Today was a rest day and I got close to 12 hours of sleep last night! Yes, you read that right!! I went to bed around 8:30 and woke up around then too. This morning we went for coffee in town (I got some tea) and stopped at a store. After that, I went to the diner to pick up some donated lunch for all of us. It was ham and turkey sandwiches with an apple, snickers bar and water! We came back to the air bnb after lunch and ate. I decided to take a long shower and relax a bit :) Then Mary and I cleaned out and organized our van. It was a relief and now everything has a spot! It should stay that way for a bit with how organized everyone is on our team. Apparently they found a lizard in our house - see the picture below - while we were cleaning the van out. It is huge! After cleaning out the van, we went and picked some people up who were in town and I got a sheet to sleep on from Dollar General (for the super hot days). We also got some gas and McDonalds. When I got back to the air bnb, I took some time to post the blogs because the wifi is so slow. I’m excited to have a quiet evening and might quickly get some ice cream after this with Mary and Glenn. I’m looking forward to bed tonight.
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HALFWAY and thank goodness. Today was an early day and I was so so tired this morning. I packed everything up and got ready the night before so I could get ready this morning in 10 minutes. It worked well and I got up at 4:17 to be out the door by 4:30am. Our host was great and helped me carry my bag out to the car to head to the church for breakfast in the dark. Breakfast was bagels and breakfast burritos and I ended up just having a banana and some of the burrito. I also was able to get some tea (with some caffeine). I’m starting to appreciate the simple tea again :) Today was 16 miles! I ran for Alicia, our host’s daughter who passed away from cancer. She lived in Hawaii and had treatments for years (including during the pandemic) before passing away. Our host was so great so it was the least I could do for her. The miles were okay today. They felt good – we did 6 legs today, so my intervals were only 2.5-2.8 miles which makes it a lot easier mentally. The team had a rough day for some reason, but I’m just laying back and stepping forward only when I need to, and it makes it a little better. We started the first half of our miles on trails near the host last night and then finished up moving closer to Moab. It was beautiful on our run, but so hot. We started out in 80 degree temperature and then ended in 104 degrees! Water was definitely a necessity. After about a mile at a time, I felt that I needed water, but we survived! The miles weren’t too bad and it didn’t feel like 16 either. After the run, some of us jumped in the lake and cooled down a little bit! When I loaded my runs to my watch today, I got the Toasty badge for recording an activity in a temperature over 100 degrees so that was exciting. We didn’t get lunch until around 2, but Subway donated again! I got a sandwich and then a teammate went to a brewery next door for a burger so we went over after that and I got some fries and a diet coke. After that we went to our air bnb for the night and everyone has beds! There are so many bunks. I got a top bunk in the corner so hopefully I can get some good sleep. The beds are so comfortable so I’m excited. For dinner, we got chick fil a and then we relaxed at the air bnb until bed. I also had to run and pick Dan up from a hair cut so I got a vanilla bean frap from Starbucks as well with a gift card I had so it was basically free :) Last night was a good night sleep on the gym floor after I moved in front of the fan in the middle of the night. Today was a 10-mile day, but I was driving so it was a rest day for me! We were able to run on the roads that led to where we were going so it worked out really well. My shin is feeling better as well. For lunch we got Jimmy Johns donated and they gave us a sandwich and a drink! I was excited to get some diet coke. After lunch, we met up with the riders at a post office and offered some of our water and encouragement for their last 20 miles of the day in the heat. We were done before 11 and before it hit 90 degrees, so it worked out well for us. Tonight we are staying at homestays connected to a church so I, along with the director for the ride team (Lauren), are staying at Merrilyn's beautiful house. Our host is wonderful and I have loved talking to her so far. She also has a little puppy named Buddy and he is so cute. She bought us Olive Garden (and some green tea) and showed us around Grand Junction. It is so beautiful. She lives around a vineyard and you can see mountains (I think?). There is a photo of the view below. She shared that her family used to own a peach farm and they sold their acres to the vineyard and she still has two acres with her house that she built where her family’s house was. Its also interesting that the town is irrigated with the Colorado River so there are little streams of water that helps keep it green. Its easy to tell where there isn’t one because it is so dry. I’m starting to feel the dryness more but it is so crazy to see how different the country looks on this side. Tonight I have not only my own bed, but my own room! I am so excited to fall asleep and will most likely go to bed very early to take advantage of the peace, but also because we have to be at the church at 5 tomorrow for breakfast and it’s a 20-minute drive! It looks like a storm is starting to come in and there is some wind! Hopefully it won’t be too bad. Now, time for bed :) Almost to the halfway mark! Today we made it to Hotckiss, CO. The team ran 10 miles each today and I ended up doing only 9 because my shin hurt a little bit. I’m sure it will be okay, but I didn’t want to risk it. Tomorrow, I have a driving day so it should be good to go after that. I dedicated today to Steven, a person who passed away and was a part of the Ulman Foundation, and a friend’s mom, Beth. We ran pretty much all day because there weren’t many safe spots so we drove until we found them. We stopped at the hot springs to check them out and it was really cool. Towards the end of the day, the temperature was around 100 degrees! It