Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day 8/9 Getting closer....

Wow...I don't even know where to start today. The last two days have been full of such beauty and so much support and love from friends that I hardly know what to say. About 285 miles done and one more day to go!!! I can hardly believe it.

Running to Iowa City was pretty emotional for me. I started out just west of Parnell and had the luck of running under the prettiest morning sky that I have ever seen. The clouds were unlike any I've ever seen before. It was like the gods had parted the sky and I could practically see rays of love energy shining down on the planet. Day 7 had been particularly painful for me, so I was relieved to find that I could actually run this morning with minimal pain. The previous day I had cut my run short to receive massage from Nancy and PT treatment from Tim....he did this magic tape job on my legs...which helped soooo much! The lack of pain actually gave me the opportunity to enjoy that magical sky and some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen. About an hour into the run, the most awesome Mary Dix joined me on her bike. We shared stories, stared in awe at the beauty of the sky and enjoyed an awesome morning. Another hour or so passed and Christy joined me on her bike! Every little show of support, sign of beauty etc moved me to tears yesterday. So much gratitude.

Even lunch was more exciting. A a super sweet reporter from KCRG found me and did a quick interview...I was hoping that my hair looked okay :)

In the afternoon Bruce Thayer joined me for a lovely 7 mile hike into Iowa City. I could feel my spirits lift as we approached the city. About 1 mile from IC, Nancy called to say that she had another massage opening at Twin Image, which just so happened to be one block from my ending point. So, I literally walked straight to the spa. I hobbled in, collapsed on the chair, and hopefully didn't offend the customers too much when I took off my shoes. From the massage, I went straight to my TIm the PT's house to get taped! So sweet of him to do this for me again!! Got home just in time to eat a quick bite of food before heading right out to College Green Park. The gods were smiling as they provided the most gorgeous evening in the world for a community yoga class.

Again, I can't even describe how much bliss and gratitude I felt with the yoga class. Close to 100 people came out to show their support and be with each other for a magical evening. I am so thankful for the other teachers, Chris who provided music for us, Jennifer who provided food for the evening, the many people who helped to promote the evening....and of course, the most gratitude for every single person who was there! It was so beautiful to just be there with everyone practicing together...even though I couldn't really do half the postures last night...just to be in that energy uplifted and inspired me. Thank you a million times.

This morning, I met Jen Oliver, Shane and Derrek for a run towards Wilton Iowa! Sweet Jen told us that she had never run more than ten miles...and she didn't even call her husband for a ride until she had gone 12 this morning. Then, of course, it took him a while to get here, so by the time she was done, she had run 15 miles!! Rock star! Meanwhile, Shane had just completed, and won (!!!) a 100 mile trail run just two weeks ago...and he still ran with me the whole day! And boy was it helpful. Despite being only one day from the end, I once again went through a time period of thinking that I couldn't do it. As a seasoned ultra runner with a huge heart, Shane knew just the right things to say to keep me going. As usual, the intense pain once again passed, I made it to lunch and then was even able to run again for portions of the last 4 miles. Today my sister Erin and her husband Dann joined us after traveling all the way from Toronto!! They had cups of water ready for us at least every hour and smiled and cheered for us all along the way! SO nice to be with my mom and sister now!! Everyone single person with me today was so incredibly supportive. How lucky am I???

For the first time, it had gotten hot! It was about 92 by the time I had finished, but those weather gods were smiling...a lovely breeze fanned us as we made our way through the last portions of the course today. Another highlight on course today was a small herd of alpacas that came right up to the fence to say hello. Soo cute!!! I think I might get a couple as a reward for myself for finishing this run. Alpacas and a couple of goats. Seems like an appropriate prize, right?

For lunch today, I was actually craving meat. I think my iron had gotten low after all this running, and wanted nothing more than a big, fat juicy steak. To my delight, right around lunch time, I saw a herd of buffalo. So I started jogging after them. I had heard that humans have in fact run animals down to the point of exhaustion in what is called persistence hunting. After all these days on the go, here was my opportunity to try it. I was slow and steady and began to zero in on the weak buffalo. With the hot temperatures, I was able to make good progress (buffalo can't really sweat). Soon I was close enough to hone in on my prey. I didn't have a spear, but luckily, I had my trusty trekking pole....okay, i can't even type this out as a pretend story, because even the thought of killing a buffalo is making me sad!! So, I actually just stuck with my carrots, tofu and potato chips. Can I tell you how many potato chips I've eaten on this trip??? I think I might turn into one soon.

