Beyond the Blog Day 25 (May 22) - THE BEST RUCKIN’ DAY EVER
Sometimes the universe smiles upon you, and things all fall into place when you are most hoping they will. An equal number of times, the universe will dump hot coffee in your lap right before you back into your mailbox. But on this day, everything came together is so many ways...the people we had supporting us, our guest runners, the venue of Wrightsville Beach, my physical state, and the weather itself...all swirled together in happy chaos throughout the day, making this **the best rucking day ever**
Starting with our support team, Michael was on his second full day and had found his groove. We had a good dinner the night before and our tribe of three became a tribe of six, with Becky and Stephanie arriving that night, as well as Matt’s dad, Mike. So we were a sizable bunch, all fired up for the Saturday event at the beach.
We were all excited about our guest runners for that day, Charlie Engle and “The Ultra-Running Guys”, Jeremy and Jeff. I won’t embarrass myself by fan-boying on Charlie, but I will say this...he is a man of incredible wisdom, perspective, inspiration, and physical strength. So maybe I am gushing a little, but when he agreed to run with me on Saturday, I was ecstatic and also a little nervous. I was worried about bonking in front of Charlie, somehow losing my cred as an ultra-runner, a fate worse than death. Our other guest ultra-runners were Jeremy and Jeff, who produce the awesome “Ultra Running Guys Podcast”. Becky and I were honored to be part of their podcast a few weeks earlier...it was a lot of fun, actually. Then four days before Wrightsville, I was on their show again, giving them an update...mostly recounting tales of being chased by dogs and other hazards. They are both experienced guys with a great way of generating conversation, so having them actually on the run really kicked things up. Both Charlie and Jeremy would be doing some live-streaming while we were running/rucking….fulfilling their social media obligations is a constant task.
Its a safe bet that we are talking about running....
We met in the hotel lobby early in the morning for a group breakfast. The whole crew was there...Michael, Matt, Mike (Matt’s dad), Becky, Stephanie, and Charlie. Matt got some great photos of us sitting around, excited for the day to begin, while Charlie and I talked about the event and the impact it was having. It was one copasetic moment in a day filled with them. But we couldn’t tarry too long, as the Wilmington Police were waiting to provide us with a flashing blue escort to the Wrightsville Beach running loop. Charlie did a quick live-stream of me packing up Slappy, who had been surprisingly quiet over the last few days, despite all the excitement. So I took him out, moved my styrofoam around in the ruck sack to reposition him better, and back in he went. He’d make a big appearance a few days later when I naively issued the $10,000 “Slamball Challenge” for the last day of the event. We’ll get to that later…
Charlie live-streaming my struggles with Slappy!
We headed out to the loop (its about 3 miles, if I recall) and it looked like it was going to be a perfect day for weather, albeit slightly warm. Charlie had no expectations about pace or even mileage, which made things a lot more comfortable, not having to worry about my 12 min/mile pace. Very soon, we were joined by Jeff and Jeremy, who (of course) knew Charlie and had him on their show several times. Running loops with these guys, just rolling along and all happily conversing about all things ultra-running, was the happiest moment for me throughout the entire Ruck (besides finishing). We were all of the same tribe and all appreciative of those fleeting, perfect moments when the universe is in synchronicity, allowing you the luxury of just running with friends. The older I get, of course, the more I have come to treasure these rare times. Life moves fast, friends fall by the wayside, the reality of jobs and families crash into plans...so to simply run with friends, for me, is that moment when I am feeling most connected to the world around me. That may be the reason why, two months later, I feel so rudderless...mourning the loss of that connectivity and lacking a sense of purpose, which was so clear to me during the event.
The Wrightsville Beach Loop is easy running...sidewalks and beach the whole way.
In any case, on THIS perfect day, all was well. Becky and Stephanie had set up a table in the park, with lots of information from CAN as well as our refreshments, chairs, cooling towels...everything we could possibly need. With our crowd of runners, ruckers, support staff, and photographer, we really did make quite a scene in the park…..which was good, we wanted to make a scene!
Matt taking pictures of the Ultra Running Guys streaming our event. I should have gotten out my camera to take a picture of Matt, and complete the circle.
What was really great was how Jeremy and Jeff embraced CAN and our cause, and also how the presence of this table attracted attention from folks walking by. Becky and Stephanie really did an outstanding job of explaining the organization’s mission, creating excitement around this day, and just bringing people into their orbit. Almost everyone has an autism story, and CAN creates a platform for people to share these stories, realize they are not alone in their struggle, and gain access to a whole world of resources and support.
Becky and Stephanie set up the best rest stop ever!
The day progressed, getting a little hotter, but that did not stop Michael from jumping in and doing a loop with us, which is something he was not expecting to do. Charlie is great at making athletes at all levels feel comfortable in their running, and watching them roll along having a chat just warmed my heart. I know it had an impact on Michael as we continue to talk about this experience and what it meant. If we could get our world leaders to all go out for a run together, many problems would be solved.
It was also a big day for Mike Bledsoe, Matt’s dad. He was with us at the very beginning, and came back on this day to support the team and of course, see his son. Matt had been tireless in his efforts to document the event, and I know Mike was proud of his work and wanted to continue to support him.
Matt, poised for action shots on the bridge, looking like a pro
Mike did a lap or two with us, and I know he was having a blast. We got this last team shot at the beach before Jeremy had to leave, but just look at those smiling faces!
This crew looks ready to go!
Around 3 pm, Matt positioned himself on the bridge and got some great shots of Charlie and I rambling down the beach, this shot perhaps being my favorite:
Charlie and I, just chugging along on the beach, wearing more clothes than anyone around us
The crowds were really getting thick and the roads were just jammed with beachgoers, all in the midst of various degrees of celebrating. We had to dodge party cars and party people as we finished our final two loops. We met a few people along the way who were interested and curious about our event, and Charlie was an excellent CAN ambassador...he’s a man who has never, ever met a stranger!
Our final lap was just the two of us, and we knew it had been a day for the books.
Ending the day and still feeling good, thanks to the company
Team Bledsoe ran the last leg of the last lap with us as well, and we finished happy, hot, tired, and hungry. But mostly happy. We had a sit-down post-ruck interview in the shade and all was right with the world.
I was glad to be done, but still, wish we could have kept going. Each day brings a new experience, though.
That evening I had even more to look forward to, as Cheryl was joining us for dinner and would be taking the support reins from Michael the next day. We all headed back to the hotel, made ourselves presentable, and then met in the lobby before heading over to the Mellow Mushroom. Becky was ecstatic with how the day had evolved, and we were still on a crescendo. It was a lively dinner and once again, we sucked in perfect strangers into our orbit. I don’t remember the side conversations that were had, although I’m sure there were some “autism stories” to be shared. With Cheryl by my side and a successful day behind us, it was the perfect evening to the Best Rucking Day Ever. Really, the only thing that would have made it more perfect would have been to have our entire tribe present, including Mike, Sheley, Joe, Jason, Keith and Monty in addition to those present. But I am hoping for a reunion tour sometime in the next few years!
Charlie had to leave after dinner so we said our fond farewells, and I miss him terribly. But the Ruck waits for no man, and the next day we would have an exciting ferry crossing to navigate. How do you count miles on a ferry? Stay tuned!
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