Category Uncategorized

12/21/2015

I found myself enjoying one final buffet breakfast before hitting the road. Sweet cinnamon rolls and veggie omelets filled my stomach. With so many colorful choices the result could have been gluttonous. My mouth seemed to be drier than usual so I downed glass after glass of mixed juices. When I could no longer nourish my body I said good bye to my mother and Crystal. At that time I got an earful about the cold and rainy weather. There wasn’t much I could do about the whims of nature. I just had to remember that nothing was permanent and that the sun had to come out eventually.

Running in the rain wasn’t too bad. The mist stopped shortly after I hit the road. I was reunited with the old 99 and I didn’t need to look at my map for directions...

12/18/2015

Our day off in Redding found us indoor for most of the day. Constant drops of water fell from the sky. We did leave our habitat for a bite of the always delicious and always nutritious Chipotle. Other than that we were fine having a sedentary day. We slept an ample amount. It was as if we were bears hibernating for the winter. The weather had been unpredictable and we were just glad to be staying in the comforts of the Red Lion Hotel.

The next morning I woke up to yet another cold and wet day. It progressed from bad to worse when I went to the trailer to grab something to eat and I discovered that the support truck had been burglarized. The front seat had papers strewn everywhere. Some of our books had been tossed about and in a search for valuable items...

12/13/2015

With each day that passed, I found myself steadily detached from society. I wondered if I had developed the mentality of someone stranded at sea: survive. I had encountered every type of terrain and weather on this trip and it dawned on me that I looked upon it all as one condition. I didn’t think that made me tough, just desensitized. I had become equipped to run miles and miles through heat, cold, dryness, and wetness. But, had I become less equipped to deal with humans? I would find out soon enough. When I reached the Dunsmuir Lodge, after I had run through a dozen miles of cold mist, I was greeted with the news that I would be motivating an entire school district the upcoming week. It was time to begin the mental preparations. I needed my mind to be sharp.

The lodge was c...