tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49856276738482310422024-03-13T03:26:20.765-07:00Run Across America on TrailUltra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-29669397618991353872012-09-13T20:00:00.000-07:002012-09-13T20:00:10.252-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 10 (Days 71-80)I fully expect this post to be the last post for the Run Across America on Trail. Thanks for reading.<br />
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Finally, an additional thanks to everyone who crewed for Jen, Justin, Marty, and I during the course of the Run!!!<br />
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Day 71 - 0 miles of road, 44 miles of trail<br />
I really looked forward to reaching the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) - www.atatrail.org - since that meant five straight days of running on trail! At mile 30 another runner joined Jen and I for a bit who asked a number of questions about the Run which helped to pass the time on the trail. We finished the day literally at the end of the road south of Connellsville. There is only one road in or out to the finish location and workers were conducting some construction at the entrance to the road. We only experienced a construction delay, but one had to wonder would there be an issue the next morning getting back to the start point? For only the second time on the Run we spent a night at a home vice hotel. Retired Navy buddy Dave and Jane Gates treated us to a fantastic dinner and place to stay. Dave and Jane's unbelievable and unparalleled hospitality was greatly appreciated!!!<br />
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Day 72 - 0 miles of road, 38 miles of trail<br />
Day 72 was planned to be 44 miles, but a huge thunderstorm hit us at mile 33 and actually froze us to the bone for a few miles - in the middle of summer no less - so we stopped at the next road crossing in Markleton a good hour after being hit by the storm. It was tough to stop early knowing that the next day would be 48 instead of 42 miles, but it was the correct decision to make. The day was a quick one as John rode my bike and muled food and water for Jen and I the first 23 miles of the day as there was just one road crossing in this long stretch trail. The lone road crossing was at the scenic tourist town of Ohiopyle which is the start location for the Laurel Highlands Trail races - the main race being the one which covers the entire length of the Laurel Highlands Trail - 70.5 miles. If you are looking for a challenging and fantastic race in PA keep the Laurel Highlands race (www.laurelultra.com) in mind. This day did start with a little trepidation however. When we reached the road to our start point there was the dreaded orange "Road Closed" sign at the end of the road two miles from the trail. Well, my dad just drove past the sign and John followed. I am not sure the construction workers were too happy with us, but there were no barrier stopping us from driving on the road. At the start Jen, John (on bike) and I hit the trail not knowing if my parents would be able to drive back through the construction zone to provide aid to us later. Thankfully it was not a problem to "escape" the construction zone. At the end of the day we said our goodbyes to John with the hope of seeing him at the finish. Later that night Jen's parents Peter and Eileen Bradley arrived. It was great to meet Pete and Eileen who commenced crewing duties just hours later.<br />
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Day 73 - 0 miles of road, 48 miles of trail<br />
Jen wrote in her blog, "<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Today was a really great day."</span> I wrote, "WOW - a super day!!!" I wrote that day 14 was "probably the best day of the Run - at least for me", but day 73 was just as fantastic. Great weather - the best weather day in weeks. We both ran well - assisted by the weather of course. We ran over the 1908 foot long Salisbury Viaduct - taking in super views a hundred feet above the Casselman River Valley. A few miles later we ran over the Bollman Truss Bridge - one of the two remaining cast-iron truss bridges in North America. Another mile later we ran over the Keystone Viaduct (trestle). Pete (cycling) and Eileen (running) joined Jen and I for an eight mile section of trail starting from the Eastern Continental Divide. This scenic section of trail passed through the 3294.6 foot long Big Savage Tunnel and then crossed the Mason-Dixon Line (the Pennsylvania-Maryland border for anyone who might not know). It was great to have Pete (muling food and water for us) and Eileen join Jen and I on this section of trail! We saw a rattlesnake, and six miles later we saw a beaver-like small animal that didn't run away from us when we walked up to this most likely older animal. This animal encounter is one of the best animal encounters I have ever experienced. The GAP is one of the best trails out there!!! Puccini Hometown Grille (http://puccinirestaurant.com/) was the dinner location for the night in Cumberland. This Italian food restaurant is absolutely superb! The pizza and spaghetti are absolutely delicious!<br />
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Day 74 - 0 miles of road, 45 miles of trail<br />
Another great day, but once again the left foot was flapping at the start of the day. After running the last mile on the GAP we transitioned to the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath in downtown Cumberland. Pete cycled 19 miles with Jen and I and Eileen ran six miles with us. We ran through the 3118 foot long Paw Paw Tunnel, the only the tunnel on the C&O Canal and the only tunnel that required use of a flashlight or torch. We finished the day in the middle of nowhere at Little Orleans, MD, but just because we finished in the middle of nowhere doesn't mean there weren't any people around. Yes, this August Saturday was one of the days of the Sturgis East Coast MotorCycle Rally (www.eastcoaststurgis.com). I had no idea there was a Sturgis East - nor did I know that a motorcycle rally would be held at Little Orleans the same time we were to arrive. No issue except that our departure from the finish point back to the hotel was a little slower than it would have been. Also, that night close to the hotel quite a lengthy firewroks display was held. Some organization payed big bucks to put on that show. We ended up getting our hotel room for half off since we didn't have hot water and the fridge, microwave, and TV didn't work - and to access the internet we had to go to the hotel lobby. Not my best hotel experience.<br />
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Day 75 - 1 mile or road, 42 miles of trail<br />
For the seventh and last time on the Run we finished at our hotel following a mile of road to end the day. It was another good day on nice towpath trail. We passed a number of historical spots to include Fort Frederick (<cite>www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/western/<strong>fortfrederick</strong>.asp)</cite> and McCoy's Ferry/McCoy's Landing (<cite>www.mcmullans.org/canal/<strong>mccoy's</strong>_ferry.htm)</cite>. We ran past more canal locks which I still enjoy seeing even after running and cycling past hundreds of canal locks in the past 14 months. Trees once again provided nice shade for many miles. Pete cycled with Jen and I for the last time on the Run - 13 miles - since this was the end of the trail except for the last mile at the Atlantic. Eileen also ran with us for three miles.<br />
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Day 76 - 46 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
This was a better day than expected. There were some miles with high traffic volume, but it could have been worse. We were treated to a good amount of cloud cover early in the morning, and then we were treated to some shade when running through the Catoctin Mountain Park (<cite>www.nps.gov/cato)</cite>. I enjoyed crossing the Appalachian Trail. I have often thought about doing an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru hike, but that won't happen unless I hire someone to be my crew for the 60 days or so an AT thru hike would take. Eileen continued her streak as she ran with Jen and I for four miles near the end of the day.<br />
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Day 77 - 40 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
The day started in light rain and shortly after we commenced running the rain intensified and we were quickly soaked. The rain ended in an hour or so and we were blessed with cloud cover for another three hours or so before the heat started to be felt. There were plenty of turns on day 77 as we transitioned from back-roads to highways several times. Miles 24-27 were run on a hilly rural road (Blue Mountain Rd) just east of Gunpowder Falls State Park. That was the second nicest stretch of road to run that day - although the hills took their toll on our legs. The best miles of the day were run through Rocks State Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocks_State_Park) at the end of the day which included about another mile of gravel road (oops - I previously reported that the last miles of gravel road were on day 69 - error). The day ended with a great Mexican Food meal with Will Campbell who has been involved with TRANSAMs since 1992. Later that night Margaret returned to the Run to continue with us to the finish!<br />
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Day 78 - 39 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
As you know there are only so many bridges that span the hundreds of rivers that run through the United States. With that in mind it is not a surprise that there is a limited number of bridges that cross the Susquehanna River - the I-95 bridge, the US-40 bridge, the US-1 route over the Conowingo Dam, and the PA-372/Holtwood Rd route up in Pennsylvania. The US-40 and I-95 bridges over the Susquehanna River aren't an option for cyclists or pedestrians. The US-1 route over the Conowingo Dam is actually part of a signed bike route, but the "shoulder" of the road is only about 18 inches wide at most which buts up against a five foot high concrete barrier. Bottom line, the US-1 route isn't a desirable place to run. The PA-372 bridge has a slightly wider shoulder - definitely a good thing. Two choices then for the Run route - run the PA-372 bridge and seven miles to the Run route, or run the US-1 route and run seven less miles. The original plan was to run the longer route, but when the Run dropped down to two and Jen and I ran similar paces it made sense to run the shorter route with the undesirable shoulder. So Jen and I are running towards the dam - which is about mile 14 of the day - when we receive word that there is construction on the dam with flagmen allowing only one direction of traffic to pass at a time. Great?! After worrying about the work zone for a few mile we arrive at the dam and the shoulder looks awfully small (ouch). There isn't much choice - we run the dam, or we run a whole lot more miles than planned. We start running the bridge heading east facing traffic when the flagman motions us to move to the other side of the bridge and run with the traffic. Bottom line, the flagman lets us past and we are headed to the eastern side of the bridge - success! However, less than two miles later a turn mileage point was wrong on the route directions combined with a road sign that didn't correlate with the route directions caused us to run an additional hilly up and down mile to the route. (I note that googlemaps shows the road name used on the route directions, but mapquest shows the road named as actually signed - interesting.) Well, as one might expect, the adding the additional mile to the route didn't improve our outlook on the day, but continue we did. Eileen once again ran about five miles with us.<br />
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Day 79 - 38 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
The final state - Delaware - was reached shortly before mile 9! No welcome sign to greet us, but that is the way it goes. Once again I changed the route for days 79 and 80 from the original plan. The original route kept us away from the four lane roads of US-13 on day 70 and US-1 on day 80 but was six miles longer than the route used which included a number of miles on US-13 and US-1. The only remarkable comment to make about day 79 is that the route was flat. Heidi and my sister Karla Loser arrived at our hotel for the night just a minute before my parents, Margaret and myself. It was great to see them - my crew for the final day of the Run!<br />
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Day 80 - 39 miles of road, 1 mile of trail<br />
The day commenced with pictures and then Jen and I started our watches one last time. We ran five miles of two lane road before turning onto US-1 for 26 miles. US-1 isn't the best road for runners - in fact twice it appeared like we were running onto controlled access highway sections which included running a not-so-great bridge for runners or cyclists - but we continued on down the highway. Before we knew it we were at Cape Henlopen State Park and the last mile of bike path. Minutes later we finished at the eastern terminus of the American Discovery Trail with family and friends rooting us on those last 100 yards with noise makers, posters, and banners!!!<br />
Frank Dembia (with wife Elvire) and John Price returned to the Run to witness the finish along with everyone who was already there: Heidi, parents Carl/Pat and Peter/Eileen, Margaret, and Karla. <br />
After the emotional finish and walk to the Atlantic Ocean it was off to Da Vinci's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant for an outstanding celebratory dinner. I especially like picture 97 of 97 of the Smilebox album Heidi put together at<br />
http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a49354d6a67354d7a493d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_instructions_directurl_makeyourown<br />
If you give the smilebox a minute to load you can then easily hit the back button to see picture 97. <br />
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Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-83656988824525613552012-09-11T19:08:00.000-07:002012-09-11T19:08:27.326-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 9 (Days 65-70)Day 65 - 18 miles of road, 23 miles of trail<br />
Day 65 would have been a better day if there hadn't been a break in the North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT), but the break exists and one has to work with that. The way through the break included 14 miles on busy US-20. Anyway, just like on day 60 as soon as Jen and I started to run my feet registered great unhappiness. I am not sure why I experienced the unexpected pain, but thankfully it did mostly dissipate. At about mile four Jen let me know she was having issues so we walked to the finish point of the day which was the eastern end of the NCIT in Elyria. At mile 34 the NCIT went right past a McDonalds. This was the second time of the Run for a trail to pass immediately adjacent to a McDonalds.<br />
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Day 66 - 21 miles of road, 23 miles of trail<br />
I wrote nothing in the blog for days 66-68 except finish times due to a lack of time on the Run. I note that Jen later gave me grief for failing to write anything... Anyway we started day 66 walking. At mile 10 or so John Price arrives! It was super to see John - a super runner who crossed the country in 2011! At mile 15 we joined the Valley Parkway Trail and shortly thereafter I moved ahead of Jen and commenced jogging. The jogging was quite painful at first, but the legs - primarily the left leg - finally came around. I was happy to reach mile 34 and join the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail! The Towpath is an outstanding crushed stone trail that is heavily used by local residents. A portion of the trail is used for the Burning River 100 which is one of the finest 100 mile runs in the country! After finishing for the day it was great to eat dinner with Navy buddy Gerry Wright!<br />
