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Beyond the Blog Day 29 (May 26) - THE BIG FINISH! - Part I

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First thing in the morning, facing the music for the day   It is September 9, just over three months after completing the Ruck.  As I write this, I am recognizing that it is unlikely I will ever experience anything as epic as that last day, at least with regards to physical and spiritual challenges over an extended period of time.  It is a tough thing to contemplate, to know that you are done , and the temptation to think of the next big thing is great.  But I would not put my family through that again, nor would I ever ask the friends who volunteered so much time and effort to ever step up to the plate again.   The feelings I have about this day are of completeness , moreso than a sense of pride.  It is the recognition of all things coming together, with the Ruck being one part of an entire event that united so many people for a single mission.   I also felt extreme relief at having finished the challenge and not let anyone down...donors, CAN, and aut...
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Beyond the Blog Day 28 (May 25) - 25th Anniversary Special

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We haven't changed much. Right. A beautiful morning to set off for an all-day hike. 30 years later.   If I hadn’t been exhausted beyond all reckoning, this would have been one of my favorite days of the whole event.   It was still pretty awesome, though.  The plan had been all along to have this one day to ourselves, when Cheryl and I could just ruck, walk, whatever it took to get the miles in, on the day of our 25th wedding anniversary.   Those of you who have reached this milestone, and beyond, know how quickly time flows….like a river that gets faster and faster, careening and carving its own course, which is the path of your lives together.   So I won’t bore anyone with the old geezer “seems like yesterday” talk, but it does.  And in the time since this event, we’ve seen our oldest off to college and her absence only underscores the rapidity of our lives.   But there are adventures yet ahead and this river has not yet gone to the ocean!   Ch...
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Beyond the Blog Day 27 (May 24) - MELTDOWN!

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I had to review video footage of this day and my notes because of my heatstroke episode at mile 24.   (Spoiler alert: That is how the day ended.) Midway through the day, on Holden Beach, I was already toast.  But the burnt toast was yet to come.   The day started well enough.  I got to sleep at our condo in Sunset Beach, and Cheryl had returned the day before.   But the truth is, I was nearly spent at this point.   My legs, particularly my knee, ached like nothing before, my energy level was zero, and I had this bad barky cough.  It was a war of attrition and usually I can fight this fight, but my attitude was crumbling as well.  It was hard to stay positive when I felt so crappy.   So a few good miles around the condo grounds helped me ease into the day...it was a pretty morning, with the sun coming up over the Intercoastal Waterway, and the orange sky reflected off the ponds outside our building.  A day full of possibilities, for every...
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Beyond the Blog Day 26 (May 23) - By Land and By Sea, to OKI We Soon Shall Be

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Before recounting this third-to-last day of the Ruck, I want to relate something that just happened, which is kind of Ruck-related....It is August 17th, almost 3 months later, and I am still recovering (about 75% there).  My runs are shorter.   Tonight I was out on a 6-mile power run at Sunset Beach, where we are staying for a few days after dropping our daughter off at Chapel Hill.  I was running on a wooded section of road that connects a fancy new neighborhood to the Intercoastal.  I run this stretch whenever we are here, and the woods are full of critters, with deer aplenty.   Today, as I was trying my best to motor down the road, I came across four or five deer on the left side of the road, no big deal.  As I looked closer (deer are sneaky) I realized there were at least two dozen head, probably more.   I’ve never seen a herd that big, and as I got closer, they started to run parallel to me through the woods, then crossing diagonally right in fron...
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