of ruralNebraska,
Lot’s of pretty purple flowers by the side of the road,
Many,many farms growing all types of crops.
I felt stronger on this leg. Perhaps because it was lighter out. Perhaps it was because my resolve was greater. Not exactly sure what was the most important contributing factor.
When I stopped to get into the RV, we saw a placard on the road paying tribute to the early sdettlers who came west via the Oregon Trail. Talk about a TREK. Those original settlers were truly blazing a trail towards a new prosperity.
Leg 3, the final chapter of the day. It was still windy thought the temp had increased slightly. Saw lots of industry for the first time. Stood in great contrast to what we saw earlier on in the Rockies. Also saw and smelled a Sara Lee factory outlet. I wanted to stop and get a snack, but the business of running took priority. One of the interesting things I passed was “Blue Ribbon New Homes”. It looked basically like a new home showroom where you could buy a new home for less than $150,000. Talk about a different housing market from where we live. Saw lot’s of long freight trains. Once again, the business of America moving along.
We finished up about 855 miles outside of Lincoln, NE (the state capital) where we are staying the night. Lincoln is where the Univ of Nebraska is located. I saw a t shirt which summed up the Cornhuskers love of football. It read “ Nebraska, where size does matter”.
All in all a great day. We’re halfway through the miles and will be home in a week and a half.
Tomorrow, onto Iowa.
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TREK UPDATE DAY 12
Wray, CO to Holderidge, NE. Total distance for the day 165 miles. Total for each team 82.5 miles. Total individual miles for the day are 16.5.
For only the second day on the TREK I was assigned to run the first half of the course with the Whiners. For me, the early morning runs are great. It’s what I’m used to doing at home. Just getting up and getting out the door. It’s a great feeling.
I was second up in the rotation so I started my run at about 7:15 am. We had decided to break our 16.5miles up into a 7 miler, a 5 miler and a 4.5 miler. When I started running the temp was 55 degrees. The sun was climbing and there was no wind to speak of. I started with a long sleeve shirt but within a mile I was getting hot and shed my shirt. I find that I’ve been running with sun glasses and a hat (which I never do at home). It helps to reduce the glare on my eyes and keeps the top of my head from overheating.
The 7 mile leg was very comfortable because that is the distance I am used to doing at lunchtime on the Charles River with my work buddies. I just kept thinking of the landmarks that I’m used to seeing at home (e.g. the Museum of Science, the Longfellow, Mass Ave and BU Bridges). It made the miles go by real quick.
What I really saw out here was the border between Colorado and Nebraska. I crossed the border less than a mile into my run. The sign told me that Nebraska is where “Life is Good” and that it was the birthplace of Arbor Day.
I also saw lots of cattle trucks, big behometh vehicles that transport cattle fr om the farm to who knows where. I saw a school bus picking up kids for their day at school and it reminded me that all over America kids get up in the morning and go off to school for the day. Doesn’t matter if it’s Milton, MA or in the middle of Nebraska, the kids go to school. I saw railroad tracks that parallel the road I was running which reminded me of the important role the railroads played in the development of our country.
My final thought that occurred on this first leg was that I never knew how many different type of cattle there are. I think I’ve seen them all so far on the run. And they all look at you as you run by. Very strange to see a 100 head of cattle swiveling to eyeball you as you go past their meadow.
My second leg was 5 miles. After the 7 mile leg, 5 miles went by very quick. Prior to starting the run, three cars stopped at the RV (which was pulled over by the side of the road waiting for one of the runners to finish) to see if we were all right (they thought we were broken down). When we told them what we were doing, they were all interested and told us to be cautious of rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the side of the road. Who knew rattlers resided in Nebraska?
Anyway, my second run was very uneventful, although I was on the look out for rattlers but all I saw was two dead ones in the middle of the road. The temp was moderate and the wind was mild which made me comfortable. I did see a lot of mailboxes which made me realize that no matter where you are in the country you can still get a letter delivered.