And now here I sit on the eve of my last day. Wow...just typing that is almost making me misty eyed. I've wanted to quit so many times that I can hardly believe that I am about to finish this. Again, no expectations, so until I am done, I know that there will be some hard work ahead of me. High's near 100 tomorrow and I still have a little over 20 miles to go. With the heat, we'll be leaving the house at 4:30AM and hope to get running a little after 5AM. If all goes well, I might be celebrating at lunch. So keep sending those positive thought and beautiful energy my way for happy legs and another cool breeze :)

May all beings be happy, may all beings be healthy, and may all beings be free from fear.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day 7: Pamper Jeanelle Day :)

First of all, I just have to say how much I enjoyed the yoga at Grinnell Heritage Farm last night. What a beautiful location and such an awesome community. We practiced in a grassy area overlooking a pond...the sky was blue with puffy white clouds, just enough of a breeze to keep the bugs away, and we had an audience of goats! As we started, the four goats were standing in a row with their front hoofs on the fence just watching us, like they couldn't figure out what those silly humans were doing. Those goats may have been the cutest things I've ever seen. After yoga, Monica very graciously provided us all with a delicious dinner and then it was off to bed. It was a restless sleep for me....at 11PM I grabbed more ice for my feet and legs....at 2Am someone called me three times trying to deliver food? But we woke with the sun shining and birds singing!

I actually began today's run in much better spirits. The yoga from the night before, the beautiful community and that brilliant sun left me feeling much less overwhelmed by the day's miles. My legs felt okay comparatively, so I started running right away and cranked out about 6 miles. Then, you guessed it, the IT bands leveled me again....back to barely walking. Took more Advil, more ice and was back to running...and that's pretty much how the rest of the day went. Each step is painful, but every so often it become so painful I can't walk. So more ice and advil and I can go again! It one of my "weak" moments I called Tina, my dearest physician friend, who scheduled me an appointment with a physical therapist. Soon after my sweetest friend Nancy called to tell me that she was going to meet me tonight and give me a massage! All that good news helped me move from one mile to the next, eagerly anticipating this evening of pampering and a night in my own bed. I really couldn't get over just how beautiful this day was. The sky was so blue and I saw so many wild flowers today! I've seen so many parts of Iowa that I never would have seen otherwise. I should also add that Victoria joined me for about 8 or 9 miles today. She has been along on the trip since the start, documenting the entire trip. I think it was on day 2 that she mentioned that she wanted to train for a marathon! So she's started now, that's for sure.

I did have one crazy adventure today. After lunch, I was jogging down a remote gravel road in the middle of no where Iowa when all of a sudden I had a feeling that I was being watched. Then I heard a slight rustle in the bushes and glanced to my left. All of a sudden a mountain lion appeared! She walked right out in to the road in front of me. Now, many might find this startling, but after my years in the circus as an apprentice to a lion tamer I knew just what to do. I calmly spoke to her and practiced my "lion whispering" skills. Before you knew it, she was lying on her back and I was rubbing her belly. Soon I even convinced her to give me a ride down the road a bit to ease the pain of my IT bands! HAHAHA ...I just thought all this talk of IT bands was getting boring so I wanted to spice it up a bit :) I didn't really see a mountain lion and I never even worked in the circus. I did see some cows, horses, bunnies, and deer today though :) None of them gave me a ride, although I seriously consider hopping on every single one of the horses that I pass.

I ended up cutting my run short by about 2 miles today so that I could make the physical therapy appointment. Talk about another rock star....they just squeezed me in between other clients, ultra sounded my IT bands and then taped up my knee with awesome blue tape. I am looking cuter and cuter by the moment on this run. Giant toes, crazy tan lines, dirt all over me, and now bright blue tape all over my legs! But, I really think it is helping already. Tim, my physical therapist, said it should stay on for the next couple of days, but he offered to reapply it again if it helped and I needed it. What amazing generosity! Interestingly, the woman assisting my PT was one of my old microbiology students. I definitely got the idea that they both thought I was a little crazy...but anyone who knows me has known that for a while :)

now I am home to sleep in my own bed tonight, and I am eagerly anticipating my sweet Nancy's arrival... not only is she an amazing body worker and healer, but she has one of the biggest hearts in the world. Oh and I walked in to streamers, confetti and decorations everywhere...a sure sign that Alisa and crew have been here. I have the best friends in the world!!! I love you all so much!!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Day 6: A beautiful day in the HEARTland