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Day 67 - 1 mile of road, 43 miles of trail<br />
The route this day was the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath with two small breaks on road. The first short break was in downtown Akron. Since this was a Saturday I didn't expect to see many people near downtown Akron, but the place was absolutely deserted - WOW! Jen and I ran some at the start this day, but Jen's issues continued and we dropped to a walk. At mile 13 I returned to jogging and pushed ahead of Jen. Bottom line, we both enjoyed our day on the Towpath.<br />
As an aside, I look forward to making it back to the Burning River 100 and to run the Towpath Marathon some year. Don't let life pass you by. If you enjoy rail and canal trails, put the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail on your To Do list.<br />
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Day 68 - 20 miles of road, 26 miles of trail<br />
The day started out cool with complete overcast skies. Later we were rained on several times which included some heavy rain. The first 10 miles of the route were the southern end of the Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail. After a couple miles of road we returned to trail on the Zoar Valley Trail which I note includes nearly three miles of the old Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath with more nice canal locks to enjoy passing. Miles 15-18 of the day on the Zoar Valley Trail were some of the very few single-track trail miles used on the entire route. At mile 19 we ran over a historic bridge - the only Fink Truss bridge still in existence. You can read about and see a picture of the interesting bridge at<br />
http://www.tuscazoar.org/ZoarValleyTrail.htm.<br />
We then passed through a few small towns via highway enroute to the scenic Connotton Creek (Rail) Trail for the last ten miles of the day. While on the road around mile 28 a pair of local ultrarunners rolled along in their van talking with me about the Run. The short conversation pumped me up for a few miles!<br />
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Day 69 - 31 miles of road, 13 miles of trail<br />
The drive to the start this day was done in foggy conditions - yes, keep that sun away. The sun didn't stay away for long though. The left leg and foot were in bad shape from the start. Only a quarter mile into the day I fell behind Jen and didn't catch her until mile 13 or so when she walked a bit. Miles 6-8 were run on the last gravel road of the Run until the final quarter mile at the Atlantic. No car passed me when running on this gravel road. The route had an upward bias until mile 24 and then we ran "down to the river" in order to cross the Ohio River and run into the panhandle of West Virginia - The Mountain State - state 11 of the Run. We then ran up and down for the next six miles until we reached the Panhandle Trail. You might think we enjoyed running downhill, but both of us (especially me) lost the ability (probably due to loss of some muscle mass) to run well downhill - especially on steeper road - weeks prior to day 69. The steepest up and down roads of the route were in these six miles of road through West Virginia. After a steep downhill that took a lot out of the leg muscles we reached the Panhandle (Rail) Trail - another crushed stone trail. Jen picked up the pace shortly after reaching the trail and moved ahead of me, but I caught her with about a mile to go for the day when she was once again beset with issues, and we finished together. We entered our 12th state of the Run - Pennsylvania - the Keystone State - at mile 37 when running the Panhandle Trail. A surprising event that occurred this day was with my GPS Watch - a Garmin Forerunner 310XT. My watch didn't like the foggy conditions and somehow moisture seeped into the watch on this fine day. The watch died at some point late in the run. The captured moisture is easily seen when looking at the face of the watch. Just yesterday I arranged to send the watch back to Garmin for an exchange since the watch is less than a year old and under warranty. I had a back-up watch with me, and I note my Forerunner 305 preformed just fine for the remainder of the Run.<br />
As an aside, until the Civil War the area of the United States currently known as the state of West Virginia was actually part of Virginia. Shortly after the Civil War commenced the western counties of the state of Virginia seceded from Virginia and in 1863 became the state of West Virginia.<br />
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Day 70 - 13 miles of road, 31 miles of trail<br />
Another cool start, and my recollection is that my left foot once again was flapping vice gracefully running. We ran about ten more miles on the Panhandle Trail before transitioning to another crushed stone rail trail, the Montour Trail. The Montour Trail is a superb trail on the edge of the Pittsburgh metroplex. I note that there are still some road gaps in this trail hence there was several times this day we left the trail and transitioned to road for a short time before returning to the trail. We passed through two tunnels on the trail this day - our first tunnels of the trip since we bypassed the Mickelson Trail in South Dakota due to the fire reroute, and I didn't know the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel was open back in Washington. Jen was running about 50 yards ahead of me when we passed through the first tunnel, and as I headed out of the tunnel Jen (and I) could clearly hear the tremendous difference in sound between my left and right footfalls. UGH. I note that I write this blog entry five weeks after day 70. regrettably I report that my lower left leg is still giving me problems, but I am confident that the issues will resolve themselves in the near future.<br />
Since the pizza shop we initially went to for dinner that night didn't have chairs, we ate at Boston Market for dinner - another restaurant first for Jen. I note we had a fine dinner so maybe I won't wait another ten years before my next visit to a Boston Market. <br />
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<br />Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-51767490700746514962012-09-10T18:57:00.001-07:002012-09-10T18:57:33.540-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 8 (Days 59-64)Day 59 - 26 miles of road, 19 miles of trail<br />
Ultrarunner Chad Wooley and his dog Diamond joined Jen and I as we passed right by his house on our journey to the Atlantic. It was good to talk to Chad. Regrettably I had to drop to a walk at mile 11 or so as my left foot felt like it did when I had my left foot fourth metatarsal stress fracture. Definitely can't say I was happy with those feelings. The foot issue actually started with about five miles to go on day 58 so in hindsight if I had applied KT Tape to my left foot that night maybe I wouldn't have walked as many miles (15 miles before shifting to a run/walk) as I did that day. Anyway the route today included the paved trail miles of the Oak Savannah and Prairie Duneland Rail Trails. These two trails utilize the same old roadbed, there is just a break between the two trails. Maybe the trails will connect someday. At mile 20 the Prairie Duneland Trail crossed Samuelson Rd at a small park named for a Samuelson family that donated the land for the park. It is unknown if I am related to those Indiana Samuelsons. After leaving the trails we ran some nice rural road miles to get to La Porte, IN our finish point for day 59.<br />
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Day 60 - 46 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
I couldn't help but be concerned about my left foot as we started day 60, but it is what it is. The left foot actually felt better after I didn't pick it up high enough at about mile 27 and I caught the foot on something and almost fell to the pavement. At about 5 miles I had to drop to a walk. What was going on with my foot? Well, when I ran it felt like pressure was building up in the foot - presumably from the pounding. When I stopped running - sometimes just for seconds and sometimes for a minute or two - and adjusted to a walk the pressure I was feeling in the foot would subside allowing me to commence running again for a couple more minutes. It was like this for the rest of the day - run, walk, run walk, repeat. I mostly kept Jen in sight ahead of me until the marathon mark this day until she moved too far ahead and finally finishing 14 minutes ahead of me. Three interesting points for the day. We were stopped by a train at mile 12. As one might suspect, I might not have seen Jen the rest of the day if the train had not stopped her. Jen had probably been stopped by the train for 8-10 minutes when I got there. I note that we stopped our watches until we could get past the train - the second train to stop Jen on the Run and first one for me. The wait - which was at least done in the shade - was a little frustrating as we could see the end of the train maybe 50 yards away. There was just no way to safely walk around the end of the train to get to the other side. Then just minutes after the train moved so that we could continue running we passed an old closed school on the road. The school stuck out as it was out of place in the middle of Indiana nowhere. With all the high weeds on the grounds and the old playground equipment still in place the school property was actually a little eerie. I note that the school is for sale - anyone interested? Then just a few minutes later we made our last turn of the day at mile 14 and headed due east for 32 miles on another nice rural road. As many of you know, in the American Heartland the roads are set up in one mile by one mile grids so almost 100% of the time on these Heartland rural roads that head due east one passes a north-south road every mile. I am running along and I note that I am passing Fir Rd. A mile later I note that I am passing Elm Rd, and a mile after that I note that I was passing Dogwod Rd. Having run almost 2500 miles across the country and reading hundreds of street names naming the next three streets before reaching them was a piece of cake, a slam dunk, a no brainer, childs play... The next three streets were named Cedar, Beech, and Ash. I note that Birch was a low percentage possible road name instead of Beech, but I digress. I fully admit that I should have recognized the street names pattern after passing Elm, but I was tired after running 30 plus miles. Yes, bring out the violins.<br />
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Day 61 - 43 miles of road, 2 miles of trail<br />
Day 61 was the worst day of the Run for me. We passed into the eastern time zone at some point on day 60 so we got an hour less rest than we otherwise would have. On the other hand it was cool at the start - yes! Basically both feet hurt this cool morning, Jen wasn't feeling that great either. My mom asked me how I felt when meeting the crew at mile 12 and I answered that I had descended into hell. Thankfully the day did improve as Jen told a good story at the 17 mile mark or so that got me laughing, and some Advil probably started taking affect. It was another day on rural roads including a number of miles of gravel roads through Amish country.<br />
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Day 62 - 44 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Another bunch of miles on rural roads this day. My left foot felt a little better - yes! Jen and I crossed into Ohio and had our picture taken with the Ohio Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer vice an Ohio sign since there wasn't an Ohio sign on the rural road which we were running. The crew got McDonalds for lunch since we passed just south of Montpelier, OH at lunch time. Yes, it is sometimes the small things in life.<br />
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Day 63 - 20 miles of road, 24 miles of trail<br />
It is always tough to say goodbye, but it was time for Steph to leave the Run and return to earning money. Steph saw us through parts of five states - WOW!!! On this sixth day in a row with the temperature not reaching 90 degrees we ran 22 miles on the Wabash Cannonball Trail. At mile 40 I didn't pick up my left foot again and I fell onto the asphalt road shoulder near the cars traveling towards us on busy US-20. Thankfully I suffered no injuries! We even had a small amount of rain early in the morning!<br />
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Day 64 - 18 miles of road, 23 miles of trail<br />
The North Coast Inland Trail was the trail today. We passed through some nice Ohio towns before finishing at our hotel in Bellevue - the sixth time we finished the day right at our hotel!<br />
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<br />Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-18183577858231181692012-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:002012-09-09T12:15:58.820-07:00RAAoT Wrap-up - Part 7 (Days 49-58)Day 49 - 18 miles on road, 27 miles on trail<br />
The best day in Iowa! 27 miles on the Raccoon River Valley Trail (raccoonrivervalleytrail.org) - one of the finest rail trails in the country. And to boot the trail is part of the American Discovery Trail (discoverytrail.org)!!! Additionally, Jen saw her first live raccoons on the trail just south of Panora! It was another hot day, but we did have some shade on the great trail for a number of miles. Local ultrarunner David Frank - who was cycling the trail - noted our running and he slowed to talk to Jen and I for a bit late in the day. It was good to talk to David. Next time your travels take you to Des Moines, IA make time to enjoy the trail!!!<br />
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Day 50 - 15 miles of road, 28 miles of trail<br />
Super Solar Radiation Blast Batman! Another hot day - especially the afternoon - but we did have some shade on the Des Moines bike trails earlier in the day thankfully. And you have to love a trail that runs right by McDonalds! Trail users are also afforded good views of the Iowa state capital, but make sure you wear your sunblock if you are going to be out on the open trail for long on a hot summer day!<br />
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Day 51 - 45 miles of road (27 miles of gravel), 0 miles of trail<br />
Blast Furnace! Another hot day - no surprise there. Not much of great interest to mention about the day, but Jen and I had just met with Steph and my parents who had stopped in some shade - because that is what any sane person would on this day - so we were ahead of the crew vehicles at mile 21 when we came across this bridge. I knew the bridge was there as I remember crossing the bridge on the pre-Run and noting a number of folks fishing from the bridge. What I don't recall is seeing a sign that said "Weight Limit - 3 Tons". HMMM - the Roadrunner probably weighs around three tons. I wasn't too concerned since the Roadrunner crossed the bridge safely on the pre-Run, but my mom reported that the bridge groaned mightily when the Roadrunner crossed. Four miles later we meet up with a dog that ran with us for about two miles before the dog was lured into the Roadrunner and driven back to his presumed home.<br />
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Day 52 - 46 miles of road (34 miles of gravel), 0 miles of trail<br />
