10/6/2014

On my day of rest I ran for seven miles to break in my new set of shoes. A fresh pair always puts a spring in my step. At the beginning the Nike fingertraps seemed heavy and clunky. It was that thinking that made me think my legs were giving way. Or it might have been that I had gotten too much sleep. Either way, once I got into my stride, the body felt great and I was ready to let loose. I just had to remember that it was a rest day and I was only giving the sneakers a little road time.

Dinner was a veggie pizza provided by Mama Rosa’s. It was a medium sized with thick crust. The mushrooms had a very meaty and filling taste. I was surprised at how good it tasted. But then again, often times, small towns have the best food.

We took our left over slices back to the Hampton Inn...

10/4/2014

The first visual glimpse of a border sign is like a shot of adrenaline to a person running. From obscurity, the tiny piece of metal grow bigger and bigger with every step. The photo is requisite. It captures the rapturous moment for posterity.

I had to run along a bit of I-ten once again but it wasn’t for the duration of the day. Shortly after crossing the border I switched to something of a frontage road. The peak of crossing the border was followed by the valley of obstacles. My obstacles came several miles after the mileage of a marathon. Perhaps it was better that it came at the end. It becomes easier to laugh and just push through. When a wash of water, just a little too long to jump over, blocked my passage, I ran back a quarter mile and ran around the water...

10/3/2014

Having a place to stay in Bowie was a blessing. I was teetering on three days without a bath. Like on a comic strip, you could see wavy lines around my body representing odor. I sat under the hot shower for some time washing away the aches of the past couple of days. After the adrenaline of being lost in the desert wore off, sleep set in.

I slept until 7:30. If you have followed the journey, you know that is a late wake up time. I didn’t have too much mileage to cover so I took the morning to call and check up on some of the places and people that have shown me support. It is a mysterious thing to plant seeds everywhere. It would be impossible to see all the fruits of the labor. I loved the story of Johnny Appleseed when I was a child...