was hot, but with only a couple of miles at a time it was bearable. It was really interesting to watch the terrain change as we drove – this morning was a beautiful area with mountains and grass (and even cacti!) and now it seems like we’re in the desert. I’m sure there will be a lot more of that and definitely a lot more of no service during the day (and hopefully not many nights!) For lunch we had a hard time finding food donations in the only tiny town we passed and ended up buying sandwiches at the grocery store. For dinner, a teammate’s mom brought spaghetti and meatballs and it was very delicious. We’re staying a high school tonight and it seems really nice. It almost reminds me of high school musical. The showers are interesting though and I had to backbend to get my hair wet, but at least it’s a shower! I got my sleeping pad set up along the wall near a fan so I have high hopes for a good sleep tonight with how tired I am. Today we got to “sleep in” and I even woke up without an alarm at 6:15! Sleeping on the couch was so great and I was happy. Today was a 7-mile day and we made it to Glenwood Springs, CO. I dedicated today to gram and gramp. I ran with Mary, Sydney, and Dan today and the views were incredible. At one point I thought to myself wow I’m actually running across the country. Running through and next to the mountains is really cool. It was mostly down hill today which was nice and a few up hills. I can still feel the elevation, but I think it will get better soon. After our run, we stopped at a coffee shop and I was able to get some matcha and it was good :) I also used the internet to send some photos to my laptop for my blog! Then, we went on a hunt for food donations and eventually found a spot to donate chips, rice, and dip. We also were able to get Jimmy Johns sandwiches donated and they were very good. With the food, we drove to where the bikers were eating lunch to join them and share our chips and dip. Our drive to the lunch spot was beautiful and crazy driving through the canyon. Every turn was another wow. At the lunch spot, I went in the Colorado river a bit and that was really cool. After that, we went into Glenwood Springs and got some frozen yogurt and then headed to the host. Everyone wanted to different things, but I was just happy to be back and relax. The house we are staying in is beautiful and our host is so kind. Since everyone had something to do, the host let me shower at the house so I had a wonderful shower (which I needed after going to my belly button in the Colorado river). Everyone else later went to a high school to get some showers in. There is a hot tub at the host so some people went in that and I put my legs in so my shins could relax and feel the jets. It was great. Now I’m writing this blog in the outdoor “living room” while people are watching tv outside! A teammate is making us pasta dinner and I am very excited to eat! I claimed a couch again for tonight so I am excited to sleep again. Hopefully I’ll be able to get to sleep tonight and it won’t be too loud being near the door! Another 4am wake up today and we made it to Edwards, CO. We did 6 miles today and it is definitely the most beautiful day. It is so challenging running in the elevation and we had some crazy HILLS today. I ran today with Jane and it was really good. In our first leg, the hill was so insane that with a mix of elevation, I had to stop for a minute because I felt like I was going to throw up. See the photo below of how crazy it was! It was also so cold today that I wore a long sleeve shirt! It was nice. I dedicated today to an old friend's mom, Carla, and someone we learned about in our dedication circle this morning, Archie. Our second leg wasn’t as bad but did have some hills. We were around 9,000 and 10,000 feet! The views were beautiful and it was nice to be able to talk with Jane. For lunch, we decided to go to Vail to walk around and find some lunch. We were unsuccessful with food donations, so I ended up buying an overpriced sandwich instead. After that, we explored a little bit and I got a pin to add to my backpack (I decided to collect some) and then we stuck our feet in the water and it was freezing cold. I let my shins sit there for 30 seconds for an ice bath. After that we headed to our host for the night and the church is beautiful. It had a shower for us to use, which was very nice and laundry! I washed my $20 blister socks by hand though because I didn’t want to risk losing them again. Then I looked up some hosts for Moab because we are still in need for the 19th! (Let me know if you have any connections). Hopefully we will find one soon. After that we had a little team pow wow and then ate some dinner that was donated (crepes and tomato soup). Before bed, I went to Wendy’s with some of the riders and there were so many round abouts - it was fun going through them. I claimed a couch for tonight so I am so excited to go to bed! I hope its going to be a good sleep :) 28 more days… 4k has been tough, more so emotionally than physically. I have been having a tough time with leading and reminding our team to be a team. The other day ended in a type of cry that I haven’t had in a long time. My poor mom had to listen to it as I talked to her on the phone and asked if there was any way I could go home. Of course she said I could and she was there for me always, but I didn’t want to make a decision that night. I talked to some other people (one being the other director and the other being Will) and they encouraged me to stay because of how long I have been training for this and how excited I was. I am going to do my best to keep it up and try and try again to make my team a team, but a mindset shift is what I need to start with. I am going to do my best to keep going and turn this around. Texts and support are appreciated :) I’m almost to the half way mark too. So because of that, I decided to take a mental rest day (which only kinda worked). I was the navigator and then driver when we got to the rocky mountains. It was cool, but scary driving up the mountains. The team ran 13 miles (9 up the mountain) today and they all did great. It was great being able to cheer on the riders as the biked up the entire mountain. We stopped at the top for