The longest day of the Run to date - and the second longest day of the Run in total - began in the middle of nowhere where we finished day 51. All indications at the start pointed to the day being Blast Furnace II - The Slightly Cooler Sequel. It was not to be. We continued running east from the start with the low sun in the sky in our eyes, but around mile 4 or so the sun was blocked by clouds. Then, more and more cloud cover appeared and the sky actually darkened. Hallelujah!!! We enjoyed near complete cloud cover for most of the day - very nice indeed. The incident of the day was Steph's SUV settling into the mud on the side of the road. Thankfully a super local farmer pulled the SUV from the muck and everyone continued on their way. We had an excellent dinner at a local restaurant (Kalona family Restaurant I believe) - huge plates of food at very inexpensive prices. Today was the third time in 11 days - and the third time on the Run - that we ended the day right at our hotel.<br />
<br />
Day 53 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Not much to add to the blogs posts; clouds provided relief again and Jen ran ahead of me most of the day finishing about 8 minutes before I did. Hindsight is always 20/20, but another good option for the day would have been to run 39.5 miles and finish right at the AmericInn in Muscatine. <br />
<br />
Day 54 - 30 miles of road, 10 miles of trail<br />
Early this day we rejoined the American Discovery Trail (discoverytrail.org) which we had left the morning of day 50. I note that the American Discovery Trail uses lots of miles of road since there is not a way to cross America on a continuous coast-to-coast trail - but maybe some day there will be!!! Additionally, if the American Discovery Trail (ADT) was interested in the shortest distance between two points the RAAoT route and the ADT route would have remained the same in eastern Iowa, but the ADT is routed to use a maximum amount of trail and a minimum amount of road, so distance is not really an issue for the ADT. We actually ran onto actual trail this fine day at mile 21. We ran a mile on the Riverfront Trail in Iowa and then crossed the mighty Mississippi River. Jen wrote in her blog, "<style><!--
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--></style><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The river was much wider than I’d expected and
really impressive</span>." According to Wikipedia, the Mighty Mississippi drains part or all of 31 states and is the fourth longest and tenth largest river in the world. I have seen the "Big River" at flood stage from the bluffs of Memphis (I note that Memphis is referred to as the Bluff City) and the sight was amazing. Basically all I saw was water everywhere - with the exception of the two bridges (I-40 and I-55) that cross the Mississippi at Memphis, but I digress. Shortly after we crossed the Mississippi Jen and I jumped onto the Great River Trail for six miles, and after another section of road we joined the Hennepin Canal Parkway Trail for the final two miles of the 40 mile day. Corky kept us in high spirits this day by surprising us with an outstanding aid station at mile 17 at the western edge of Davenport, then meeting us again at the bottom of the Centennial Bridge as we entered Illinois, meeting us three miles later with hot fried chicken, and then meeting us a fourth time as we entered her home town of East Moline. Later we all assembled for a nice dinner at Applebees. A fine day indeed!!! <br />
<br />
Day 55 - 0 miles of road, 44 miles of trail<br />
Another hot day, but Jen and I ran well aided by a small amount of shade provided by the trail throughout the day. The trail was great! Marty joined us for most of the day either riding his bike with Jen and I or meeting us at crew stops. Jen and I ran together until about mile 25 when I fell back to a longer crew stop. I was slowly making up ground on Jen when a blister forced me to a walk - the first blister of the Run to do so. I note that - thankfully - I didn't pick up many blisters primarily due to my use of Sport Shield every day. And for the only time in the Run I stopped at the crew vehicles to lance the offending blister while running the stage. Oh bother, I became a really cranky runner for the first time in the Run when I failed to lance the offending blister. As I continued down the trail the pain lessened and I slowly resumed running. A few miles later I reached the Hennepin Canal Vistor Center. It was good to step into the air conditioning and say HI to the great folks there. I only left a half gallon or so of sweat on the concrete floor before leaving. Yes I exaggerated - only a few ounces of sweat dripped off me while I refueled in the air conditioning before I stepped out into the heat to run the last eight miles of the day in which I finished 8 minutes behind Jen again. We saw a good amount of wildlife this day, and Jen also saw a muskrat!<br />
<br />
Day 56 - 17 miles of road, 26 miles of trail<br />
Unfortunately, the Hennepin Canal Towpath and the Illinois & Michigan (I & M) Towpath Trail don't connect, so Jen and I had to run some road to get from one trail to the next. We ran right about the same pace as the day before with Jen moving ahead of me at mile 30 when I stopped for aid. This was my worst day of the Run for blisters which were most assuredly caused by the high humidity. I blogged that,"
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I was happy
with how I ran fighting off blister and foot pain and the heat and humidity.</span>" We all enjoyed a Cracker Barrel dinner later - another restaurant first for Jen. This was the fourth day on the Run that we ended the day right at our hotel - which I note wasn't the best hotel of the trip, but not the worst either.<br />
<br />
Day 57 - 0 miles of road, 41 miles of trail<br />
The second toughest weather day of the Run took its toll on me - even with shade provided in places on the trail. I had to back off the pace at mile 24 and Jen went ahead - eventually finishing the day 12 minutes ahead of me. More great trail, but I have to admit it was tough to fully enjoy the trail on the challenging day. Karen was back with us as we ended the day just a few miles from the Doyle homestead!!! I spent my first night in a house - in fact it was the first time just stepping foot in a house - since spending the night of May 2nd or 3rd at Marty and Donna's place in Davenport, IA on the pre-Run. Super spaghetti dinner!!! Jen and I both weighed ourselves and we were both down quite a bit of weight. I don't know what my exact weight was when I left home in April, but Karen's two scales weighed me in at 161ish - hence I was down nearly 40 pounds in 100 days. I note that I just weighed myself here at home and the scale says I now weigh 176 pounds as I am still consuming plenty of calories daily three weeks after finishing the Run.<br />
<br />
Day 58 - 14 miles of road, 27 miles of trail<br />
Thankfully thunderstorms came through the area early this morning which dropped the temperature down significantly and provided some nice cloud cover for most of the day. On the negative side, the humidity was near 100%, but no complaints. After finishing the last five and a half miles of the I & M Canal Trail we ran a couple miles of roads through Joliet to reach the Old Plank Road Trail, an outstanding paved rail trail. Besides being crewed excellently by Steph, Karen, and my parents, Rich Limacher (aka The Troubador) and Debbie Jones joined us for 30 miles and 20 miles respectively this day. The time passed quite quickly with new friends to talk to and before we knew it we were passing into Indiana where we ended the day for the fifth time on the Run at our hotel - this time going upscale and stopping at the Holiday Inn Express. Having stopped a little early I decided this was the day to get my second and final haircut of the Run - the haircut to get me to the finish.<br />
As an aside, a week ago Chris Finill posted a link in the Facebook USA Crosser group to a movie made on the US crossing completed by the British duo of Chris Finill and Steve Pope in 2011. I smiled when I noted that Chris and Steve crossed into Indiana and had their picture taken in front of the same Welcome to Indiana sign at which Jen and I stopped. I smiled again when they stopped at the same Fleet Feet Sports I visited to replace my stock of Sport Shield. Chris was given a free pair of shoes by the store. I guess I should have let the store know that I was running across the country - maybe the store would have given me free Sport Shield roll-on bottles!Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-70680521472916883762012-09-06T17:41:00.000-07:002012-09-06T17:41:24.589-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 6 (Days 39-48)Day 39 - 44 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
The last six miles of day 38 were our first miles on US-20. All of day 39 was also run on rural US-20. A cool front moved in and we were blessed with super weather this day - including a light rain for a small number of minutes - the first rain of the Run since day 20 I believe. With the cooler weather we ran just a few seconds slower than 12 minute miles for the day. It was good to run with David again for miles 15-20, and then it was just as good to run with Sean Edmunds from mile 20 to the finish. We ran through a total of one town this day - Merriman (population 128 in the 2010 census) - at mile 25 or so. There was a gas station in Merriman which allowed supplies to be purchased and the crew to use (thankfully) clean restrooms.<br />
<br />
Day 40 - 41 miles of road, 1 mile of trail<br />
I had been looking forward to day 40 for some time. The barber in Valentine did a nice job cutting my hair during the pre-Run, and my plan was to have him cut my hair after finishing day 40. It was on day 37 when I realized that day 40 was a Sunday so I wouldn't be getting a haircut on day 40 - oh well. Sean caught a ride with us to the start in the Roadrunner which allowed Donna and the kids to sleep-in. We said goodbye to Kari and David at the start this day, and then Jen, Sean, and I hit the road and continued our trek east on US-20. Another cool day with another small bit of rain was a good way to reach the halfway mark of the Run (in days, not miles). We ran through the small hamlets of Cody, Nenzel, Kilgore, and Crookston on this day with no open services. I have a good visual memory, but I admit to not being able to see any pictures in my mind of Nenzel, Kilgore, or Crookston. Prometheus was on at the theater, so we went to the movies for the only time of Run. The movie wasn't the best, but it was enjoyable.<br />
<br />
Day 41 - 0 miles of road, 45 miles of trail<br />
A no services no turn day all on the nice Cowboy Trail! We said goodbye to Mike Melton this morning so he could run Vol State. Zach cycled two stretches of trail with Jen, Sean, and I to crew for us where there were no crew access points. At mile three we crossed over the Niobrara River on the second longest trestle of the Run - and possibly the highest trestle.<br />
Paralleling many rail trails are 100 plus year old telegraph and telephone poles still standing where they were installed. Many of the poles still have some of their glass insulators that were also installed many years ago. I started pointing out these old telegraph poles to Jen starting on day 6 when we were running the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. Now in Nebraska we saw a number of the old Cowboy Trail telegraph poles from US-20 the previous two days. Anyway, so we are running a 12 mile section of the Cowboy Trail without access and Zach was riding his bike with us. Jen fell back a bit around mile 11 or so and it was Sean, Zach and I running ahead on the trail. My memory tells me that when Jen caught up to us she asked if I had seen the telegraph pole with all 10 insulators still in place on the pole. I hadn't see the pole, and I had been looking for this "holy grail" of telegraph poles as Jen knew. Bummer - and I don't recall ever seeing this holy grail of poles on any of the rail trails used for the Run. The best moment of this much warmer day was meeting a nice lady outside of the hamlet of Wood Lake's Post Office and seeing her donate to reasontorun2012.com.<br />
Well, I didn't get my haircut in Valentine, but Ainsworth also had a barber so I head into downtown Ainsworth in search of the barber shop. I drive around a few minutes and finally find the shop with an OPEN sign hanging in the door. I park the Roadrunner, get out and start walking towards the door when I note the OPEN sign now says CLOSED. UGH. I chose not to knock on the door, essentially resigning myself to running another two days with long hair and getting a haircut in O'Neill on day 43. <br />
<br />
Day 42 - 0 miles of road, 40 miles of trail<br />
Day 42 started off on a sad note when Sean's right knee wouldn't allowed him to run. Jen and I continued on hoping that Sean could catch us later. Regrettably, Sean never caught back up to Jen and I and the reasontorun2012.com was ended a week or so later due to non-running related medical issues. The best part of day 42 was crossing another nice trestle at the edge of the small hamlet of Long Pine (population of 305). The trestle crosses Long Pine Creek which has created a fairly deep gorge over the centuries. A small number of houses on the top of gorge had great views of the creek and chasm. Just a mile later we ran by the remnants of a drive-in theater which probably hadn't shown a movie on its screen since the 80s. Thankfully a cool day at the start, but the day turned hot once again when the cloud cover broke.<br />
If there hadn't been Montana fires to force us to reroute the Run we would have ended day 32 right at our hotel for the night. Well, we finally had a chance to end right at our hotel on day 42 in the small town of Stuart, NE.<br />
<br />
Day 43 - 0 miles of road, 40 miles of trail<br />
Another great 40 miles on the Cowboy Trail!!! Success with a haircut and super food at Tia Zia's Mexican Food Restaurant! Could life get better? Yes, cooler weather would have been nice, but no complaint.<br />
<br />
Day 44 - 4 miles of road, 39 miles of trail<br />
As coined by Jen, the cattle, corn, and hay tour of Nebraska continued this day. We had to detour on road for four miles to bypass a trestle destroyed by flooding, but the remaining miles were all on the Cowboy Trail. It was a hot day and about the only barely remarkable thing I can recall from the day is that there was notable roadkill in the our mile stretch we were on the road.<br />
<br />
Day 45 - 27 miles of road, 18 miles of trail<br />
At the 18 mile point of the day the Cowboy Trail came to an end at a park in Norfolk, NE. We made our way to US-275 and continued to head east. It was a hot and humid day from the start - a tough day for running on our longest mileage day yet on the Run. The most notable - it was the last day for crewing by Heidi, Zach, and crew dog Daphne who had excellently crewed for Jen and I since the start. Also, Steph Robinson arrived for crewing duty so that we continued on with two crew vehicles.<br />
<br />
Day 46 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Heidi was very excited to be heading home. Just seconds after taking pictures in the hotel parking lot, Heidi, Zach and Daphne were gone. Steph, Jen, my parents, and I then headed to the start point.<br />
Day 46 turned out to be the worst day of the Run weather wise. I didn't carry a wet bulb globe thermometer with me as I ran, but all indications are that the average feel like temperature on day 46 was higher than every other day of the Run. We headed east on NE-51 embarking on a two turn day with the only with the only services on the route being a gas station at mile 35. The temperature climbed as we ran up and down the hilly low trafficked road. As we approached the Missouri River and the bridge to cross into Iowa, the asphalt continued to get more crowded as the amount of dead raccoons on the road was quite sizable. We were about to cross into Iowa - state seven on the Run!!! But first we had to pay a toll at the toll booth and cross the Onawa-Decatur Bridge. Now I had called the city of Decatur way back in early 2009 to make sure that pedestrians were allowed to cross the bridge. Yes was the answer. Then after running the Afton Trail 50K in Minnesota on July 4th that year I drove southwest to the bridge and conversed with the toll takers. Yes, pedestrians could cross the low trafficked bridge. This answer made perfect sense since the toll booth was only on the west side of the bridge. Any runner could run over the bridge from the east and not be stopped by a toll booth. However, there was no mention of a "pedestrian" toll amount on the toll booth sign. No issue - Jen and I are both cyclists - we just weren't using our bikes at the moment. The toll for cyclists to cross the bridge is one dollar, hence I paid for us both to cross the bridge as cyclists - which really confused the toll taker (not my intention to confuse). Bottom line, we crossed the bridge, ran into Iowa, and ran another six miles to stop right at our hotel for the second time in five days - and for the second time on the Run.<br />
