Run Across America

Awesome photo taken by Jay and made into an informational flyer by Jamie Bull.

Today is Easter. We planned to take the day off, but will end up running at least 14 miles today as a group. We ended up cutting the day short yesterday when the light was gone, we were close to one of the first large-ish towns we've seen in the last two weeks and it started to rain.

We got the BEST Easter gift from Senior and Debbie Patten. A hotel room and dinner. We are so happy. I am sitting in the hotel cafe drinking coffee and blogging. Feels normal... yet not normal. Feeling a bit antsy like I need to go for a run.. or take a nap. :)

Over the last two weeks we've gone up an over the mountains in California, up to elevation and back down. We've run in HOT dry weather, massive headwinds, massive headwinds with rain, and cold dark overnights.

We started out running 8 hour shifts of 50 miles each. We started the first shift in Oceanside at 12am, the next at 8am, then another at 4pm. This lasted about a week until we realized that the overnight shift was KILLING us. Almost every midnight shift would result in tears from at least one of the girls. Then it was hard to sleep during the 8am - 4pm shift leaving us tanked for the 4 to midnight shift.

before Brian, Brock, Harmony and Kelsey went back to their 'normal lives'. Thanks for your support guys!

And when we had people leave we would be left with less than the optimal 5 people to finish a shift. We decided to take the whole team out one day and kill 100 miles quickly by bunny hopping (ie using 1 van to drop runners every 1 mile while the other van acted as sweep picking us up). We were able to cover a lot more ground. Previously we had been dropping one runner at a time and trailing them with one van. This took a long time, but we had no other option when we were running in the dark.

First dinner in a restaurant. Met a couple with a Flat Stanley from their niece so we took a picture w/ it.

Now we head out at sun rise and run about 75 miles (depending on whether or not we have fresh meat legs with us), come back to the RVs to eat and sleep then head out again to run the remainder of the 150 around 4pm so we finish up before dark. Then we get to get a good meal and a full nights sleep before we start all over again. This is working out much better!

A little yoga stretching does the body good.

I think the thing that surprised us all the most is that we thought that we would have 'down time' to keep up with things like work and blogging, but the reality is that we pretty much sleep, eat, run REPEAT all day every day.

Getting ready for our 8am shift somewhere in NM.

We've met some people along the way and I don't have photos of all of them (though photos will be posted on the Rev3 site... soon). Here are some photos of people that have come to run with us.

Pat and Ila came out to do a midnight to 8am shift with us and we were SO thankful!

Julie ran the day shift with us .. Fresh legs are so appreciated!

We've also met a lot of people along the way that have battled cancer, have family members that have battled cancer or who have lost people to cancer. It's been amazing! We are doing this to raise funs for the Ulman Cancer Fund and to create awareness, but meeting these people along the way has been so impactful.

We've run through quite a few areas that are - shall we say - economically challenged. We've heard their stories and watched as they have reached into their pockets to donate the small amount of money they have to share. Telling us they wish they could offer more and that the so appreciate what we are doing. This is ALSO what it's about. I feel so lucky to be physically able to do this, to have a supportive family that allows me the opportunity to do this, to have my Rev3 family that has made this possible, to the UCF folks for all of the support and inspiration.

Ash rolling out tight IT Bands.

I keep waiting for deep thoughts.. thinking that I'm going to have big epiphanies, but nothing. We have quite a system going and we are running running running... my mind is not numb, but the deep thoughts aren't coming. I'm guessing that when it's all over the magnitude of it will hit hard. Right now it's just what we do. We run. For those that can't. For loved ones that are fighting. For each other. When the going gets tough and I want to stop and walk I think of my many friends and family that have been fighting a much harder battle and it makes the challenge laying in front of me seem not so bad and I run harder.

Getting ready for one of our early night runs.

We ran through pretty much nothing seeing only ghost towns and an indian reservation through Arizona and New Mexico then as soon as we entered Oklahoma the police were out in full force. We were stopped FOUR times in one day. The first was, um, because I was going a bit TOO FAST through a small town as I was driving to catch our last runner. I had literally driven a quarter mile when I got pulled over, then the van was stopped to tell us to run on the opposite side of the road, then stopped again by another officer to check and see if we were 'okay', and finally Eric was stopped for not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. 

The two times we were stopped for violations we were given just a warning (thank GOD the cop told me I would have been given a reckless driving ticket and charged $550...eek).

After I got pulled over.

Eric getting a written warning.

We have one week left. Tomorrow will be our last BIG day. We have 6 people in the morning for our 75 miles and then 7 people for the second 75 mile leg. On Tuesday the reinforcements start to show up and we'll be cruising as we start through TN and finish up in VA!

Beautiful run down a big windy hill then across a bridge.

We are still taking donations and are at $33,000 right now and our goal is $100,000. We are making a difference in people's lives, but our main goal is to support Ulman and allow them to continue to make a BIG IMPACT on the lives of those with cancer. Please support us!