After a stormy, wild night in Newton we were up at 5AM and on the before 6AM. It looked like rain might be coming, which isn't a big deal, but it led me to a bit of a dilemma about what to do about shoes. Despite having brought four pairs of shoes with me, I've found that I can only wear one pair....and that's the pair I've worn for the last three days...and if it were going to rain, I wanted to keep them dry for the long miles of the day. They are my oldest pair of Vibrams (toe shoes), with holes between the toes, holes in the side of the shoe, and the tred pretty much worn off the bottom. But, they feel great! Or at least as great as a shoe can feel right now....just enough to protect my feet from the gravel. Anyway, I tried on all my other shoes that I brought, and went back to my oldest pair of VIbrams. Thankfully, the rain held off, and my feet stayed happy.

I went through what is becoming my mini-morning depression. That time when I am sore and I feel like there is no way I can do this. This morning, the negative self talk was "I don't want to be in pain any more". Just kept running through my head. I kept reminding myself that I have it good, and that this is temporary, and I don't believe I am doing anything to cause permanent injury...so I kept going anyway. The miles slowly passed and soon I was running pretty hard. The first 18 miles were actually quite phenomenal! Somewhere around mile 19, I took a break to walk and the IT band cramped up big time...to the point where I couldn't even walk...it comes on so suddenly. But, instead of getting so emotional about it, I put ice on it, rested for 10 minutes and started again. Another two miles to lunch in Searsboro, IA. There was one lone pavillion by the side of the road, just waiting for us to have a picnic! It was probably about 72 degrees, sunny, puffy white clouds, and a nice breeze. A gorgeous afternoon!

At this point I had 9 miles to go, and I gave myself permission to walk to try to give the IT bands a break. After lunch they felt good though, so I tried a little more jogging until around mile 22 the other IT band cramped to the point of not being able to walk. A little ice, and I was back to walking again. At this point, I listened to my body and enjoyed a lovely walk on a most beautiful day in Iowa.

Walking really gives me time to enjoy the country side. Today I enjoyed how the wind blows across the grasses and the corn fields creating a rippling wave effect, reminding me of the ocean. I saw a gorgeous prairie full of brilliant wildflower! Near Montezuma, Iowa I ran by a sparkling lake and forest! I forgot to mention that yesterday I ran through a wildlife preserve/prairie just south of the Newton area. A herd of buffalo roam these lands (though I never did see them yesterday). For a moment I felt as though I was seeing Iowa as it must have looked 200 years ago (minus the powerlines...haha). Instead of corn and soy, grasslands stretcehd as far as the eye could see. So beautiful.

Now I am hanging out at Monica's house in Grinnell, and I am super psyched to teachyoga in less than an hour! In fact, I probably better start getting myself into a state where I am ready to teach! I feel I like I haven't taught in ages, and I have missed it! I am so grateful to have the opportunity to share the gift of yoga on a farm! Grinnell Heritage Farms runs a super popular CSA and I can't wait to check it out!

I estimate that I have run about 205 miles, which means that I am 2/3 of the way across! Woohoo!! Still taking it day by day...mile by mile :)

As always, much love to you all!

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Day 5: A parade of people!!

Today was such an awesome day....mainly thanks to all the great people who were out to help!!! We began at Gray's Lake Park with Alisa, Josh, James, Mary, Dave, Ed, and of course my lovely support crew which was now my MOM and Victoria. Tim was off to Reno for a conference, but I've been getting phone calls all day...i think he was a little nervous leaving me :)

Alisa is the best cheerleader in the world, so of course she had banners, signs, a mannequin with a crazy hat (??), chalk etc. You name it and she was ready! But the best part was just the company. Since Steve Flynn had to drop with a foot injury on day 2, i had run about 90 miles alone. Of course my lovely support crew was meeting me frequently, but there's nothing quite like having someone by your side :) I must say, I have enjoyed my time running along during much of the run. I've listened to music, sang out loud for miles, prayed, thanked everyone and everything i can think of one, meditated etc.....but during those times when it feels like someone is taking a bat to my knee....or during those times when the mileage just seems daunting....it really is nice to have someone to talk to.