The third leg was again run in nice weather. For the first time since leaving the rockies, the terrain was other than just flat. In my 4.5 mile leg I had some nice rolling hills. I was feeling strong and pushed the pace. It felt good to elevate the heart rate and produce a good stretch. I can’t do a lot of my miles at that intensity but it does feel good to do it now and again.
What was interesting about this leg was that in the middle of land locked Nebraska,I went by Richardsons Marina . There was a lake close by and evidently it was big enough for boating. I did see some tributaries into the lake as I ran by and each of these had a flock of small birds (I think they were starlings) making a lot of ruckus. It was nice to hear the noise they were making.
All in all it was a great day. Nebraska thus far has been pleasant. It seems like the state is a series of roadways with small towns appearing every 20 miles or so. We’re staying in Holdridge tonight and tomorrow we’re off to Lincoln.
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TREK UPDATE DAY 9 AND 10
The update for Day 9 is easy to write. Sunday May 9 in honor of Mothers Day we had a scheduled day off. In anticipation of the climb over the Rockies we took the day off to recharge the body and mind. With 8 straight days of running (a total of 118 miles per person) and 15 straight days of running left (approx 212 miles per person) we knew it would be in our best interests to take a day off. We spent the day in Steamboat Springs cleaning the vehicles, doing laundry, restocking supplies. In short we were getting ready to do the final 15 days of our journey.
The rest day was great because on Day 10, I felt great.
I was running with the Moaners today so that meant my group covered the second half of the 168 miles the team covered as a whole. My individual workload was 16.8 miles broken down into three 55.6 mile splits.
The moaners drove from Steamboat Springs to Cameron Pass where we began the descent from the Rockies into the foothills. The scenery was once again spectacular. On our way to begin our leg we saw real ranches, not the type you saw on Bonanza. Lot’s of cattle and horses. We were real close to the Wyoming border. We passed within 30 miles of the Cowboy state.
The descent from Cameron Pass (at 10, 286 feet) took place along the Poudras River. The road we were on reminded me of the Kancamangus Highway in NH. Beautiful mountain road with a roaring river running alongside. Given that it’s early May there is hardly any other cars on the road.
My first leg was a gentle downhill with great river and mountaian views. The air smelled great and the temps were very comfortable to run in. I found it funny that halfway through my leg, I went by a broken down garbage truck (flat tire). I don’t know how it ended up in the wilderness. It certainly was out of place.
My second leg took place outside of Fort Collins, CO. I was struck by the fact that although I was less than 10 miles from where we had exited the exquisite Poudras River country (and the Rockies) I was now running through urban sprawl. It was not unlike running on RT 1 in either Dedham or Saugus.
My third leg was the final one of the day. For the first time on the trip we got rained on. The downpour was powerful but it felt good to be running in the rain.
Allin all I felt good today. In fact I picked it up strongly on the final leg. Still no aches and pains to tell you about.
I’ll end this update with the telling you that for the first time in many years I am running by myself. At home, I run at the noon hour with guys I work with and I have a whole different set of running partners that I go out with on the weekends. These runs are great, very social, lots of laughs. It’s been a long time since I’ve run solo.
I now find myself banging out my TREK relay legs on a solo basis. Although I miss the camaraderie of my running partners from back home, I find myself being able to do a lot of thinking about so many things that are going on im life. It reinforces the fact that we all need to have some time to ourselves to sit back and assess what’s going on inour life. What’s important and what’s not. I will never forget these moments I am having on the TREK.
Tomorrow we’re off for Wray, CO. Nebraska is next.
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TREK UPDATE DAY 8
Greetings from Steamboat Springs. After running 8 straight days we’re on a scheduled day off. In anticipation of climbing the Rockies tomorrow, we’re recharging the batteries and getting some rest and recovery (an important component of any exercise program).
I’ll give you a description of yesterdays run from Vernal, UT to Steamboat Springs in a moment but first I thought I would take a moment and describe our daily routine and answer how we go about setting up our relay format. I’ve also been getting some questions about the TREK, that I’ll answer.
