· Date: Monday July 15, 2019
· Where: Rockford, Illinois to Chicago, Illinois
· Total Distance Covered: 130 miles
· Running Partner: Justin
We woke up with the sunrise. The YMCA in Rockford was across from the Rock River and they even had a boathouse that housed their boats for the crew teams. This is where we had breakfast and it was beautiful. We had woken up before the sunrise and had the vans packed before the first light. We needed to be out of the boathouse and finished eating breakfast before the Rockford Crew teams arrived at the boathouse, so had woken up extra early today. As we were walking over to the boathouse, which was closer to the Rock River then the main building, the sun started to creep up over the horizon, casting soft light and pink colors across the water. The reflections of the sunrise were beautiful. These moments I have always loved, and I remember stopping along the riverbank to watch as the sun made its ascent.
I had never been in a boathouse before, and seeing the sleek boats mounted in their racks on the walls gave an impressive quality to the entire building. You could tell that the teams had spent long meticulous hours polishing, maintaining, and taking good care of their boats. One of the coaches had provided us with breakfast which was set on table covers in the middle of the boathouse. The coach was used to being here early and had been working on some aspects of the boats for a few hours already. There were tools and polishing rags next to the boat he was working on and he stopped his work as we walked in. We ate donuts, bagels, and fruit along with coffee and orange juice as we mingled with the coach and some of his team that had arrived early. We exchange stories and commented on how beautiful the morning was. A few rowers had come early specifically for the sunrise. This morning, at the boathouse, made me want to join a crew team or at least try out one of the boats. I loved using the indoor rowing machine, or ergometer, in Sacred Heart’s gym but had never given an actual boat consideration. It made me realize it’s like I had only known running on a treadmill but had suddenly been exposed to the world of running outside after having never known it existed. I made a promise to myself to one day give rowing a try.
Today, I was supposed to run with Justin since a few days previously I had been too sick to run, and we were supposed to be partners. I was super excited about this since we had been training buddies in the months before the 4K for Cancer began. Justin was from Virginia and was entering his sophomore year in college at the time of 4K. Throughout the months leading up to our flights out to San Francisco, we would motivate each other to continue training via texts and phone calls. Because of this, we got to know each other before 4K had started and it felt like we already had a friend before flying out. Justin was one of the most respectful, compassionate, and loving people on the team. Whether he was feeding horses on the side of the road or motivating us all to get out of the van and cheer on the runners arriving, he showed his gentle heart and healing spirit. We had some conversations throughout 4K, but not as many as I would have liked. So, when we were assigned running partners today, after me not running when were originally assigned together, and after waiting weeks to be running partners, we were both pretty excited about it!
For the past few days, we had been talking amongst ourselves about how there was no map for our thirtieth day. We had been looking ahead each day and downloading maps with the routes to our phone a few days in advance. Accustomed to having no service because of our time in Nevada and Utah, this became a regular thing to do among the team. So, when we all realized Ulman hadn’t provided a map for today, we didn’t understand why. The foundation ended up sending us two different routes last night for us to choose from. Both routes had large sections requiring us to shuttle due to the traffic going into Chicago. We felt like Ulman hadn’t finalized the routes, knowing that if Team Boston were to abide by the rules, running into Chicago would be nearly impossible and we would have to shuttle most of the way. Personally, this felt like a blow and I am sure a few others felt the same way. It was incredible we would be able to experience a city like Chicago, and we were all looking forward to volunteering with the Imerman Angels tomorrow as well. But, when we were told that the only two routes available had us shuttling over half of the mileage, I found myself asking why we were going into Chicago at all and how come an alternate route wasn’t made. There had to be bike paths through the city, sidewalks, or other pedestrian routes we could have taken. It left Tyler S. and I baffled as to why these two routes were the only options for us and why we were only just given them too. After running only four miles each and driving countless miles into the city, the morale was low.
Those in the first van were able to run almost the entirety of their miles before also being forced to shuttle. They even had a visitor, Jackie’s friend Shawn, who was an amputee. Shawn had just received a prosthetic running leg and wanted to try it out. When those of us in the second van heard we had missed out on running with Shawn and getting to know him, we were all disappointed. From the stories that the rest of Team Boston told us later tonight, we all thought Shawn was an incredible person. We wished all of us could have met him and we also wished that he had joined on a day when there was not so much shuttling as well.