I was expecting to start slow today with achy feet and painful IT bands as that as how the last couple of mornings went. But if this trip has taught me anything it is: let go of expectations! So, I began slowly, but within a half mile started running, and felt great! So, I primarily ran with an awesome parade of people on bikes. We chatted, laughed and had a great time! The first 20 miles flew by. At some point, I took a short break and the wind actually got me pretty chilled...which led to the IT bands cramping up. I'd sprawl out alongside the road and Mary Dix would massage my IT bands....she totally rocks! In the afternoon, I walked quite a bit. Honestly, my IT bands weren't as bad as the day before, and I probably could have run more, but after all this time, that steady pain is just getting tiring. Since I had the time today, I walked quite a bit of the last 12 miles. At this time Kelly and Dan from Decatur, Il joined me! Kelly and I went to grad school together, years ago in Ithaca, and we ran our first marathons together. It was so fitting to have her along for this grand adventure. Both Kelly and Dan were fantastic run/hiking buddies!!! I really cannot thank everyone today enough. Having company was so invaluable. I am just incredibly grateful for everyone's support. I know how hard it is to get away, not just for a couple of hours, but for a whole weekend! And everyone's support made this day go so much easier.

Now I am hanging out at a home in Newton. Bruce Thayer, one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, hooked me up with his brother's family in Newton. Not only are they sharing their home with us, but they've made dinner for us, have given me ice packs and been such gracious hosts. SO grateful for NEW friends.

At this point I am now half way done in terms of days, and over half way done in terms of miles. I am thinking that I've done about 180 miles, which leaves me about 135 to go....not so bad. I now have no days over 30 miles, and soon i will be running through my hometown!! I am so excited to see all my Iowa CIty people and hopefully get to run with my dogs some :) They have been my most consistent training buddies, so it only seems fitting that they come out for a bit. Tomorrow I'll have the opportunity to teach some yoga in Grinnell at Grinnell Heritage Farms. I am super excited!

Overall, a fantastic day full of much love and community. Again, I can't help but feel so grateful for this experience. So, despite the fact that my feet are huge, covered in blisters, my IT bands are about to burst etc....i really have it pretty good. I am running because I am free to run. I don't have to worry about food, shelter, and no one has ever tried to harm me. I have lived such a blessed life and I am so grateful for every moment in it that has brought me to this moment.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Day 3/4 Made it to Des Moines!

145 miles done! Yesterday day was so much better than the previous day....although I believe the roller coaster will continue. It is definitely something I've experienced on other endurance events, but this is just the longest one to date!

Yesterday I ran from Adair, IA Van Meter, Iowa. The morning was rough. Imagine running three marathons and then having to get psyched up for a 38 mile day. It didn't help, too, that I got off route a bit and added two miles to my route. Needless to say, the mornings have been daunting. I am so stiff and sore that it is almost impossible to run at first. I try to get psyched up to just walk, but with so much ground to cover, I am super anxious to run. It has been a lovely practice in patience. So, I practiced looking around at the mist lifting out of the valleys as the sun rose. I called upon spirit, ancestors, etc and tried to stay present. I began running miles in honor of different people who were suffering....practicing breathing in suffering and breathing out joy. Somewhere after about two hours, as the sun began to warm my legs, I started to run for real. And, I was running without pain. I continued really running like this for about the next 20 miles until I breaked for lunch. Such a lovely afternoon....the sun was so warm and beautiful!

Later that afternoon, Colin joined me! He drove all the way out from Iowa City to run/hike the last five miles with me. His timing was perfect! Once again, I went three miles further than I had originally planned bringing the days mileage to about 43.

I met up with Ed Fallon in Des Moines and he so graciously got as all settled in at the Catholic Worker house. I continued my evening routine....shower, eat, put legs up the wall and then sleep....this time with an added bonus of a leg massage from Colin!

Then I was up at 4:30 AM in an attempt to get 16 miles in before Yoga in the Park at Des Moines. We were on the road by 5AM....watching lightening in the distance as the sky turned in eerie pink/red color. A beautiful sun rise with thunderheads in the distance! Once again, my IT band was soooo painful, but I'm learning to just keep going anyway....as long as I am not doing any kind of permanent damage! About two hours into the run, the rain started....and then the lightening. At this point I knew Yoga in the Park was off, so I didn't have to rush :) I took a break when a lightening bolt seemed close, and then was blessed to meet up with my buddy Kelly for a cold, wet run into Gray's Lake. Once i started shivering, she actually gave me her own long sleeve shirt to go under my rain coat, leaving her in just a t-shirt! She rocks!