The TREK team is composed of 10 runners and 5 support crew. Each day we divide the team of 10 runners into two groups of 5. We’ve affectionately named the two groups the Whiners and the Moaners. We had started out as the Trekkers and the Harriers but we quickly decided that whiners and moaners were a better fit.
On average we’re covering 150 miles a day (although we’ve had days were we covered 180 miles). In order to be able to be cover the 150 miles a day in a reasonable amount of time (10 hours or so), we divide the 150 miles into two 75 mile segments and have each team cover one of the 75 mile segments.
We have the Moaners drive up 75 miles to where the second half of the days route begins, while the whiners start right from the beginning. At the end of each days run, the moaners mark the end of the course with bright red duct tape, so the whiners will know where to start at the beginning of the day. The moaners in turn mark where they have started (again with red duct tape) so the whiners will know where to end their first half of the run. It might sound confusing, but it’s working out well.
While we’re running , we run three legs of 5 miles each . This gives each runner an average of 15 miles while the group is running their 75 miles. Again, in an attempt to reduce the total amount of time spent running, we engage in a “leapfrog” routine. Runner 1 will start out on their 5 mile portion, the RV will drive up the road 5 miles and let out runner 2 who begins their 5 mile piece. Yhe RV will then wait for the first runner and when they arrive drive down the road five miles and let out runner number three and wait for runner number two to finish. We continue this pattern all day until we’ve covered the distance for the day. Again, it might sound confusing but it’sworking out real well.
Some of the questions I’ve been getting are:
Have you lost weight? No, my weight is stable. I’ve been doing a good job of getting enough calories in my system to offset what it is I’m burning (nearly 2,000 calories a day).
Has the elevation been bothering you? No, although we’ve been running at above, 5,000 feet for many of our days, I’ve been feeling no ill effects. It will be interesting to see if the running we’ve been doing at elevation will provide benefits when we reach the plain states and are running at sea level.
What do you eat during the day? I’ve been starting every day with a good breakfast (we eat in the RV’s). A large bowl of cereal, toast and juice gives me a good foundation upon which to run. While we’re on the road, I try to eat a little something after I finish each run. I’ve been snacking on nuts, dry fruit, fresh fruit and some power gels. At the end of the day, we’ve been able to getsome good meals to fortify us for the next day. Unlike Atkins, I’m focusing on carbohydrates.
How many sneakers are you going through? I brought three pairs. I thought I’d alternate each day between the three pairs but thus far I’ve stuck with one. I’ll probably switch to another pair once we restart tomorrow to ensure that I stay with maximum cushioning for my legs.
Now as Paul Harvey says, “The rest of the story”…… Day 8 took us from Vernal, UT to Steamboat Springs. As mentioned above when the daily team assignments, I was assigned to the Moaners. Given that the total mileage for the day was 75 miles, we drove 75 miles up the road to begin our days run. I was the fifth man in the rotation today. We decided to break our 15 miles into a 6 mile, 5 mile and then a 4 mile run. We thought that decreasing the mileage as we went along would make it seem easier. To finish with a 4 miler would seem very short compared to a 6 miler.
My first run took me through the town of Craig, CO. It was pretty flat and the temps were very moderate. My senses were delighted by vibrant yellows of wildflowers in the fields adjacent to the road. I felt good running and once again tried to keep the heart rate reasonably comfortable.
My second runtook me through the town of Steamboat Springs. My visual senses were treated to an outstanding view of Mt Werner, where the ski slopes of Steamboat Springs are located. It was gorgeous to see snow still on the mountain. Steamboat Springs is a nice ski town but it’s not that crowded now. It was fairly flat for the first three miles and then started to climb for the final two miles of this five mile leg. Again, I felt comfortable and strong.
