· Date: Friday July 26, 2019
· Where: Buffalo, New York to Skaneateles, New York
· Total Distance Covered: 134 miles
· Running Partner: Kate
The pastor and multiple church members joined us this morning for our dedication circle. It was a special one as all of us went around and shared our connection with the community and who we were running for today. I was running for Lesley, the women we had met last night, and sent a picture to her of her name on my calf. Everyone was extremely touched by the morning and those we were lucky to talk with them in Buffalo. As we left, there were lots of pictures, hugs, and even a few tears.
Running with Kate was impressive, and we were both happy we had the chance to run together. We hadn’t run yet as official partners which was surprising since the trip was almost over. Having so few days left together was something the team was continuously avoiding talking about. Kate seemed to have been the last person affected by “the sickness” and some had even ventured to say she was one of the unfortunate ones who had contracted “the plague.” For the past few days, she had been coughing violently and sleeping any chance she got. Yesterday, she hardly left her sleeping pad. Somehow today, we managed to handle an eight to nine-minute pace the entire time. Although she called it quits after six of our eleven miles together, I was still impressed. We had held a conversation the entire time! I wished I had been able to run with Kate when she was feeling better.
For the remainder of my miles, I ran with Tyler B. and Regi. We talked about training and injuries. Regi was continuing to heal from her injury and was running more every day. Regi was also one of the team trainers and we talked about how she and Mason were getting college credit for their role on the team! I was surprised, but thought it was great!
Our miles consisted of rolling hills with a combination of residential and farm areas. The smell of fresh manure met our noses but was soon replaced by the smell of flowers and exhaust from the road. Cars, tractors, and boats passed us. For the most part, we had a huge shoulder where we could run side by side on. But at one point, Tyler almost got hit by a dump truck in an intersection who didn’t see us. We were glad the three of us were okay! By the end of our miles, we were plastered in sweat and quite exhausted. I missed being home and seeing everyone, but again, I found myself thinking about how I didn’t miss running in the humidity.
Later, I talked on the phone with a freelance writer for the Sacred Heart University Magazine named Tim Deenihan. He had written a piece about the 4K for Cancer before it had started and was working on a follow-up piece that included Shane Finn and another professor who had fundraised for the Boston Marathon. The completed piece would later be published in the paper version of their magazine and highlighted service to the community.
When we arrived at our host for the night, it was the Skaneateles YMCA. My calves were still sore from the track spikes Tyler and I had used in our workouts the past two days, so we opted out of the workout we had planned to do. Instead, the YMCA let us swim in their pools and lay on the tubes in their lazy river. The YMCA was massive, they had basketball courts, the usual workout center, and even three ice rinks! We played the game that Evan and I had been preparing for back in Defiance, Ohio when we ran together. I don’t remember who won, but all I remember is that we lost hopelessly. It was a newlywed game where you see which pair of partners knew each other the best, and it seemed Evan and I hardly knew each other.
As the night ended, I started to write in people’s journals. Back in Ohio, we had gotten small journals for each person on the team. The point was to write a small message in everyone’s journal. Later, when we were all home and the team wasn’t together, we were supposed to read them. I had twenty-eight messages to write over the next few days and it made me very sentimental that the trip was ending. I was looking forward to reading what people wrote in mine, but part of me found it a chore to write in everyone else’s. Despite this, I wanted to write meaningful memories in each journal so that it would bring a smile on that person’s face when they read it. I had a lot of work for me over the next few days.
In the end, as I went to sleep, I was pleased with how today had gone. It seemed the team was back on track and we were back doing what we had come here to do. Hopefully, our time in Niagara Falls and Lake Erie would remain in our past. It was something I didn’t want to tell anyone about.
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