<br />
Day 47 - 38 miles of road (16 of which were gravel), and 0 miles of trail<br />
With gravel roads and plenty of hills, Iowa was the state I looked forward to running the least. However, day 47 started a little cooler than day 46 and off we went. We ran the first the first ten miles together and then Jen picks up the pace. We continued to run well minutes apart until mile 28 where we hit a "bump in the road" as our route (which I had altered since the pre-Run) included a road not passable by vehicles - and since it rained the road wasn't a good one for runners either. So after a few minutes of pouring over maps we rerouted with not too much trouble and off we went again. We were running together at mile 35 when we encountered the worst stench of our lives which I presume came from nearby animal waste ponds. Thankfully we passed through the area quickly and left the smell behind. <br />
<br />
Day 48 - 43 miles of road (3 of which were gravel), 0 miles of road<br />
IA -141 was our home for 35 miles this day as we continued heading east. IA-141 is an average Iowa rural highway with mostly gravel shoulders. Two words - cattle trucks. I proclaim that you haven't lived until you have experienced cattle trucks passing you - occasionally spitting microscopic and small particles your way. And the cattle truck smell should really be a popular perfume! Jen and I ran together until mile 25 at which point Jen slowed due to right calf issues. After we finished running the plan was to eat at the Denny's. We followed our Garmins that directed us to Denny's - yes we made it to Denny's - which unfortunately was a local pub/restaurant vice the Denny's "American Diner". Oh well, the Quiznos was very good again! <br />
<br />
<br />
Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-63672281832485743142012-09-05T19:38:00.001-07:002012-09-05T19:38:51.417-07:00RAAoT Wrap-up - Part 5 (Days 33-38)Day 33 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
It was a sad morning as we said goodbye to Justin and the Scooby Van at the start. Jen and I headed east passing through Gillette and running by the International House of Pancakes (IHOP) where we ate after day 31and received the worst service at dinner the entire Run. Upon leaving the city the fierce headwinds picked-up. Jen and I ran at least three miles right at 11:20 pace, but we worked hard to do that. No surprise that the effort to run against the wind drained us, but the running became more challenging shortly after passing through the blink-and-you-miss-it-hamlet of Rozet at mile 20 when the I-90 westbound lanes were closed and the interstate traffic was routed onto the frontage road (WY-51) we were running on most of the day. Thankfully the I-90 traffic reroute only lasted 35-40 minutes since the westbound traffic - especially the trucks - made the eastward running that much tougher. After finishing the day about five miles past Moorcroft - our home for the night at a nice local hotel - Frank and I took the trip northeast to see Devil's Tower. Frank and I slowly walked the nice paved 1.2 mile trail around the tower and enjoyed the views. I was concerned the walk could hurt my running the following day, but it didn't. Maybe the large milkshake purchase at the store at the base of the Tower assisted in the refueling effort. Does anyone want to guess what movie was playing at the store? Yes, Close Encounters of the Third Kind was playing on the store screen for the 10,000th time or so in the last 30 years. <br />
I note that day 33 was most notable for being the day of the Run with the worst headwinds.<br />
<br />
Day 34 - 43 miles or road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Not much to add to the blog posts, but I note that the smoke was fairly thick around our hotel when we woke up which was definitely disconcerting. If it wasn't for the fires in the area, day 34 would have been super. It was still a great day as Frank, Jen, and I all ran well. Mike Melton also got in some good training for Vol State. We ran through the small town of Upton around mile 10. In case you didn't know, Upton claims to be the "Best Town in the World". Upton appeared to be a nice small town, but the probability that Upton is the best town in the world is near zero. The smoke didn't end up bothering us much this day, but the smoke was quite thick on the western side of Newcastle - our home for the night - which caused concern once again. Thankfully, however, as we ran to the east side of town where our hotel was located, the smoke dissipated. Day 34 was the last day of the Run that Jen and I ran faster than 12 minute mile pace, although we ran close to 12 minute pace on some additional good running days. We said goodbye to Frank - after a Pizza Hut dinner - whom we would see again after day 75 and at the finish!<br />
<br />
Day 35 - 36 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
A shorter day, into South Dakota (state 5), a hilly route with 2000 feet of elevation gain, running just slower than 12 minute mile pace, arrival of my parents Carl and Pat Samuelson and my son Zach, Jen's first visit to Quiznos, encountering a large group of cyclists at Quiznos crossing the country from east to west, a visit to Mount Rushmore for all, the Roadrunner and my bike get a wash, simply another great day!!!<br />
<br />
Day 36 - 34 miles of road, 6 miles of trail<br />
It was good to start day 36 as the route commenced with six fantastic George S. Mickelson Rail Trail miles! Unfortunately, the right hamstring - which had bothered me some in the previous couple days - wasn't really happy to start the day. In hindsight, maybe if I had immediately slowed to a walk to work out the hamstring issue the day might have gone better than it did, but I didn't slow to a walk - I kept running with Jen and Mike Melton who had started the day with us. The hamstring slowly warmed up and we were running well at mile 5 with Zach - riding my bike - increasing the size of the group to four. Suddenly one of the worst POPs I have yet to experience in my running career occurred with my right hamstring. I uttered a loud and strong Oh Bother - and I slowed to a walk. The good news is that I could walk, the bad news is that I couldn't run. Would I be forced to walk the rest of the way to the Atlantic? Thankfully I only had to wait to day 37 for the answer. Jen decided to walk with me, and we walked through scenic Wind cave National Park and the old town of Hot Springs - our home for the night at yet another Super 8 - before finishing the long day about a dozen miles southeast of Hot Springs. Regrettably Jen picked up a painful rash about mile 20 and ended up walking through more pain than desired the second half of the day.<br />
<br />
Day 37 - 45 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Our longest day yet, the 45 miles went OK - although we fought the headwinds again. My hamstring allowed me to run - yeeaahhh!!! We had transitioned out of the Black Hills late on day 36 and we were now running through the Great Prairie. I had to drop the pace and fall behind Jen around mile 17 due to the hamstring acting up some, but I worked the issue and managed to catch Jen around mile 32 after she slowed to access Facebook while walking up a moderately steep hill. We finished the day together fighting headwinds which increased significantly the last five miles. I then had my first ever Taco Johns fast-food as a dozen Taco John tacos were obtained in the nearby town of Pine Ridge for all to consume at the finish. I note I ate 4 or 5 of the yummy tacos!<br />
<br />
Day 38 - 39 miles of road (15 were gravel), 0 miles of trail<br />
We passed into Nebraska three miles into the day and immediately picked up a stray dog that escorted us south for three miles or so. It was a cooler morning with some nice cloud cover, and once we lost the dog it was nice running south on the NE-87 - a low trafficked highway this Friday. Mile 13 or so we meet up with the Roadrunner and see my sister and brother-in-law Kari and David Chapman. After another five miles of heading south, we turn due east onto a 15 mile long gravel road. We are essentially in the middle of Nebraska-nowhere on a barely used gravel road and a truck comes by and - I don't remember the exact conversation - the driver stops and asks Jen and I if he is headed in the right direction?! Unbelievable - but true! Six or seven miles later David joins Jen and I for three miles of slow running. A mile and a half later the three of us get rushed by two dogs and one of the dogs bites one of David's shoes. Jen and I run 3300 miles and don't get bit by any dogs (yeeaahhh to that), David runs eight miles total - three on day 38 and five on day 39 - and he gets bit! David, thanks for taking one for the team. Later, after eating dinner at the local Gordon, NE Italian restaurant, we drive around town and cross paths with Sean and Donna Edmunds and their kids in the reasontorun2012.com motor home. It is indeed a small world - crossing paths with another cross country runner in rural Nebraska. Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-19913395203036096742012-09-04T19:10:00.001-07:002012-09-04T19:10:42.995-07:00RAAoT Wrap-up - Part 4Day 25 - 42 miles of Montana highways, 0 miles trail<br />
We knew our luck had run out and the temperatures were going to get into the 80s finally. No one could complain about running 24 days without seeing the thermometer reach 80 degrees, but as all runners know it is much easier to run a decent pace with the temps in the 50s. Our finish times for the day indicate that none of us had a great day of running, but the day started out well with all three of us running a good pace. The day got better when I picked up two quarters about the 7.75 mile mark, and even better when Heidi told me there were a dozen cyclists riding across the country just a few miles back. As I climbed a hill on the road the cyclists starting passing me. It was super to see and share a few words with our fellow crossers. Just a mile later it was great to visit a few more minutes with the cyclists who had taken a break at the same place Heidi had parked the Roadrunner. And just a mile or so later I took my only two pictures on the Run of a heavily damaged trestle of the Old Milwaukee Road which joined the road again for several miles. Life was good even with the temperature moving higher and higher. However, stuff happens. Up ahead of me Jen makes a misstep to avoid a dead vulture and ends of straining her back. Regrettably Jen's back bothered her now and again all the way to the Atlantic after this misstep. About the same place Jen encountered the dead vulture my left hamstring started giving me problems and forced me to a walk for 6-7 miles. I enjoyed traveling through the small town of Lavina (population 187 in the 2010 census) at mile 26 as I was just starting to return to jogging as advil had helped with the troubling hamstring. Another old Post Office brought a smile to my face. I started to run more and more and when I approached the Roadrunner at about mile 36 I noted that Jennifer wasn't far ahead. I felt confident I could catch Jen before we reached the finished for the day, but it wasn't to be.<br />
<br />
Day 26 - 37 miles of road, 2 miles of trail<br />
We passed 1000 miles on this first day running in the heat of 90 degree temps!!! It was a tough day for the three of us as we all ran out of water between crew stops on this hot day. Regrettably Justin ran a few extra miles due to a confusing intersection. We went over the route at Fuddruckers the night before, but sometimes I wonder if I could have a done a better job discussing the route. Did the extra few miles Justin ran in the heat on day 26 possibly lead to his issues a few days later that forced him from the Run? It is a valid question, but there is no way to know the answer. Speaking of Fuddruckers, I mentioned to the cyclists that Billings had a Fuddruckers (actually there is more than one Fuddruckers in Billings) and I read that the cross country cyclists also ate at Fuddruckers - although we didn't see them there.<br />
<br />
Day 27 - 41 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
This day was the buggiest day of the Run. For about 20 miles the bugs attacked, and no one had fun. This one turn day was a slightly down elevation day through the plains of southeastern Montana. There were no services on the route until reaching the town of Hardin at the end of the day. At about mile 11 we (Jen and I running together) saw our largest dead carcass of the Run. We smelled the dead cow before seeing it, but there it was a few feet from the road. At mile 38 I passed a freshly dead skunk in the middle of the road on the outskirts of Hardin. I wish the skunk hadn't been hit, but I knew that Jen would finally have a chance to smell a freshly dead skunk - another first for Jen. I note that there are no skunks - and many other common US animals like raccoons - in Britain. I had no idea that many common American animals don't live in Britain until Jen informed me of that fact. I asked Justin after finishing if he had seen the dead skunk and he hadn't, hence there wasn't much doubt that the skunk was freshly dead.<br />
<br />
Day 28 - 39 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
We said goodbye to Margaret - who was taking the Scooby Van to the Billings Airport in order to transfer it to Mike Melton before flying home - and headed out to the start. There were five of us in the Roadrunner - Heidi, Crew Dog Daphne, Jen, Justin, and myself. Heidi and Daphne were going to take care of the three of us until Mike Melton arrived in the Scooby Van. With one crew vehicle we stayed together and made good time to mile 12 where we turned onto US-12 - our planned running home for the next 200 miles - just yards away from the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Memorial, aka Custer's Last Stand. Regrettably I was already wiped out on this day which would see the temperature climb past 100, but the three of us continued on into the land of no service for the rest of the day. A few miles later the wind picked-up - a fierce cross wind that made the tough day that much more challenging, and the three of us decided to cut four miles from the route today with the hope we could run those miles in cooler temperatures over the next few days. Mike Melton finally arrived bringing a wonderful Dairy Queen vanilla milkshake. I am a milkshake snob so I didn't think I would like the shake, but I loved it and ended up consuming many Dairy Queen milkshakes during the rest of the Run!!! Mike's arrival improved our outlook just a bit, and the final miles of the day passed OK but ominously as we could see smoke ahead on our intended route eastward.<br />
<br />