The final leg for me was the final leg of the day for the moaners. I started with an uphill for about a half mile uphill and crested Rabbitt Ears Pass (9,246 feet). This signified the crossing of the continental divide. Again, there was snow all over the place. The final three miles were all downhill. I was able to run on soft sand on the side of the road which softened the impact on my quads from the pounding of the downhill .
All in all it was a great day. I ran 14 miles and saw some great views. The 8 day total for me is 116 miles.
Sunday May 9 was a scheduled rest day for the team. We’ve spent the day resting the legs , doing laundry, restocking the RV’s and getting set for the big climb through the Rockies tomorrow.
Happy Mothers day to all my friends who are mothers. I’ll continue the tale tomorrow from further down the road.
TREK DAYS 6 AND 7
Things continue to go well on the TREK. My body is performing strong and my mind is focused. In the seven days since we have left San Francisco, the team has covered 1020 miles . I personally have run 102 miles in one week. I’m benefiting from eating well, pacing myself and taking care to stretch diligently. It appears that all the miles I’vrun over the past 27 years are paying off.
Day 6 saw us travel from Delta, Ut to Heber City, UT. We left the desert behind and began to climb through the Wasatch Mountains. To say the scenery was spectacular would be an understatement. The closest I’ve come to snow covered peaks like that was commercials for Coors beer. We went through Provo, UT (home of Brigham Young University). That was as close to a metropolis that we’ve seen since we left San Fran.
We split our mileage up into 4 legs today because of the hills. We ran 4 miles, 2 miles, 4 miles and another 4 miles for a total of 14 miles. We all shared the load on the hills. My final leg was 4 miles of uphill. I felt great. I maintained a nice rythym and just powered my way up. It helps immensely when you have beautiful views around you to take your mind off the running.
I’m spending lot’s of time just thinking about life in general. How lucky I am to be on the TREK. To have such a wonderful family and friends. This experience of having time to ponder all these things is one I truly relish.
Day 7 took us from Heber City to Vernal, UT. Today was a day of contrasts. I ran my first leg of 5 miles at 7:00 am. It was 34 degrees outside. It was a great contrast from the heat of the desert (temps of 100 degrees). The terrain was much flatter in contrast to the mountains we traversed yesterday. The traffic on the roads was much greatedr in contrast to the solitude we experienced in the desert (where you could literally go for miles without seeing a car or a person). My second leg was run at about 10:00 am and the temp had gone up to 64 degrees. Still very comfortable to run in. When I did my last leg at about 1:00 pm the temp had topped out at 94 degrees. I experienced a 60 degree swing in temp in about 6 hours.
I’ve got a nice little routine set when I run. I carry a water bottle and drink every mile. In addition to drinking , I douse my head with water and also dampen a bandana that I wear around my neck to keep the sun from frying me (I also wear a hat and sun glasses). It’s nice to look forward to that drink and dousing each mile.
I’m still maintaining an approximate pace of 8:30’s per mile and feeling pretty fluid. I’m finding that the it’s very important to stick to a strict post run routine. After I finish my run, I walk for a few minutes to cool down. Once I’m in the RV (that carrys the runners from point to point), I stretch for a good five to ten minutes. Next I change out of my wet clothes and finally I eat 300 to 500 calories of carbohydrates to ensure that I have adequate fuel for the next run . So far, this routine has served me well and I don’t plan on deviating far from it.
I’ll close by saying that while I’m feeling good about what it is I’m doing, I miss my family and friends. It will be real nice to get back and share this with you personally as opposed to email.
Tomorrow we’re off to Colorado. We stay tomorrow night in Steamboat Springs. I’ll send another update then.
Please let me know if you have any questions about the TREK. I’ll gladly answer any question posed.
Also, get on the website at www.trekusa.org to see lots of pictures and to read other teammates experiences.
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Trek Update Day 5
Today was spent traversing routes 50 and 6 from Ely Nevada to Delta Utah. The total distance covered was 150 miles. Each person ran 5 miles three times for a total of 15 miles. I personally have run 70 miles in 5 days.
