Category Uncategorized

11/7/2014

Hunting season started around these parts earlier in the week. There are people here that raise deer and rent out their land so people can hunt. I had never heard of that. Of course I don’t know much about hunting. I always thought I had a killer instinct. I was pretty cutthroat at sports but I’ve never been much for actual killing. Hunting seems reasonable if the hunter consumes the entire animal and it’s much better than factory farming. At the end of the day if the food chain stayed in balance, nature should take its course.

I could feel my achy joints and achy muscles on this very cold and rainy day. Perhaps my body was growing accustomed to three glucosamine pills a day. The sun fooled me by peeking out of the clouds but, it was just a trick...

11/6/2014

We had the good fortune of finding a tiny motel in the middle of nowhere. By tiny I mean it had six units and cozy quarters. I was surprised to see anything out there at all really. Wagon Wheel Café and Motel surprised us further by donating the night’s stay. The gesture left me speechless.

The 90 is a stretch of road used by truck drivers and the border patrol. Running on the same road as cars driving 70 mph terrified me on more than one occasion. Running on those roads when they were wet, and with hard rain falling, made my heart stand still. I caught myself holding my breath at the sight of approaching big rigs. I took it all in stride one step at a time for the first half of the day.

After seventeen miles we hit the Pecos River. Bodies of water make me feel happy...

11/5/2014

Every day nature gets you out of bed one way or another. On day 66, the sound of thousands of raindrops pelting the trailer was natures preferred method. Without a snooze button to mute the droplets, the volume increased; despite my efforts to hide in my fortress of blankets. There was plenty of hesitation and I found many ways to delay stepping out of the trailer. But, the invariable outcome was that I would open my eyes and begin my routine.
Running in the rain has often brought me inner peace. The calm comes from the necessity of focus. As a runner, if you are taking on the challenge of the rain, it is necessary to put your safety first. That means being very aware of your surroundings and staying in the present...