Day 29 - 36 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Can temperatures really drop 50 degrees in 13 hours? Yes, the high winds brought cool air into southeastern Montana overnight and when we loaded the vehicles early morning day 29 we were actually feeling slightly chilled in the low 50s for the early morning. Unfortunately, the ominous signs couldn't be missed. When I checked out the hotel clerk told me there were evacuations underway around the small town of Ashland which was around mile 35 of our route this day. HMMM. Minutes later when we turned off the interstate onto US-12 to head to the start point there was one of the road construction message signs with the message flashing something like US-12 open to local traffic only. HMMM. Well, the sign didn't stop us, and for 15 miles the three of us ran fairly well in the cooler temps as we watched the traffic heading west pass us. The fact that there was traffic coming from the east appeared to be good news, but it was not to be. Upon reaching the small town of Lame Deer Heidi informed the three of us - who were running just minutes apart - that the road (US-12) was closed due to fire destroying the road. Thankfully we stopped right at a four way intersection which allowed us the choice of either heading north or south from this point in order to continue heading to the Atlantic. Regrettably fires happen. Jen said it best in her blog, "<style><!--
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--></style><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">So we stopped our watches (for the first time
mid-run) and had a conference in the Roadrunner to decide what to do and where
to go. Mike M drove down one route to see if it was open and Mike S was pouring
over the map. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">... Mike M came back with good news – we could head
south and not be stopped by the fire.</span>" <span style="font-size: small;">So we headed south or a surprisingly scenic road with little idea of what lay ahead in the near future. Eight miles later Justin stopped for the day due to runner issues. Jen and I were concerned about Justin but hoped the issue was just a temporary one that would allow him to return to running the next day. Another 13 scenic - and smokey - miles later Jen and I finished the day at the edge of the reservation - in the middle of nowhere. Ninety plus minutes later we arrived in Sheridan and met my great friend Frank Dembia who had flown in to crew and run with us. I jumped onto the internet as quickly as possible to determine our detour route back to the original RAAoT route. I note that I made a good decision to not take the mapmyrun.com shortest route through rural Montana/Wyoming as a number of the "small" roads on this "shortest" route turned out to be ranch roads that probably would have caused us trouble had we taken them, so in hindsight I ended up planning just about the best detour route possible. I didn't know that at the time, however, and I had to worry each day if I was leading us on a route that wouldn't work and lead to extra miles via forced backtracking or be longer than needed due to not using a road that actually would have allowed us to run a shorter route.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 30 - 31 miles of gravel road in the middle of nowhere, 0 miles of trail</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">It was great to have Frank run with Jen and I as we started the day in the middle of nowhere - and we were encouraged by Mike Melton's report that Justin had started the day off running well - but the positive feelings took an awful shot in the arm when the Scooby Van pulled up to the three of us around mile 12 or so with Justin in the van. Justin continued to have issues so he decided he needed to drop from the Run. I felt sad for Justin that he wasn't going to complete the Run, and I knew he would be missed by Jen and I and all who followed the Run. This was definitely a very low point of the Run, but Jen and I continued on running in the middle of nowhere - a very scenic middle of nowhere I must add - with Frank on a clear day that could easily have been smoke filled if the wind had been working against us. We ended the day at a place "closer to somewhere" only an hour from Sheridan. Jen and I had hopes of getting our hair cut upon returning to Sheridan, but no luck on that front.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 31 - 40 miles on road (36 miles of which were gravel), 0 miles trail</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">After starting the day at "closer to somewhere" Frank drove his rental car ahead to the 10 mile point to see if we could take a "smaller road" which would cut two miles off the "less smaller gravel road" route. Frank reported we could - and should - take the shorter route, so we did. Shortly after the Roadrunner and rental car passed Jen and I we saw a sign that appeared to indicate that the road was a private road - ouch. Was the owner of the house we just passed - the only house we had seen so far this day - going to tell us to get of his property??? A mile or so later we pass a road sign that northwest bound cars would see. I turned around and read something like "Welcome to Powder River County" which meant only one thing, we had passed out of Montana and into Wyoming - state four reached! Another milestone! We met Frank on the road shortly before the two roads converged and letting us know that he had just met the local rancher who asked what the cars were doing parked near what we presume was the gate to his property. The rancher was amazed to hear about the Run across the country. Jen and I passed the rancher a mile later or so and I believe he wished us well as we passed - only the second car we passed that morning. About six miles later I took my first fall of the Run - a fall that caused no injuries, just some scrapes. Another 4-5 miles later we turn off the road we had been on and there was a large sign that appeared to indicate the road we were just on was owned by some corporation - great. No wonder we only passed two cars and two houses in 25 miles. At mile 36 we returned to paved road at the very, very small hamlet of Leiter, WY (population 29). The building at the turn housed - yes, you guessed it - the small Leiter Post Office!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Day 32 - 44 miles on road, 0 miles on trail</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Frank started the day with Jen and I and the three of us all ran well!!! Thanks to Heidi (and later Frank) and Justin for crewing!!! Frank ran 27 miles this day - his first run past the marathon in many years! The route was a good one - all rural road except the final 1.5 miles on this no-services-on-the-route-gain-800-feet-of-elevation-day. The interesting encounter of the day occurred about mile 16 when a pick-up truck pulled up behind me and stopped. The exact conversation escapes me, but the brief encounter went like this:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rancher: Whatcha doing - running?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mike: Yes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rancher: Where are you going?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mike: Delaware</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">The rancher then puts his truck in reverse and heads back down the road in the other direction.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bottom line, day 32 was one of my favorite days of the Run!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span>
Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-34680528421404429042012-09-03T15:49:00.000-07:002012-09-03T15:49:13.128-07:00RAAoT Wrap up - Part 3Day 17 - 41 miles road, 0 miles trail<br />
No much but minutia to add to the blog posts and FB entries for this scenic day on the road. I remember running through the little town of Dixon (population 203 in the 2010 census) around mile 25 and noting the only services there was the Post Office. Yes, I notice post offices, and yes, we were running rural highways this day. This was the first day of the Run in which every mile was on state highway (caveat - there was some sidewalk to run at our one turn and near the day's end at Arlee to get us off the highway shoulder). Even though we were on rural highways, plenty of cars past us at high speed. Justin ended up running 100 yards past the day 17 end point since there is a Jocko Rd access from the highway south of the Jocko Rd stopping point. If you input the 47.15263, 114.06831 GPS point into googlemaps.com you can see an access road to Jocko Rd which is where cars heading south on MT-200/US-93 can turn in order to get to Jocko Rd. When I finished I was surprised not to see Heidi at the finish stop sign - but she too also stopped at the Jocko Rd access and waited for my arrival. Thankfully I only had to wait 10 minutes or so before Heidi found me. After Heidi picked me up we obtained Subway for Jen who watched Daphne while Heidi and I went out to Fuddruckers - one of the best burger chains in the country. Yes, minutia.<br />
<br />
Day 18 - 36 miles dirt road with near zero cars, 0 miles trail<br />
By far the worst day of the Run for the two hours or so Jen and I were lost in remote Montana, but all turned out well in the end. I note that I had left my maps of the day 18 route in the hotel room. ARRGGHH. I can't say with certainty that I wouldn't have led Jen and I down the wrong road at mile 9 or so if I had the maps with me, but we probably wouldn't have ended up being lost. Instead we would have probably simply run a few extra miles or so. Justin was also affected by Jen and I being lost in that he was stuck at the day 18 finish point for an hour or so until Adam could get to Justin.<br />
<br />
Day 19 - 39 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
Jen and Justin ran well on this good weather running day. I started the day concerned about my left Achilles - although in hindsight my issue was the left foot posterior tibial tendon. Justin and Jen were out of sight ahead of me on the curvy highway in short order. At mile 6 I tripped on a nail hammered into the asphalt causing the left foot to land poorly. The tibial tendon told me it was not happy and I dropped to a walk for the next 33 miles to close out the day. Copying from my blog post, "
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not fun, but I
felt this (walking) was the correct action to take." </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The scariest moment of the Run for me came when I was about a third of a mile from the finish point on this two turn day. I was walking downhill against traffic on highway MT-141 which had near zero road shoulder and only about a 6 inch gravel shoulder in this section. There was a significant crosswind coming from the west which nearly blew me off the road several times in the previous five miles. As one would expect it is tough to hear car noise over the sound of the wind. Anyway, I had moved off of the asphalt onto the gravel shoulder to keep out of the way of a car heading north towards me, and before I could move back to the asphalt for easier walking a car passed another car heading south - like I was - on the road. Most of the time when a car passes another car behind you and heading in your direction one can hear it, but I didn't hear any engine noise whatsoever to indicate this car passing was taking place. I only knew the car passing was taking place when I noted the car inches from my right hand. That was a close one!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 20 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not much to add to the existing blog posts. Jen and Justin ran well again on another good running weather day, and my outlook on life improved tremendously when I started to jog again decently at mile 6. We ran through great Big Sky country all day! I especially enjoyed the views from miles 15-20 or so. Maybe I was just happy to be running, but I doubt it as Jen wrote is her blog the "scenery was stunning again". Finally, my memory tells me that Justin beat the rain up MacDonald Pass (the highest point of the Run at 6325 feet), but Jen and I didn't beat the rain and we both were freezing as we neared the top. Jen obtained some relief from the biting rain, wind, and cold by calling Justin and Adam and having them deliver her a coat for the last miles, but I wasn't so fortunate. I was so cold I didn't even stop to pick up a quarter in the road shoulder about a quarter mile from the top of the pass - probably the only quarter I passed by on the Run that I didn't pick-up. I note that mostly later in the Run I passed by a number of dimes, nickels, and pennies without picking them up, but my initial plan for the Run was to pick up all coins that I saw that weren't in the roadway or too close to a highway with too many cars on the road. Thanks to Heidi and Daphne for taking care of me!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 21 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Adam departed and Margaret arrived to drive the Scooby Van. I didn't get to see much of Adam since I was so far behind Justin every day. I trust Adam has fond memories of the trip though. Justin, Jen, and I all ran well this day - a downhill with the wind running day with good temps and a fair amount of cloud cover. We stayed the night in Townsend, MT (population 1,878 in the 2010 census). We ran by the hotel and through Townsend on day 22 and I wrote in my blog, "
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">if you are
considering moving to a small city in Montana, make sure you check out Townsend
- just 35 miles from the state capitol of Helena." I recommend the Wood Family Grill as a place to eat. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Unlike most places, I note that the high temperature of the day is often reached at 5:00 PM or even later in Montana, so we are often off the road before the high temp for the day is reached. Yes!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 22 - 40 miles of road, 0 miles of trail</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We encountered one of the largest deer roadkills of the Run around mile 14 this day. At mile six we crossed the Missouri River which we cross again on day 46. The fantastic scenery continued as we all three ran OK as we battled muscle and tendon issues. In White Sulpher Springs where we stayed for the night we drove by an old mansion built as a castle which now serves as the Meagher County Museum. Jen pointed out that the castle really wasn't old - otherwise Jen's flat built in 1904 would have to be considered old!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 23 - 42 miles of road, 0 miles of trail</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Due to stomach issues, Justin walked a mile with me to start the cool-which-would-turn-into-a-very-warm-day (high 70s). We both started jogging slowly thereafter, but my jogging was slower than Justin's and by the time I reached mile 4 I couldn't see Justin in front on me through the haze. As reported in the blogs, Jen and Justin ran close to each other the rest of the day to finish in just over 8 hours for the 42 miles. I finished about 90 minutes back fighting off a right quad issue I picked up from all the downhill running. Heidi snapped two outstanding pictures of the Old Milwaukee Road railbed which paralleled the nearly forgotten highway which we ran on for most of the day. Those two pictures are two of my favorite scenery shots of the Run. I note these pictures can be seen on the Facebook page. We ate pizza and calzones from Jailhouse Pizza in Harlowton where we stayed two nights. Jen had a super calzone which was so good that she had another the following night. Jen would recall the super calzones from time to time when we ran. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 24 - 38 miles of road, 0 miles of trail</span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not much to add to the existing blog and Facebook posts. One thing to note is that when we left our motel and headed about 20 miles west to get back to our start point there was construction work in progress on the MT-191 - the road that intercepted US-12 at our hotel - but there was no construciton on US-12. When I reach our hotel at the 20 mile mark heading east on US-12 I now have to run through another construction zone (a short one at least) on US-12 right in front of our hotel. I had to laugh and shake my head in disbelief that the road was being dug up on the day we were running it. Anyway, later on it was a great relief to get through the nine mile construction zone on this zero turn day. Additionally, the forecast heat was kept in check by cloud cover that broke after we finished running for the day! <span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Unlike
