9/13/2014

Fortune seemed to be turning as we put on a fun event for kids in grades k-8. It meant I was able to leave my usual 2nd-4th grade range. Like every occupation, career, or endeavor there is a comfort zone. I had just expanded mine. With the kindergarten class I discovered that you can not recycle elephants. With the older kids I had legs eager to run with me. One boy named Abner specifically caught my attention because he stayed after school and asked me if I would run with him on the field. He and a pack of boys came out and did a couple laps. We were all pretty sweaty after lap one but the kids were motivated.

After we left the school, we still had to pack up and vacate our campsite. It took a while to unhitch everything and get back to the running location...

9/10/14

The sounds of trains chugged through the night as there were tracks next to the Dateland RV park. The surprising thing is that they were not annoying. I barely noticed the Southern Pacific cars. What did provide a nuisance in the desert though were the flying insects. Where did all the flies come from? Tiny buzzing creatures could not be deterred. The flies, while annoying, seemed tame compared to the bite of the, even tinier, mosquitoes.

The mosquitoes didn’t surface until the evening 13 miles in. Then suddenly, from seemingly nowhere, I was attacked from every angle while on the run. First I felt itching on my back. Then my leg. When I looked down, there was blood on my CEP compression sock. I realized they could eat my flesh through my clothing...

9/9/2014

Back to back thirty milers. It is taxing. The outsides of my Sauconys’ fell apart after barely hitting four hundred miles. What is going on? Our budget has gone awry. Sure we expected a few bumps in the road but the challenges are flying at us every other day now. First there was the decimated tire incident- two hundred bucks down the drain. Now the ridiculous cell phone is on the fritz and my shoes didn’t go the five hundred budgeted miles. What is next?

I share the hardships because the journey is just as much about overcoming obstacles and perseverance as it is about the fun and the sights. The real test here is; do I have the ability to take one more step...