Once the second van drove into the heart of Chicago, we parked at North Avenue Beach which bordered Lake Michigan. From there, we ran along the waterfront to the Navy Pier and back. We diverted to a few different walking paths and sidewalks and ended up totaling about six miles each on the waterfront. I ran in a group with Justin, Tyler, and Caroline and we decided to take it slow to enjoy the views and to allow our bodies to rest. I was starting to feel sicker than I had yesterday and didn’t want to push it.
The views here along the waterfront were completely different from anything we had experienced so far. To one side of us was the Chicago skyline and the other side was Lake Michigan. The wind blew across the water, creating white caps in some areas, as it hit the city. Chicago wasn’t called the Windy City for no reason! As we ran along the concrete path, we ran past other runners, bikers, and people enjoying the nice weather. The concrete went right into the water and dropped off like a dock. This was considered the beach here. I couldn’t believe it! People were swimming in the water all along the length of the waterfront. After we finished our miles we couldn’t resist, and we swam too. At this point, the rest of the team from the other van had joined us and we all swam together and then dried off in the sun.
Once we were all dry, we drove over to the host for the night and got settled. We were staying in dorm rooms again, but this time with De Paul University. This was one of the nicest nights we would have throughout the entire trip. A few days before, the entire building had been used to house people attending a business convention. There were leftover accommodations that the staff was nice enough to give us. We had fresh sheets, towels, and soaps that had never been used before. Rob and I, who were roommates, could not have been happier to each sleep on an actual bed with actual sheets and blankets. Even nicer, was the bathroom which we shared with two other people from Team Boston. We found ourselves wondering how much it cost to go to school here and how much housing was. The dorm rooms were more like hotels! What made the entire room seem much more welcoming, homely, and friendly was our mail waiting for us. This was the day of our third of four mail drops, and we couldn’t be happier to see what our friends and family had sent us. We all felt like honored guests!
The host van had an impossible time trying to obtain food donations for the team. As had been typical for the more populous locations we had run through, all the restaurants and companies had asked for days in advance and had been unable to donate for our team. With the decision to shuttle into Chicago and with little amounts of food available, this was another point in the day when morale was low. Soon though, Brenna, Caroline, John-Hanson, Tyler S., and I decided to find an Italian restaurant and treat ourselves to a nice meal. It had been weeks since we had sat down at a restaurant to eat something prepared for us and I had been craving Chicken Marsala. We took the subway over to Downtown Chicago where we had made some reservations at a place called Il Porecellino. We each ordered the foods we had been craving and it was amazing. Chicken Marsala is my favorite meal and I was so glad to finally satisfy my taste buds. We joked around that we had now entered the civilized part of civilization and talked about everything under the sun. When the waiter found out about the 4K for Cancer, his excitement was bubbling over and he recommended several different things on the menu. The service we got from this restaurant was incredible and I would love to go back to it someday!
By the time we finished dinner, it was about six o’clock and we had a fundraising event at another restaurant across town. We took the subway back to De Paul University and walked over to the restaurant. Leah had organized a trivia night with the restaurant which was a family-friendly American bar. For three hours that night, most of the profits would go to Team Boston’s fundraising efforts. It was a great time and I think that everyone at the restaurant as well as Team Boston had fun as well. A few people on the team had friends and family visiting as they were from the area, so the fundraiser was more successful than Leah had anticipated.
I was still feeling a little sick though and wanted to go to bed early to join the team with volunteering at Imerman Angels. A few others and I, who weren’t feeling the best either, left the restaurant early. I was sleeping tonight by about nine o’clock. Snuggling into sheets and a blanket, in an air-conditioned building after having taken a warm shower made me feel like a king. But while reflecting on the day’s events before I drifted off to sleep, I was a little disappointed by how the day had turned out. I never anticipated so much shuttling throughout the trip and was disappointed that we had such a large gap in our route. I was hopeful that when our supporters, donors, friends, and family found out about this they wouldn’t be disappointed and wouldn’t feel as let down as I felt. I felt like we had lied to everyone. There was no denying that the miles most of the team had run on the waterfront were not connected by the rest of the route we would take. Running across the country seemed more and more symbolic as our days progressed and although the symbolism of the event was important, I couldn’t help but feel the disappointment. Regardless, I was happy to have a rest day tomorrow so that I could continue to heal. I was hopeful that when I woke up, my bacterial infection would be resolved, and I would be back to my normal self again.
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