Day 0: The Night Before

-

We are hunkered down her in Murphy ready for the big day tomorrow. Cheryl and I drove on Route 19 on our way out here from Asheville, and it was extremely treacherous so we made a few major last minute changes to the routing. We will still get the full mileage in but it may be a little bit of hopping around from point to point, but this way we'll fit some nice Trail runs on the Blue Ridge Parkway as well as a few local Trails. Had a great dinner with Becky, Mike, Matt and Cheryl and am anxious to get started tomorrow. I'm very thankful for an uplifting and encouraging phone call from my friend Charlie Engle, and of course so appreciative of all of the donations and messages of support from you all.

Godspeed, 

R.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Day 9 - Mooresboro to Woodbridge

-
Image
Total Mileage : 24 miles There was a big party on the second floor of our Comfort Inn in Gastonia last night, and I was anxious about what to expect running through the city, so I woke up tired, dejected, and unsure if I even could make it 10 miles much less 25.  As usual, Cheryl talked me off the proverbial ledge, and by 8:00 our team ledt for Six Points, Mooresville. To be honest I thought this day was going to be one of running down the streets skipping to  gas stations and trying to find parking lots and fast food restaurants where we could avoid cars. In fact it turned out to be one of the nicest rural runs I've had in a long time, ruck sack or not. We changed our route on the fly, finding the less traveled roads north of Shelby and passing through some really pretty countryside, surrounded by working farms, streams, and wooded areas. The most amazing thing though, is as I struggled through the first few miles, Jason (who is helping out today) decided he would...
Read more

Day 18 - Moore County to Troy to Home

-
Image
Total Mileage : 12 Miles I headed back home to Concord as planned this morning, with two stops along the way to pick up some mileage, lest anyone accuse me of being a slacker!  I found a wonderful little park in Moore County and got in 7 miles just running around their trails and disc golf course. I found an old paupers cemetery way in the back of the grounds, most dated from thr 30's. Just a name and a year of death.  Who were these people? Where did they come from and how did they live? I said a prayer of remembrance and moved on. I hope these souls are remembered by other people. I drove about 45 minutes east to the Roy Maness park near Troy. It is a beautiful pond just surrounded by dogwoods, mountain laurels, and wildflowers.  A path circles the pond. As quietly as I walked, my presence was still sensed by the frogs, who splash noisily back into the pond, which in turn triggers a panic among the turtles sunning themselves on log and branches. ...
Read more

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

-
Image
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...
Read more