most places, I note that the high temperature of the day is often
reached at 5:00 PM or even later in Montana, so we are often off the
road before the high temp for the day is reached. Yes!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span>
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Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-32760991642343213242012-08-27T18:21:00.000-07:002012-08-27T18:21:19.261-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 2Day 9 - 44 miles of road, 0 miles of trail<br />
I wrote following day 8 that "<style><!--
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--></style><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">in a matter of mere moments it seems our group
transitioned from the wet dark forest to the dry open high desert - from hand
warmers to sunblock - from sea to shining sea (ok - that last part will take 80
days)". The evidence proves I spoke too quickly as once again on day 9 the rain chilled us to the bone when it hit Jen and I at mile 11. We couldn't get to the Roadrunner fast enough to start warming up and donning additional clothes and using more hand warmers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 9 was highlighted by the crossing of the Columbia River on the I-90 Vantage Bridge. I swiveled my head left and right as much as I dared to in order to take in the scenery at the slow pace we were running - knowing full well I wouldn't have the chance to run across the bridge again in the future. Sometimes I think back that maybe we ran across the bridge too quickly since Jen was having right quad issues, but it is what it is. After the rain and overcast were replaced in the late afternoon by sun, Karen came out and walked with Jen and I while talking to AT&T. Jen was having issues using her "go" phone to connect with folks back home with text messages. We walked several miles with Jen on one phone and Karen on the "go" phone trying to work out the phone issue with AT&T. It took several calls and more than an hour - maybe even two hours - to correct the issue. Finally, one last cold rain shower had to hit as we were walking the last mile of the day. Nobody said the Run would be easy as day 9 turned out to be the longest day for Jen and I in terms of time spent on the route - 14 hours and 29 minutes. Day 9 was also the longest day of the route (44.74 miles) until day 37.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 10 - 13 miles of road, 28 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Well, the portion of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail (JWPT) east of the Columbia River isn't well developed. There are not many users of this section of trail due to the numerous railroad rocks and the trail gates that one must go through or over to remain on the trail. Additionally, all users must request permission from the Washington State Park to use the trail. If I ran or cycled across the country in the future I wouldn't choose to utilize the JWPT east of the Columbia River. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 11 - 5 miles of gravel road, 33 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Great thanks to Jake and Joan Harder who allowed Jennifer, Justin, and I to cross their property on day 11! The day was a super one, but one could say more of the same - same rain, same hand warmers, and same rocky trail. At mile 28 we crossed a bridge that was under repair. No complaints by me that no one was around to question our safe crossing since it was a Saturday. At mile 32 we passed a pair of dead animals. Jen noted the animals were most likely killed by a person since the pair were basically laying side-by-side - definitely not a natural occurrence. I couldn't tell you what animals we saw lying there on the trail because I am simply not very good at animal identification - something Jen poked me about a number of times on the Run. At mile 36, we crossed a bridge/trestle that was not removed/demolished like other trestles on the rail line were after the state of Washington took control of the abandoned rail line. I believe the bridge was allowed to remain in place due to this portion of trail also acting as a road for a local rancher or two, but that is only an assumption.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 12 - 20 miles of road, 14 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 12 was shorter than originally planned since I decided to remove portions of the JWPT in this area from the route due to too many rocks and missing trestles. It was tough once again to remove trail from the route, but it was the correct decision to make. We said goodbye to Marty and Corky before starting out this morning - sad to see the super duo depart, but good to have Justin's brother Adam on board to take over driving the Scooby Van (note: I believe I called the Scooby Van a Dodge in my last post, but I now confidently believe the van to be a Chevy Astro van due to my sighting of a Chevy Astro today). As reported in the blogs, the wheat fields were fantastic, the weather was great (only the sec</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16.0pt; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16.0pt; font-weight: bold; language: en-US; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: +mn-cs; mso-color-index: 1; mso-fareast-font-family: +mn-ea; mso-font-kerning: 12.0pt;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">ond day with no rain), and all three of us ran fairly well - although the rocky trail slowed us. My memory has faded, but did we see a cougar on the trail behind us at mile 28???</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Additionally, what happened to the sign? The end point on day 12 was to be "Cross Fairbanks-Seabury Rd and stop at the red and white "Old Milwaukee Road" sign." This end point seemed pretty clear to me as virtually every time the trail crossed the road there was a red and white sign which stated "Trail Closed to Motorized Traffic", and "No Hunting", etc. What I hadn't noted was that some of these signs said "John Wayne Pioneer Trail" and some said "Old Milwaukee Road". The facts are the facts, the "finish" sign was right there - right after crossing the road the red and white sign was posted on the right side of the trail. Nevertheless, Heidi reports to me when Jen and I reach the Roadrunner at mile 28 that Justin couldn't find the end point sign so he stopped in the middle of the road (I note this is a rural road, so there was no problem with Justin stopping in the middle of it.) So all I can think of the last six miles of the day is is the sign gone, was it never there in the first place, did someone remove it in the last three weeks? We finish and there is the red and white sign just where I had seen it three weeks prior - but it says John Wayne Pioneer Trail vice Old Milwaukee Road. Ahhh - can't win for losing I guess as Jen didn't think the red and white sign was the finish point either since it didn't say Old Milwaukee Road. The other incident to report from day 12 is that Adam wasn't at the 23 mile crewing location/turn point for Justin when Justin reached the 23 mile turn point back onto the JWPT from the road. To rectify the situation, Justin didn't turn onto the trail rather he continued on road into the small town of Rosalia, found Adam, received aid, and then returned to the Run route. I believe this added two miles to Justin's day - just another "stuff happens".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 13 - 20 miles of road, 18 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">We ran some great trail to complete the RAAoT!!! The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes was probably the best - although the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota is just as super! However, due to the Montana fires we were only able to run 5 miles of the Mickelson Trail vice 90 miles - bummer. I note that the GAP/C&O Canal trail is a close second to the Coeur d' Alenes and Mickelson Trails. The first two miles of the route on day 12 was our last two miles on the JWPT. This included a nice trestle crossing - which I note had no handrails(?!) Justin - and later Jen and I - had our pictures taken at an Idaho State Line sign, but I note that the sign was actually for a different road than the road we actually ran when we entered Idaho. Improvisation. The last 16 miles of the day were on The Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes and it was fantastic!!! This was followed by one of our best hotels for the trip - the Lakeview Lodge in Harrison, ID. On a sad note we said goodbye to outstanding Karen earlier that morning as it was her time to head back to Illinois.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 14 - 0 miles on road, 43 miles on trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Looking back on it, day 14 was probably the best day of the Run - at least for me. Super trail, great weather, fantastic scenery, and the three of us ran well. Day 14 is only one of the five or six days of the Run I averaged a pace faster than 12 minutes a mile. After we finished, we headed to the Stardust Motel in Wallace which I note was a very nice place. We had a good pizza/calzone dinner and discussed our plans for maintaining two crews. I called my Aunt Margaret and was very happy to hear that she was good for flying into Helena to take over crewing duties from Adam in just six short days.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 15 - 17 miles of road, 25 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Not much I can add to what the blogs states, but miles 29-34 on this on-and-off rainy day were run on a dirt I-90 frontage road. I don't think a single car drove by us these five miles during which we did get a little colder than desired during a short spell of hard rain - and we had to dodge numerous puddles on the road. During the pre-Run when I had biked these 5 miles four weeks earlier, I didn't properly fasten my GPS watch to my bike bag. I was 2-3 miles down the road when I passed a car (the only car I saw that day on that dirt road) and noted that my watch was not where it was supposed to be. I turned around and headed back up the road hoping I would find the $300 watch, and also wondering if the car I had just passed would find it before me. Lots of potholes on the road - which probably was an old rail line by the way - kept the car moving slowly. I had backtracked about a mile when I noted the car appeared to have slowed down somewhat before speeding up again. HMMM, could they have seen my orange watch against the background of the dirt? I don't know, but my watch was indeed in the roadway near there. It was nice to recover it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Day 16 - 38 miles of road, 2 miles of trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">A great day as Jen took my picture at the ABBA Ln sign in St. Regis! If only I had gone to see ABBA in person as a teenager when I had the chance. Additionally, we ran two miles on the dirt Old Mullan Rd from miles 11-13. These two miles of jeep road might have been part of the original alignment of the Mullan Rd. According to Wikipedia, "</span><b>Mullan Road</b> was the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covered_wagon" title="Covered wagon">wagon</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road" title="Road">road</a> to cross the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocky_Mountains" title="Rocky Mountains">Rocky Mountains</a> to the <a class="mw-redirect" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Empire_%28Pacific_Northwest%29" title="Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest)">Inland</a> of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest" title="Pacific Northwest">Pacific Northwest</a>. It was built by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army" title="United States Army">US Army</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mullan_%28road_builder%29" title="John Mullan (road builder)">Lieut. John Mullan</a> between the spring of 1859 and summer 1860." The super scenery continued!!!<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-57080301587862340892012-08-26T17:01:00.002-07:002012-08-26T17:09:10.681-07:00RAAoT Final Wrap-up - Part 1Since my wrap-up will be of some length, I will post in parts. Below is Part 1 <br />
<br />
The RAAoT has ended but the memories are still alive. Below... you will find writing that adds to the existing blog posts of the Run. May the additional writing be interesting to you and the humor bring you smiles. Besides this blog, Jennifer has written some super posts in her blog - www.runningandbaking.com - and Justin's blog is justinrunningacrossamerica.blogspot.com. Additionally, hundreds of Run pictures and notes can be found on the Run Across America on Trail Facebook group pages.<br />
<br />
Bottom line, completing the Run was a very challenging endeavor. However, more importantly - as it always seems to be in life - is the friendships that were made while participating in a challenging event. Hence it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that I will continue to participate in challenging events in the future. <br />
<br />
May 29th - the day before the start! Jennifer says it best in her blog, "Today is the last day of not-running across America. I can’t wait for it to start." I couldn't wait also!!!<br />
It was great to meet Jennifer, Justin, Katie, and Corky at the hotel before the pre-run dinner. Karen and Heidi spent a good bit of time organizing the Samuelson crew vehicle (a 1997 Dodge Roadtrek 170 - initially nicknamed the Roadrunner for the Run but often times called the Beast) while I spent time organizing my gear for the Run. Justin and Katie also spent some time organizing the Faul crew vehicle - a 1995 Dodge van if I remember correctly. Jennifer nicknamed the van the Scooby Van. Justin had initially named the van Slow Roller, but the name didn't stick (although Justin may still be calling the van the Slow Roller, I don't know). Many Roadrunner and Scooby Van pictures can be seen on the Facebook page for the Run.<br />
<br />
Day 1 - 30 miles of road, 1 on trail<br />
Thanks again to John Wallace III (usacrossers.com and the USA Crossers Facebook group) for taking video of the Run start. It was great to meet John and I look forward to our paths crossing again. Great weather to start the Run, and beautiful scenery to keep us going on this first day of running. Thirty road miles and one bike path (most likely an old rail line mile actually) to get us to the finish point on day one which was the sign for the Moose Family Center in Montesano. It is interesting to note that Jen and I passed another Moose Family Center on day 79 I believe. Anyway, shifting back to day 1, we had to cross a bridge shortly after mile 3 with little shoulder. Shortly before crossing the bridge I see Jen and Justin - for that last time that day - which of course I didn't know to be the case at the time. I am not sure what thoughts were occupying my mind as I crossed the bridge but as I neared the end of the bridge a man with a camera basically pops outs from behind the bridge and starts taking pictures. It turns out he is a photographer for a local paper. What are the odds. I start telling him about the Run and how we (four runners) just started minutes ago on our quest to cross the country. I slow to a walk to talk and we continue to head east on WA-105. Regrettably, I wasn't carrying a Run business card on me so I just had to tell him the Run website info. At this point we note that there is a police officer stopped at an illegally parked car just down the road - and the car belongs to the photographer. That is the last I heard or saw the photographer.<br />