a bathroom break and I also got a $3 tea (yeah a tea bag), but I was tired. After that I drove us down the mountain and according to the team, I drove too slow, but we drove through where a wild fire had been and I was trying to take in all the sites. It was interesting and really sad to see. Our host for lunch was very close to the wildfire so I asked her about it and she shared that the neighborhood next door was lost with 30 houses and they were so nervous about it, but lucky. It was crazy how long the fire went for. For lunch we had hot dogs and then a popsicle. Next, we drove to the host and it was a church, but it felt like a home. There was only one shower and 31 people so we had a list to take turns. I took the quickest shower I have all of 4k, but it was a really nice shower. After sitting for a bit and talking with Will, I walked to Subway right before a bunch of rain came from the sky. There is a lot of Subway on this trip. After that, I got into bed and finally fell asleep. It was another long day. Yesterday was a short day with only 6 miles, but it was tough with elevation growing! I had a bit of a headache, but I’m feeling a little better. I dedicated today to Martha. Our host shared with us about her and that she lost her life at the age of 20 earlier this year. I ran today with Greta, Mary, and Bree! We had a few hills, but thankfully it wasn’t too terrible. The views were beautiful! After our run, we stopped at a little coffee shop and I got some ice tea and we said goodbye to Bree. For lunch, we got Jimmy Johns donated and I had a ham and cheese sandwich. It was very good, especially after this run. Then, we went to a running store and Dan got some new shoes (because he has some foot pain) and I got some blister socks! After that we stopped at Target to pick some stuff up and then headed to our host in Estes Park, CO. Once we got to our host, we did laundry and then showered. Originally we were supposed to camp, but a gym opened up for us so we could stay inside! I was very grateful for that. Yesterday was a really tough day and I’ll probably share more about that later. It took forever, but I finally was able to go to bed around 9:30. Tomorrow’s post will come soon, but wifi isn’t great, so I might need to post tomorrow. Yesterday was a rest day in Boulder and it was busy, but I slept in until 7:30! We had to get an oil change for the vans and it was much more difficult than it needed to be! We have a big van for the runner van, just out of luck, and apparently they need special tools to work on those vans. Because of that we will need to schedule our oil change for our next rest day, but we were able to get the other two vans done! Because of the oil changes, we only had one van and I was the shuttle driver. People decided to go to Boulder for the day and we had to drop people off and pick them up. I think I drove to Boulder four times there and back (and in Boulder a couple of times) so people could go places. The host was about 30 minutes away so I think I was driving for over five hours. It was a lot and by the end of the night I was tired, but hey at least I wasn’t running. Bree also came for the mid trip check in and it was so great to see her! She was helping me with the oil changes so it was nice to have her for that. We also went to a restaurant and were able to just talk and catch up (although at one point I had to leave lunch and go transport some people and then come back). Parking that van in Boulder was something else. We also looked at wedding bands for her (I’m her maid of honor! With this trip, I haven’t had a lot of time to help out so I was so happy to be there for her). We found a good one and I took lots of pictures so we’ll see if she can find something like that closer to home. After everyone was back, I talked with my mom, grandma, and friend (Heather) to update them about the trip on a group call and it was so refreshing. I was interrupted a bit with them, but they were nice enough to pick up the phone five times :) Later dinner came (chicken fingers and fries) and I enjoyed it very much. Two alumni came and dropped off a bunch of snacks too and that was really nice to talk with them. Then, I went to bed pretty early and attempted to sleep in the tent for the second night in a row. The wind was crazy this morning, but we survived! Another day today and this time the elevation starts! Today was a nice day with some cooler temperatures! I ran 12 today for Danny. Danny is a friend’s cousin who passed away last year. He was so positive and even though I didn’t meet him, he definitely inspired me. I ran for him in 2020 as well and got to talk to him a little bit and he was so kind. Finding out about his passing was so sad and shocking. This morning I didn’t want to run and I immediately thought of him. We run for those who can’t and Danny was around my age. Knowing that is what pushed me to run today because I get to run and can do it for him. On our run today, we had a mix of dirt and paved roads. I definitely like the paved roads better. We also had lots of gradual hills. On our last leg, the first mile was entirely uphill. It wasn’t too bad though so that was good. I ran with Mary and Sydney today. Half way through our run, someone pulled up behind us and asked what we were doing. We shared that we were running across the country for young adults with cancer and she invited us to see her family farm of 5 generations! We also got a nice bathroom break :) She introduced us to her family and we got to talk with them and learn about the farm and how it works. It was a wheat seed farm and it was really cool to see how it worked. One of their machines cost $750,000! It was so crazy. I even got to sit in one of them. I really appreciated them sharing it with us and it was so cool how excited they were to share it all with us too. After that we finished our miles and then went to Subway again for lunch! Then we headed to the host for the night. At the host, they held a little party with a band and a taco truck! I got some tacos and then headed to the airport to pick Bree up! Mary and James came with me and it was so exciting to see her!! After we got back to the host, I went right to sleep! |
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