So, now here I sit in the market with Denny Kelly, founder of Yoga in the Park Des Moines, Theresa Opheim, director of Practical Farmers of Iowa, Alisa, Mary, Dave, Kelly, Dan, Victoria, Steve, and Tim! It is practically a party! I am so luck to be surrounded by all these great people. But, after only 4 hours of sleep last night, I am thinking I'll just take a little bit of a nap and hopefully gear up for tomorrow.

Happy Saturday to all!!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Day 2: A day of ups and downs

I am pretty sleepy right now, but I'll try to recap this roller coaster day....my emotional and physical state seemed to mirror the land that I was running on!

The morning was rough. My foot and my knee (IT band) hurt pretty bad and each step seemed so uncomfortable. But, I managed to alternate walking and jogging for about 17 miles into Atlantic. In fact, I started feeling pretty good and even enjoyed a little dancing along the way :) But somewhere around mile 20 everything changed. My IT band REALLY started to hurt...walking became difficult. The self talk started. Things like "Jeanelle, you are going to finish this even if you have to crawl" started going through my head as tears began to flow. I started to feel super emotional and couldn't believe that my knee as hurting this bad. Another mile or two later I stopped for lunch, and after some coaching from friends, I took 400 mg of Advil and hobbled off. At least now I could walk, so that's what I did. I hobbled/walked for the next 8 miles...still feeling super emotional and yet falling in love with the beauty of the country side. Somewhere around this time, some nice man called me on my cell to interview me. I don't even remember what news group it was....it took all I had to answer his questions without crying, so that might be an interesting news article, if I ever see it :)

Anyway, eventually I got to Anita, IA and had about 8 miles left. The walking was going okay but my trail shoes were starting to give me crazy blisters, so on a whim I switched by to the vibrams....and a miracle occurred! All my knee pain went away and I ran the next 8 miles, feeling better than I had all day! In fact, better than i even felt last night! I felt so good I went 3 more miles than planned. A blister popped near the end of the run, so I took my shoes off and jogged the last mile barefoot before deciding that might not be the smartest move and called it a day. But, I felt great! The sun was shining, birds were singing and the country side was gorgeous. All was right in the world again.

So many things today reminded me of my yoga practice and the idea of impermanence. In a yoga pose, I often practice staying with breath and letting sensation wash over me. In fact, I am always encouraging my yoga students to do just that...notice how sensation will rise and fall, emotions will come and go...into awareness and back out of awareness. That very much was part of my practice today. I don't know how many times asked myself "how am i right now?" and could always answer "okay". Much of my emotion was coming from worry about the future..."what if i can't finish?". Sure my knee hurt and walking was painful, but I was still walking. In time the sensation passed through, and spirit gifted me with an incredible evening. All in all I am so grateful for every experience, both the challenging and the easy. It truly is teaching me and opening my heart more to this moment.
Who knows what tomorrow will bring? My knee and foot feels better. I've got some blister issues, but hopefully those won't be too bad. Thirty Eight miles on tap for tomorrow, and then Saturday will be a short day....with Yoga in the Park in Des Moines!

Love to all.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Windy and WIld First Day!!

What an amazing way to start the trip!! We started with a quick splash in the Missouri River...we thought about swimming half of it, but decided with the flooding that it would be a bad idea :) The first 20 miles flew by, as Steve Flynn and I caught up on about a years worth of chatting. Actually, chatting sounds so superficial. Truly the conversation was quite lovely and heartfelt as we discussed a whole range of topics about life.

Around 20 I started to feel an achy IT band and an achy foot, but my energy was high! It was strange. I expected to feel tired and maybe struggle with motivation, as that has happened in previous long runs. I was really surpirsed to feel aches and pains at that point.