So far my body is holding up well. I am keeping my pace moderate (between 8 and 8:30’s per mile). I am trying my best to eat right and get enough sleep so my body can perform when it has to. When I’m not running, I’m either driving one of the vehicles or eating or resting.
We’ve been staying in motels each night so we can get a shower and a good nights sleep.
Todays terrain was all desert. Lots and lots of sand. It was amazing to see the difference betweenthe Nevada desert and the Utah desert. Nevada had lots of high mountains all around. Utah had lots more salt flats. Its so interesting to see the different types of geography.
We had a nice tail wind to assist our effort. At this point every little bit helps.
I am amazed at how much wide open space there is around here. So different from what we see back home.
We’re in Delta, UT tonight. People are very friendly and interested in what we are doing. We’re giving out TREK Tshirts and brochures and people are contributing to our charities. It’s so refreshing to see the way people react to what it is we are doing.
Tomorrow we head to Provo, UT with a large climb through the Wasatch mountains.
I’ll continue to keep you posted
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THE TREK THUS FAR
Where to begin. There’s so much to tell. In a word, it’s been great thus far.
The arrival into San Francisco went real smooth last Thursday (4/29). We spent Thursday afternoon picking up the vehicles we’re using on the TREK (two 29 foot motor homes and two mini vans) and picking up last minute supplies and groceries.
We were staying near Fishermans Wharf so we had a chance to get a nice run in along the SF waterfront.
Friday was spent packing the RV’s and going over logistical plans for the start of the TREK on Sat. Some of us went to Stanford University that evening to watch a track meet. We saw some great performances at 1500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters. The men and women we saw were all national class runners. We realized that what they were doing was just the opposite of what we plan to do on our run. They were all going real fast for a relatively short period of time, while we plan on running real slow for a real long period of time.
Saturday was our formal start. We were given a ceremonial welcome at the San Francisco Giants baseball stadium (SBC park). They had a nice program at home plate prior to the start of the game and then we ran out of the stadium to kick things off.
The team covered 70 miles that day (SF to Walnut Creek, CA). It was a little touchy at places (we got lost once or twice) but we ultimately made our way to where we needed to finish. I ran 7 miles and felt real good.
Sunday was our first real big day. We were covering 165 miles between Walnut Creek and South Lake Tahoe, CA. Each runner was to run 16.5 miles broken down into three 5.5 mile segments. The terrain was spectacular. We climbed to nearly 9,000 feet and saw amazing scenery. Snow covered mountain tops, gorgeous lakes. My segments were challenging. The first two were all uphill and the last one brought us right into So Lake Tahoe.
At the end of each day, we need to clean the vehicles and gas them up before we can think about showering and eating. Meals thus far have been about calorie consumption. We all need to make sure we keep our fuel tanks full (just like the RV’s). We’re burning nearly 2,000 calories a day so eating is ever so important.
Monday was another big day. We were headed from So Lake Tahoe to Austin Nevada. Basically, once we cleared CA we were in the desert. The temps were nearly 100 degrees but as they say around here, it was a dry heat. Again,we all did 5.5 miles three times. There were some monster climbs as well as significant downhills. I was happy with how I ran. No problems to report thus far. Just trying to keep it nice and steady.
Tuesday brought us from Austin, NV to Ely, NV. Again it was all desert with a few monster climbs through the mountain passes. Today’s running was 6.2 miles three times for a total of 18.6 miles. Again, I felt good and had no significant leg discomfort.
Tomorrow we head for Delta , UT. We’re going to cover 153 miles so each person will have a “lighter” day of 16.5 miles.
I’ll send another update shortly.
I’ll end with saying that I feel so fortunate to be involved with the TREK. All of my teammates are fine people and everyone is pulling their load. Everyone we meet on the road is so nice to us and when they learn about our fundraising efforts are very generous.
I never lose sight of why we are out here. The chance to contribute to our charities keeps me going.