Jennifer wrote the following about day 1, "Great day – I literally was grinning all day – if the rest of the route is even a tiny bit as good as today I’ll be very happy!" Jen also has a picture of my favorite sight of the day which is a small old railroad trestle on a long unused rail line running parallel to WA-105. Jen's label for the picture is "Wonderful Washington scenery".<br />
<br />
Day 2 - 33 miles on road, no trail miles<br />
Justin described day 2 the best with, "As a recap, day 2 was the same as day one, mile for mile, rain drop for rain drop the exact same, very nice and very scenic." We crossed several nice bridges on day 2 - an old bridge on Old HWY 410 and a new bridge on Banks Rd. The Banks Rd bridge was the third crossing we made of the Chehalis River in the first two days of running. Finally, Justin reported running 100 yards past the finish Stop Sign for the day. <br />
<br />
Day 3 - 22 miles on road, 14 on trail<br />
Day 3 started on a sad note due to Marty informing us that he couldn't continue in the Run due to his right knee if I remember correctly. Jennifer, Justin, and I were all bummed to hear this bad news, but there wasn't much we could do but start running ourselves. Marty and Corky parked at the first turn point of the day at mile 5.4 and at the start of the Yelm-Tenino Trail at mile 11. I wondered both times I saw them if that was going to be the last time I saw them until we reached eastern Iowa. Thankfully Marty and Corky stayed on to crew Jennifer, Justin, and to a small extent myself through day 11. Jennifer really didn't like the last eleven miles of the day on WA-507, and for weeks any road similar to WA-507 was compared to WA-507. I still remember stopping at the Yelm City Hall which is located at the northeast end of the Yelm-Tenino Trail. Heidi and Karen told me to go in - even though I was drenched from the rain - and say HI to the folks there. I did indeed say HI enroute to using the restroom and I was informed that I was pronouncing the name of the city of Tenino correctly. I was pronouncing the city name as Te-neen-o, and I was informed the correct pronunciation is Te-nine-o. After finishing the Run, our travels to the hotel were delayed as the Scooby Van sliding door wouldn't close. Stuff happens. Then our travels were delayed again due to construction to install a new stop light not very far past where we stopped for day 3. I worried that the construction work could cause us a problem on day 4, but super Karen jumped out of the Roadrunner and ran past 20 or so cars to ask the flagman if construction work would take place the next day (Saturday). Thankfully no construction was scheduled for Saturday and we had no issue passing through the vacant work zone on day 4.<br />
<br />
Day 4 - 26 miles on road, 12 miles on trail<br />
Not much to add to the existing blog posts, but Heidi and Karen missed the turn at mile 17. Marty saw the Roadrunner drive by and miss the turn so he called Heidi to get the ladies back on track. Marty provided me some water to keep me going while my crew was missing. Shortly thereafter I looked left and spotted our hotel for the two nights of days 3 and 4 - the Fife Days Inn. This hotel definitely wasn't the best one we stayed in on the journey, but it was acceptable. It was great to see everyone at the finish, but I felt badly that everyone had to wait so long for me to get there.<br />
<br />
Day 5 - 20 miles on road, 19 miles on trail<br />
Stage 5 was a super, memorable day! Not everything went perfectly however. Jen took a fall that landed her a cut/gash on her hand that took weeks to heal. Jen took several short wrong turns - which slowed her of course. The wrong turns allowed me to catch up to Jen, and we had our first chance to talk while running. The miles passed easily on the only perfect weather day of the Run during which Justin saw a bear cross his path and he once again ran well. Karen really, really liked the town of North Bend where we finished the day. There are super views of Mount Si from North Bend, and North Bend has the 60 year old Scott's Dairy Freeze - a fantastic place to eat. Jen was frustrated by losing a draft blog post due to poor internet at the motel, and Heidi, Karen, and I had to sneak crew dog Daphne into the motel since no dogs were allowed in the motel. Marty and Corky crewed for Jen and I at mile 31 as Heidi, Karen, and Daphne were enjoying the Snoqualmie Falls. Day 5 was a Sunday - which was the best day to run through some of the major intersections through which we passed in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I would say I planned the Run this well to ensure we passed through these busy intersections on Sunday, but that wouldn't be the truth. Most importantly, day 5 is the day of the infamous Dead Deer on the Road. Somewhere on WA-900 (miles 9.63-14.54) which passes through heavily forested lands, Jen claims to have come upon a dead deer in the road. Jen also claims to have taken a picture of this dead deer. Neither Justin - who was running ahead of Jen - nor I - who was running behind Jen - recall seeing this dead deer which was supposedly right in our running path on the left shoulder of the road. No one to my knowledge has ever seen the picture of this dead deer. Sooooo, every once in a while during the Run I would verbally "poke" Jen about the supposed dead deer that Justin and I had magically missed. On day 8 I believe I asked Jen if she had seen the dead deer on the road at mile 22 or so if I remember correctly. Jen stated she hadn't seen the dead deer, but I feigned disbelief that she hadn't seen the dead deer that was simply not miss-able on the lonely road. I had Jen going for a minute or two before stating that I had made up the story of the dead deer. I expect the conclusion of the Dead Deer saga will come to an end soon when Jen posts the picture in a wrap-up blog post. Finally, I note that we encountered a number dead deer on the Run after day 5 with the dead deer at mile 14ish on day 22 sticking quite well in my mind. Yes, roadkill and roadkill smells were definitely a part of the Run. So what did happen to the dead deer Jen saw on day 5 that I - who ran down the same road just minutes later - didn't see? It will be a small mystery for all time.<br />
<br />
Day 6 - 8 miles on road, 33 miles on trail<br />
Day 6 is the day we could have run through the Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel, but I didn't know the Tunnel was opened that week, so 6 miles or so and a good amount of elevation change was needlessly added to the Run. Yes, stuff happens. Day 6 includes Heidi sending Justin the wrong way at mile 15.63 which allowed Justin to add .75 miles to the route and enjoy the Asahel Curtis nature trail. Jen and I got chilled and used hand warmers to reduce the shivering. I never would have thought that we would use hand warmers on the Run, but once again, stuff happens. I rarely saw Katie during the day since Justin was so far out ahead of me, but it was good to see Katie at the Snoqualmie Pass Visitor Center shortly before she departed the Run to return to Flagstaff and work. The John Wayne Pioneer Trail, aka Iron Horse Trail, aka Old Milwaukee Road was super. If only it was possible to cross the country on a 3300 mile crush stoned trail - maybe some decade. Dinner that night was at a local restaurant in South Cle Elum. While eating we (Heidi, Karen, Jen, and I) got to watch crew dog Daphne do her usual routine of standing on the Roadrunner seats and pawing the windows waiting anxiously for her humans to return to her. Why didn't we just leave Daphne in the hotel room you ask? Well, at the pre-Run dinner I got a call from the hotel stating that we needed to return to our room since our dog was barking and bothering other hotel guests. Hence, for the entire 45 days Daphne supported the Run we couldn't leave Daphne alone in the hotel room. Thankfully this didn't cause much of a problem.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Day 7 - 16 miles on road, 23 miles on trail</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">To copy from my day 7 blog post, "As has been the case in five of the previous six
days, Justin and Jennifer were out of sight in just a couple miles after the
start." It would have been great if I had the ability to run with Justin and Jennifer, but the fact is I didn't. It was great, however, that Justin and Jen could run a good pace on day 7 of the Run. I wished them the best - so it was disappointing to hear from Karen and Heidi at mile 23 or so that I was catching up to Jen who was now walking slowly. Regrettably Jen suffered a serious right quad injury that affected her running for at least four days if not longer. After finishing the stage I was surprised by great friends Kevin Dorsey and Leigh Tanner after taking a shower. I understand the photo taken of me wearing only a towel was erased shortly after it was taken.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">Day 8 - 22 miles on road, 8 miles on trail</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small;">The shortest stage of the Run came about because I didn't think it was right to insert the originally planned 22 mile section of John Wayne Trail that passes through the Yakima Army Training Center into the Run route. It was a tough call to take these trail miles out of the Run route, but there were no places in this section for crew to meet runners. My second thought was to have someone crew by bicycle, but after biking the route shortly before the Run start I decided that having someone crew runners by bike in this section wasn't a good plan either. Hence, we took the shorter road route to reach the Columbia River. Jen has a nice picture on her blog of the remote little used road (Vantage HWY) which was bypassed by I-90 years ago. A person could also see an older alignment of Vantage HWY in one place on the road. </span>
Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-23157435067035728712012-08-22T19:20:00.001-07:002012-08-22T19:49:46.490-07:00Initial RAAoT Wrap-up PostFirst the stats.<br />
Miles Run: 3302.85 miles<br />
Time:<br />
Mike 719:47:13<br />
Jennifer 720:26:40<br />
<br />
I will publish a thorough wrap-up of the Run on September 13th as it will take me that much time to write down everything. I have been asked if I plan on writing a book, and the answer is no I will not write a book on the Run.<br />
<br />
Great thanks once again goes to the people who spent many hours on the cold and wet & then hot and humid roads to get Jennifer and I to to the Atlantic. <br />
Heidi Samuelson and Crew Dog Daphne (Days 1-45, 80)<br />
Carl and Pat Samuelson (Days 35-80 and the five week pre-Run finalization trip)<br />
Steph Robinson (Days 46-63) <br />
Karen Doyle (Days 1-12, 57-58)<br />
Mike Melton (Days 28-40)<br />
Corky Feeney (Days 1-11, 54) <br />
Margaret Trosino (Days 21-27, 78-80)<br />
Adam Faul (Days 12-20)<br />
Peter and Eileen Bradley (Days 73-80) <br />
John Price (Days 66-72) <br />
Katie Faul (Days 1-6)<br />
Frank Dembia (Days 30-34) <br />
Kari and David Chapman (Days 38-40)<br />
Karla Loser (Day 80)<br />
<br />
Great appreciation also goes out to Justin Faul and Marty Sprengelmeyer who shifted to being crew members after being forced from the Run due to runner issues.<br />
<br />
The last blog post for the Run Across America on Trail will be on September 13th. Yes, the Run has to end sometime. <br />
<br />Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-76561879550601225522012-08-17T20:25:00.000-07:002012-08-17T20:25:09.519-07:00Day 80 - Finished!!!The running went fairly smoothly today - mostly on the four lane Route 1 with lots of traffic. It was great to reach the finish!!!! It was a super day that might only have been better if Justin and Marty had crossed the finish line today also, but stuff happens.<br />
<br />
This endeavor couldn't have been completed without super crew!!! Thanks to many folks - will write more about that later. <br />
<br />
Dover to Cape Henlopen State Park, DE 39.43 miles<br />
Jennifer 8:40:27<br />
Mike 8:40:27Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-88879955002983117472012-08-16T17:38:00.000-07:002012-08-16T17:38:32.527-07:00Day 79 - Into Delaware!!!Plenty of hills on days 76-78, and some nice rural Maryland scenery. The hills slowed us a bit. Today Jennifer and I enjoyed a few flat miles of Maryland scenery before running into Delaware and running more flat road miles. The muscles enjoyed running the flat miles today better than the hilly miles of the past three days. Yes, Jennifer and I need to do hill repeats after we finish.<br />
My wife Heidi, Aunt Margaret, and sister Karla are here in Delaware to see the finish. It is great to have them here.<br />
Karla asked me if I have had a favorite place on the route earlier this evening. No city readily came to my mind. I did think of running through the small town of Elmore, OH on the North Coast Inland Trail and thinking that Elmore looked like a nice place. I thought about two towns on the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes - Harrison, ID and Wallace, ID. I thought about the nice town of Townsend, MT. HMMM - guess I will have to ponder this question some more as a "final answer" hasn't come to me.<br />
One more day!!!<br />
Chesapeake City, MD to Dover, DE 38.60 miles<br />
Jennifer 8:44:15<br />
Mike 8:44:15Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-32959377706392544762012-08-15T18:48:00.000-07:002012-08-15T18:48:09.756-07:00Day 78 - MemoriesWill Campbell joined Jennifer and I and crews (our parents) for dinner after stage 77. Will has been involved in the TRANSAMs since 1992 and is mentioned in Barry Lewis's book Running The Trans-America Footrace. It was great to talk to Will about past runs. Thanks Will!!!<br />
Jennifer and I ran some more hills today, and we ran through some nice rural Maryland countryside. The good news is that today is the last day of hills. The route is flat the last 80 miles.<br />
Well, 78 days of memories have been stored in that gray matter known as my brain with two more days of memories to be added. I don't have many talents, but I do have a fantastic visual memory. I can recall many images from the past 78 days. I replay the images in my mind in an effort not to lose those memories. Will I slowly lose the ability to recall the images? The likely answer to that question is yes. My ability to recall events and images from high school nearly 30 years ago is disappointingly limited.<br />
Planning and running the Run Across America on Trail has been a great time in my life. One might say that I was called to run across the country and that I was simply fulfilling destiny by doing so. I will try to sum it up by saying that I am very fortunate to be able to do the Run - a challenge I have dreamed about undertaking since 2002 when I raptly followed the 2002 Run Across America via Alan Firth's daily race reports.<br />
Bel Air to Chesapeake City, MD 39.43 miles<br />
Jennifer 9:41:13<br />
Mike 9:41:13Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-14969950253895223042012-08-15T02:51:00.001-07:002012-08-15T02:51:19.677-07:00Day 77 - More RoadFirst off I forgot to mention that we crossed the Appalachian Trail on day 76. It was definitely a pick-me-up to cross the great trail.<br />
Day 77 was more up and down on some highways with a good amount of traffic and some low trafficked side roads. I would love to tell you that Jennifer and I an run ups and downs with ease after running 76 consecutive days, but that is not the case. The ups and downs are quite taxing on the muscles which have mostly been conditioned and used to primarily run flats the past 76 days. We especially cringe when reaching the moderate or steep downs as the leg muscles let us know that they don't really like what we are forcing them to do.<br />
