8/25/2014
On my last spiritual journey I didn’t become in tune with everything around me until I had finished a quarter of the trip. This time I feel very zen. From the get go I am aware. Perhaps I know what to look for. Perhaps I now know how to accept a helping hand. What I want to accomplish is bigger than me and I don’t have time to micro manage. I really don’t have the time to even major manage. At the moment my job is to keep moving and to keep reaching the future. I am asking everyone out there to help me with this. I promise I will share my dream with you to the best of my abilities.
Day one started a little late. It is nothing new though because I’ve always been a slow starter. My strong suit is finishing. I dashed out of the marble lined corridor after a nutrient packed breakfast at the world famous Fig restaurant. It is appropriately named after the 120 year old fig tree in front of the Hotel. My morning meal consisted of five colors of vegetables and tofu. The tofu and avocado were chopped into bite sized cubes. They gave me the protein and omega 3 fatty acids I would need for day one. The spinach gave me power, the red onion, red bell pepper, and red tomatoes provided ample flavor.
I always said the journey would be about where I am going, what I’m eating, and who I’m meeting. Who would have known, I would bump into someone from my birthplace by chance. He was wearing the same CEP running sleeves on his legs and he approached me to ask if I’d like him to take a picture of My mom, Crystal and me. It turns out he is a firefighter so he was muscular with a dark complexion. Was that some kind of serendipitous message from the universe? We became fast friends and I’m sure I will see him when I pass through Ohio.
Once I hit the road it didn’t take long for me to start noticing lines. City lines, drawn lines, straight lines, and not so straight lines. As I passed into Venice, then Marina Del Rey, I saw the imaginary borders give definition to each place. Santa Monica had a very trendy feel while Venice, with its ample graffiti gave off a starving artist vibe. Even the scent of the cities followed the rules of borders. Marina Del Rey and Manhattan beach felt like people with high paying jobs that wanted a little peace of mind. Running to Manhattan beach was something like an obstacle course though. My daily total should have been an easy 17 miles today but due to bad navigation and a couple extra turns I ended up with 24 miles. It became even more sketchy when I was provided with a sliver of tar to play chicken with oncoming traffic.
As I ran past Dockwieler Beach and approached Redondo the buzzing powerlines sounded as if hornets were running through the wires. BUZZZZZZZ: constant and threatening I swear if a spider bit me I would have been a marvel super hero. But like my book “Rescuing Dizzy”, even the hero needs to be rescued from time to time. I had guzzled two liters of Aquahydrate and my mouth was parched from the dry day. Crystal to the rescue. She cycled from the Palos Verdes Inn to greet me a few blocks before my day’s finish line. The salty sea air had left me with plenty of salt on my body. I consumed a handful of nuts for protein and muscle building. I ran a hot bath. I passed out. Bring on tomorrow. Bring on 35 miles.
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