12/10/2014

I previously thought I could run in any kind of shoe. With that superman mentality, I bought several pair of shoes on clearance when I was back in Houston. A couple days ago, I put on a new pair that looked like it had a soft midsole. The thirty mile run seemed to pass without a hitch and my joints weren’t screaming at me. All seemed fine until I woke up for day 100. From the moment I got out of bed I knew something was wrong. My shins felt like needles were poking into them. Having overworked my shins in the past I knew a thing or two about shin splints and I knew that if I tried to run I would set myself back more than if I just took the day off. So day 100 was spent parked on a person’s property watching videos from our laptops...

12/8/2014

Louisiana was a French territory purchased by the United States in 1803. As I began my journey through the beautiful state, pelicans gracefully glided across the sky. It happened to be their state bird. This bird was also chosen to be the mascot of the professional basketball team based out of New Orleans. I saw the fleur de lis symbol everywhere as well. The French influence was firmly imbedded into the state. The surname on many signs ended with eux. Even the first words I read were “Bienvenue en Louisiane”, Welcome to Louisiana. Louisiana a multicultural, multilingual heritage, was also strongly influenced by a mixture of 18th-century French, Spanish, Native American, and African cultures.

The night at the abandoned market was very quiet except for the croaking frogs...

12/6/2014

I woke up many hours before West Orange Stark Elementary began their classes. I wanted to have a smooth event. When I looked out of the trailer a heavy fog sat on the ground. Cold beads of water formed on my skin and I quickly closed the door. I sat inside sipping on a hot chocolate and planned what I would say to the kids. I always arrive at school events early. On day 96 the guidance system directed me to the district administration office which was several miles away from the school. I ended up arriving to the school at exactly 8:30.

I ran right into an amphitheater full of eager young minds. All eyes were on me and I had to jump right into the speaking and reading. From the moment I began the classes were a flurry of second, third, fourth, and fifth graders...