4/7/2015
As Crystal and I took shelter at the Suburban Extended Stay, a couple ladies paced the street in front of the hotel. Actually one of them danced by herself under a streetlight. The performance entertained Crystal for a minute before we turned on the television. I yawned often while I tried to watch some super hero show but kept my eyes open to keep Crystal company. The moment we shut of the machine was the same moment my consciousness got shut off.
The next day I lounged in bed until noon. It looked like I was going to run thirty plus miles to Lillington so I put it in my head not to take too many pictures. We reached the town of Bunnlevel in a couple hours and there I decided to take a rest. While my feet were propped up Crystal told me that I could stop for the day. She said that on the original schedule we were still two days away from Raleigh. The weather was nice and comfortable but I thought it best not to wreak too much havoc on Crystal’s planning. So in this town with a post office and a Dollar General we found a quite spot to park and tried to reflect on our progress up to that point.
After an evening of figuring out what had worked on this trip, we roared onto the road. I made it to Lillington in a very short time. Crystal was waiting there for me with the news that I had an interview with Tom Woerner from the Daily Recorder. He had planned to meet me at a restaurant on the main corner of town. He had arrived there before me and Crystal told me I needed to start running at race pace. A man in a black car parked ahead of me, stepped out, and started snapping photos. I figured it was Tom. He told me to keep running. He would drive up and get a few other photos from the road. We met outside of the restaurant and held the interview in the fresh air. It didn’t take long and I figured it would be a nice little piece.
Fuquay Varina was only 14 miles away. When I started back up the terrain changed on me and I encountered big long hills. The climbs were reminiscent of my training back in California. I must admit running the hills felt great. I enjoyed giving my body a variation on the daily routine. As I charged up some hills large yellow machinery cleared away tree trunks like they were toothpicks. The aroma of fresh pine was pleasant but the sight of empty land was not. I saw Crystal waiting for me off to the side of my route when I reached Fuquay Varina. I called her and asked her to meet me at the hotel. I was enjoying the day’s run and I didn’t want to stop. Two more climbs stood between me and the end destination.
I ran into the Quality Inn ready for a hot bath. A quiet gentleman named Don ran the establishment and he got us checked in and on our way. His wife smiled big and gave us warm greetings. The place was just what we needed. Crystal made dinner for us in the trailer before we unwound for the day. After 4200 we operated like a well oiled machine.
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