We met up with Tim and Victoria for a picnic lunch in the middle of nowhere Iowa...yummy food from the New Pioneer co-op with a single Advil for dessert. The delicious lunch and a little rest was just what we needed. Who would have thought that on the first day of summer, we would be waering sweatshirts, long pants and huddling in the car to stay warm. A perfect day for running! A little mist with a crazy strong westerly wind to gently push us eastward. The rest of the afternoon flew by as well! My favorite part was a remote area in Iowa, perhaps about 25-35 miles into the trip. We were on gravel roads, b-maintenance roads which became impassable, so eventually we ended up walking a railroad track. Gorgeous scenery!!! And that wind!!! At around mile 30 I walked to the top of the hill, let out a couple of yells and enjoyed standing in the wild, amazing countryside! So beautiful.

Around this time, we had the luck of chatting with a local farmer who raises what I call "nicely cared for" pigs. He was so supportive of our run, and super enthusiastic. WHat a nice surprise!

Upin arrving at Hancock, we felt so good that we decided to go 3 extra miles with that lovely wind at our back. After a total of 41 miles, we are in a hotel in Atlantic, IA and I am ready to sit, eat, and go to bed!! So thankful for a glorious day, this amazing mother earth, the wild and windy sky and of course, the support of some many amazing people.

Love to all.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Good times in Omaha!

After a bit of running around and packing, we leisurely left Iowa City, right on time! The ride to Omaha was easy....as usual, I sang and "danced" for most of the four hour car ride. Steve Flynn met us at the Lotus House of Yoga and we all had a great time with the Omaha yoga crew!! Mary Clare was the best yoga hostess ever and I very much enjoyed teaching the evening class....such a beautiful community! After yoga we headed out to Silver Plume for dinner...the "greenest" restaurant in the country, known for its local food. super yummy! if you are ever in Omaha, definitely check the out!

And, now, i am packed and ready to go for tomorrow. Looks like we'll get about 5 hours of sleep before heading out. Kind of feels like I'm adventure racing.

So, how I am I feeling? well, super emotional all day....but in a good way! So grateful to have this opportunity to honor my ancestors, celebrate life, and just be outside on my feet all day long! Every so often doubt creeps in and I remind myself to take it one day at a time and to just be here now. Off to sleep...big day tomorrow :)

Monday, June 20, 2011

L.O.V.E run adventure starts tomorrow!

My first attempt at blogging....I never really thought that this is something I would try, but several people have asked for updates as I run across the state...so here goes!

As many of you know I am running across Iowa in honor of my great grandfather's epic spirit. In 1897 he walked around the world on a bet... Of course, my ancestor would find a way to make a living by doing crazy stunts. He lost an arm while working in a factory as a kid, so he couldn't do the average type of work. Instead, he started doing things like jumping off bridges, walking across states, across the country and eventually around the world. Ironically enough, it took him too long to walk around the world, so he didn't even win the bet. I guess he got caught up in several wars and was help prisoner in Turkey for a while, which could slow a person down!

As many of you also know, i am incredibly passionate about yoga! I couldn't help but take this opportunity to share the joy of yoga as I go. I'm really looking forward to doing a little teaching as I run across the state. Yoga has truly helped me connect back to my heart and has given me tools to move into and through fear. For years anxiety used to be a huge factor in my life. I suffered from panic attacks and fear definitely was limiting my life experience. Thanks to the gift of yoga and other mindful practices, I've found the courage to keep on doing the things that scare me most. As I stay present in fearful situations, the fear melts away and on the other side of fear I've found freedom and love. I truly believe that when people can move out of fear and into love then compassion for all beings will arise.

I'll also be using this whole adventure as a way to raise awareness for the benefit of local food and to fund raise for Practical Farmers of Iowa and Slow Food USA. I am so desperately in love with this planet, and I am always seeking ways to help support this earth. I really appreciate the work that these two organizations are doing to help support a more sustainable food industry. Can you believe that here in the Heartland, with some of the most fertile soil around, the average food travels 1500 miles to reach our plate? There must be better ways!

So, that's the background. Now, I am frantically organizing, packing, and trying to not forget things. I have so much anticipation for this journey and am trying to just go back to my yoga practice of breathing and staying present. I am so ready to just start running! I am really looking forward to seeing the whole state on foot, meeting new people, and spending more time with those who will be on the adventure with me. One key perosn on my journey is my buddy, Steve Flynn, who is going to run the whole thing with me! I couldn't be happier! We were camp counselors at a YMCA camp 15 years ago...and would spend our free time running around the camp lake. We'll see how well those 4 mile runs prepared us for this big adventure :)

I'll do my best to write every day and post pictures! For now, I better get back to packing...and breathing...and loving life!