6/3/2011

Woke up from a great sleep and called my mom to wish her a happy birthday. I always thought we would be celebrating her birthday together on the road. Unfortunately it didn’t get to happen this year. After chatting for a good portion of the morning, I was ready to take off. I had a plan sketched out in my head but I was winging it partly as well. I was either going to run twenty-two miles or thrity-one.

When I stepped outside and felt the humidity I wanted to run right back into the room and turn the AC on. But I pushed forward as always. The day seemed to pass pretty quickly. I ran from the bottom of one bridge to another. I had to take shade as often as possible because it was a scorcher...

6/2/2011

Five AM wake up call. Oh man, despite soft grass, sleeping without an air matress or a pillow can be rough. Cleaning up in a park bathroom doesn’t quite leave you feeling ready to take on the day either. I’m not complaining though. In fact I continue to count myself blessed. I was sitting around and charging my phone and doing some writing when Frank pulled up and brought me a soda, a bottle of water and an oatmeal bar for the road. These gestures mean the world to me.

Two days removed from St. Louis and it felt like another world. I was just informed St. Louis is the third most dangerous city in the United States. I didn’t even realize it when I was running through the projects...

6/1/2011

One day can take you from the fantastic to the dreary back to the fantastic. I couldn’t even begin to make up the scenarios that happen to me on a daily basis. This morning seemed like it was going to be one of the more standard cut and dry days. The weather was perfect and a long bikeway was before my feet. I left the Super 8 hotel of Collinsville with plenty of sleep and fresh feet. The next destination was thirty miles away.

My legs were on autopilot and I was at cruising speed. The greenery was beautiful. The land was flat. And I came across many friendly animals. I made short work of the first ten miles. I found myself standing in Edwardsville thinking I should eat something. The only problem was I hadn’t developed an appetite yet. I settled on having a sandwich...