We passed through two nice forested sections on the day 77 route. Folks just driving from one place to another place won't see what we slow runners can see on occasion.<br />
I guess it is time to commence a countdown as there is just three days of running to go until the Atlantic is reached!!!<br />
Westminster to Bel Air, MD 40.43 miles<br />
Jennifer 9:20:46<br />
Mike 9:20:46Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-27564501356208589972012-08-13T18:26:00.002-07:002012-08-13T18:26:32.843-07:00Day 76 - Good Day on the RoadI wasn't excited to get back to the road again, but the left foot didn't flap and flop as much as it had last week when we left the road to run the GAP and C&O Towpath. For some reason the left foot didn't flop and flap as much on the trail as compared to road. Also, once again we had good weather with temps in the 80s and low humidity. I was concerned there would be lots of traffic today, but there wasn't, and that the near zero shoulder for many miles would be a problem, but it wasn't, so overall a good day!<br />
Williamsport to Westminster, MD 46.39 miles<br />
Jennifer 10:40:10<br />
Mike 10:40:10Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-49428808423422721322012-08-12T18:02:00.003-07:002012-08-12T18:02:38.112-07:00Day 75 - C&O Canal Day 2Another great weather day and plenty of shade from the trees lining the trail helped Jennifer and move down the trail at a nice pace. Elaine ran three plus miles with us while Pete rode the bike and carried water for us for 13 miles. We left the C&O Canal Towpath at Williamsport and ran a mile of road to finish at our hotel for the night. It was very enjoyable to run the Towpath, but it is back to the roads for the last five days of the run until the final mile on bike path.<br />
I forgot to post yesterday how surprising it was to see a whole lot of folks at the finish point for stage 74. We finished at Little Orleans, MD - a remote location on the C&O Canal Towpath that is normally almost a deserted place. Not on Saturday however. Hundreds of bikers had converged on Little Orleans to participate in "Sturgis East". I had never heard of Sturgis East before, but I know about it now.<br />
Little Orleans to Williamsport, MD 42.30 miles<br />
Jennifer 8:56:56<br />
Mike 8:56:56<br />
<br />
Stage 74 finish times for 45.23 miles not reported in the previous blog post:<br />
Jennifer 9:41:28<br />
Mike 9:41:28Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-1354906284248980292012-08-11T17:57:00.004-07:002012-08-11T17:57:51.232-07:00Days 73 and 74 - Into Maryland and the C&O Canal<style>
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Day 73</div>
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The best weather day in 6-7 weeks probably helped Jennifer
and I to running our fastest pace day since stage 34 I believe. The official
distance for the day was 48.80 miles; finish time of 9:59:12. We ran well from
the start with complete overcast skies for 20 plus miles and scattered clouds
the rest of the day. Start temp was near 60 and the high temp was reported to
be about 72.</div>
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Jennifer’s parents Pete and Eileen arrived the night before
and they immediately commenced crewing duties as they crewed for Jennifer and I
the first 13 miles of the day. Upon reaching the Eastern Continental Divide
after running a slight uphill grade for 25 miles, Pete rode my bike to mule
food and water for Jennifer & I, and Eileen ran with us. The four of us had
a wonderful eight-mile downhill run/bike from the Divide, through the 3000+
foot long Big Savage Tunnel (the longest tunnel of the Run route) and into
Frostburg, MD. Besides enjoying the valley views from the trail, a local
cyclist pointed out a large rattlesnake about 15 feet off the trail to us. From
there Jennifer and I continued to run well downhill to our stop a mile and a
half from downtown Cumberland, MD. Shortly after leaving Frostburg we sighted a
presumably old slow moving beaver-like animal on the trail. Unlike most animals
that run away from people this one stayed right next to the trail as we walked
right up to it and watched it for a minute or so. Earlier in the day we crossed
over the longest trestle of the trip just north of Meyersdale, PA. WOW – a super
day!!!</div>
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Markleton, PA to Cumberland, MD 48.80 miles</div>
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Jennifer<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>9:59:12</div>
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Mike<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>9:59:12</div>
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Day 74</div>
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It was another good weather day with the high in the low 80s
and plenty of shade from the trees. After running the last mile and a half on
the GAP we transitioned to the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath. The
Towpath surface is not quite as good as the GAP trail surface so we expended a
slight bit more effort to complete each mile as compared the GAP. With that
said, we ran well all day again. Pete cycled and muled for us for 19 miles and
Eileen ran with us for six miles. We ran through the Paw Paw Tunnel – the only
tunnel on the C&O Canal – and the only tunnel on the Run route which
required headlamps/flashlights/head torches. Great thanks to our crews (our
parents) for moving us down the trail so quickly these last two days!!!</div>
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Cumberland to Little Orleans, MD 45.23 miles</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Will
have to report our time tomorrow – long story.</div>Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-3458719241412466482012-08-09T19:31:00.002-07:002012-08-09T19:31:55.567-07:00Day 72 - Day 2 of the GAPAfter finishing day 71 we all headed to the fantastic Dave (Gator) and Jane Gates farm. We were treated to an absolute feast for dinner to include the finest steak I have ever eaten - WOW!!! We definitely started day 72 with full stomachs. Before writing about day 72 though I have to note that 2011 solo USA Crosser and super Virginia ultrarunner John Price joined us on day 66 for crew duties. We said goodbye to John at the end of the day. GREAT THANKS John!!!! I look forward to seeing you at future races and hopefully next Friday at the RAAoT finish. John very slowly rode my bike for 23 miles today as there was only one road accessible by crew on this long stretch. Yes, John muled (carried water and food) for Jennifer and I - which is quite fine for the RAAoT. Jennifer and I were running well and it appeared likely that we would finish the 44 miles today in less than 10 hours, but we were caught by a thunderstorm at mile 34 which drenched and actually froze us to the bone for a couple miles so at the next road crossing we stopped early for the day - making day 73 a 48 mile day. May we miss the forecast scattered thunderstorms on Friday. <br />
Connellsville to Markleton, PA 37.98 miles <br />
Jennifer 8:29:11<br />
Mike 8:29:11Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-75677669577969180972012-08-08T17:30:00.002-07:002012-08-08T17:30:50.947-07:00Days 69-71; More Great Trails!!!Day 69<br />
We returned to hill country - to include running the hilliest street of the Run while in West Virginia for a few miles after crossing the Ohio River at Stuebenville. A good day, we started off running the last mile of the Connotton Creek Trail, and we finished the day by running eleven miles of the Panhandle Trail.<br />
Jewett, OH to Burgettstown, PA 43.74 miles<br />
Jennifer 10:19:26<br />
Mike 10:19:26<br />
<br />
Day 70<br />
Lots of trail today - eight more miles of the Panhandle Trail and a number of miles on the super Montour Trail in the Pittsburg area.<br />
Burgettstown to Port Vue, PA 44.10 miles<br />
Jennifer 10:23:07<br />
Mike 10:23:07<br />
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Day 71<br />
Super!!!! The entire day was on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) - the first of three potentially glorious days on the GAP. The GAP connects with the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath and a runner or cyclist can travel to DC from Pittsburgh almost entirely on trail. Jennifer and I predicted our finish time at the two hour mark today and I was happily 13 minutes off as we finished quicker than I predicted. Jennifer predicted a 10:10 finish. We didn't look at our watches in order to not affect our pace. The day started very poorly for me as my left leg muscles were having serious issues moving my foot so that I could "run", but the leg came around and one could say that I was actually running - although the left foot essentially flaps or flops when it hits the ground. The noise level difference of the left foot hitting the ground as compared to the right foot hitting the ground was unbelievable when passing through one of the Montour Trail tunnels on day 70. Bottom line for me is this left leg/foot issue that has bothered me for 12 days now has slowed me. Jennifer has also been slowed - possibly by the effect of running 71 ultras in a row. I don't foresee us getting much faster the last nine days of the run, but I can always hope!!!!<br />
Port Vue to Connellsville, PA 44.36 miles<br />
Jennifer 10:13:31<br />
Mike 10:13:31Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-83346431210811438622012-08-05T18:55:00.001-07:002012-08-05T18:55:27.856-07:00Days 66-68 - Great TrailsNo time to blog.<br />
Day 66<br />
Elyria to Everett, OH 44.6 miles<br />
Mike 11:37:32<br />
Jennifer 13:56:17<br />
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Day 67 <br />
Everett to Navarre, OH 43.69 miles <br />
<br />
Mike 11:24:53<br />
Jennifer 12:57:08<br />
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Day 68 <br />
Navarre to Jewett, OH 45.84 miles<br />
<br />
Mike 10:44:29<br />
Jennifer 11:56:32Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-87343221484877557852012-08-04T18:39:00.000-07:002012-08-04T18:39:55.434-07:00Days 64 and 65 - North Coast Inland TrailDay 64<br />
Jennifer and I started the day off well running 10 good miles on road before reaching the western end of the North Coast Inland Trail (NCIT). Just a mile into the trail we passed through the nice town of Elmore. I got into a quick conversation with four nice ladies who were discussing Run For God (www.runforgod.com). May these ladies find success in running - and may their running bring them closer to God. On the whole I am closer to God when running as compared to any other time of my life. The heat and humidity picked up and we slowed, but in total we ran about the pace we have been running for some time now.<br />
Elmore to Bellevue, OH 41.79 miles<br />
Jennifer 9:38:43<br />
Mike 9:38:43<br />
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Day 65<br />
The second of two days on the NCIT was a tough one, but our legs brought us to the finish point just as it has done for the previous 64 days. I note that the NCIT is not finished and that there are some breaks in the trail, but work is in progress to slowly close the NCIT gaps. Thankfully the mile of trail around Monroeville was completed earlier this summer otherwise we would have had one more trail break. Eventually the NCIT might connect to the Wabash Canonball Trail. We can only hope that happens sooner rather than later!!!<br />
Bellevue to Elyria, OH 41.2 miles<br />
Jennifer 12:51:08<br />
Mike 12:51:08Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-18066784624055342412012-07-31T18:59:00.000-07:002012-07-31T18:59:57.514-07:00Day 63 - Wabash Cannonball TrailThe day passed by fairly quickly as we had our sixth straight day of "good" weather - ie. high temps in the 80s. Good cloud cover this morning and a couple rain drops didn't hurt. Jennifer and I ran together all day as we enjoyed 22 miles on the Wabash Cannonball Trail and a couple "local" trail miles in the Toledo area. My left foot continues to get better from whatever the problem has been these past few days. I took my second fall of the run about mile 40 today when we were running on the busy US-20. I failed to pick up my left foot enough when passing over some waste concrete that was in the shoulder and I tumbled to the pavement. One of my fears was realized with the fact that I fell and rolled towards the passing cars on the road, but no harm was done. I appear to have suffered no injuries from the fall.<br />
At mile 14 we said goodbye to Steph who has been a fantastic member of the RAAoT Team. Steph provided aid to us all through Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. Since we first met Steph in Nebraska and she left us in Ohio she has been with us for five states. Thanks for everything Steph!!! May your music career continue to go superbly!!!<br />
Thanks to my parents for continuing to provide super crewing to Jennifer and myself! <br />
By the time emails are sent out Wednesday morning to those who are following the Run blog I will have transitioned from being CDR Mike Samuelson, United States Navy to CDR Mike Samuelson, United States Navy Retired. I send a big shout out to all my friends and Shipmates at the Navy Personnel Command and the PERS-4G Team. Thanks again to all who worked in the 4G1 shop taking care of our Shipmates in the field. I look forward to our paths crossing again soon.<br />
West Unity to Elmore, OH 43.70 miles<br />
Jennifer 9:55:06<br />
Mike 9:55:06Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-65528983966457196292012-07-30T17:05:00.000-07:002012-07-30T17:05:05.316-07:00Day 62 - Into Ohio!!!For the fifth straight day the high temperature hasn't reached 90 degrees - super!!! The humidity has moderated somewhat also the past four days now. May this weather streak continue!!!<br />
I KT-taped my left foot this morning and my left foot issues weren't as bad today. I believe this is he fourth time on the Run I have used the KT Tape. Great thanks to the KT Tape folks. All road miles today - mostly on low traffic volume country roads. No "Welcome Ohio" sign to greet Jennifer and I when crossing the state line due to running on a rural road - a very small disappointment in the big scheme of life.<br />
My spirits were much higher today due to the decreased left foot distress. Hopefully the foot will continue to get better - and no other injuries will occur.<br />
Pleasant Lake, IN to West Unity, OH 43.95 miles<br />
Mike 9:42:58<br />
Jennifer 9:49:28Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985627673848231042.post-6416662520902225282012-07-29T18:34:00.001-07:002012-07-29T18:34:36.889-07:00Days 59-61 - Amish CountryDay 59<br />
Ultrarunner Chad Wooley and his dog Diamond ran with us for 12 miles as our route passed right by his house. It was great to run with Chad! We enjoyed running the Oak Savannah and Prairie Duneland Trails before continuing east on country roads. I slowed as left foot problems kept me from flying down the road.<br />
Day 60<br />
After leaving La Porte and making a couple turns we ran 32 miles on the same country road to get to our stop point for the day just west of Goshen. I continued to fight through left foot issues.<br />
Day 61<br />
We continued to head east - neither of us feeling great after the shift to EDT and losing an hour. A couple miles on Goshen bike path and the Milrace Canal Trail were the trail miles portion of the day. We ran through Amish country but saw nearly no one since we ran through during Sunday morning religious services. The finish point today was a welcome sight. Maybe I will tape my left foot before we start out Monday?<br />
Goshen to Pleasant Lake, IN 44.78 miles<br />
Jennifer 10:24:00<br />
Mike 10:24:00Ultra Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14162187201909045180noreply@blogger.com0