Hiatus

My knee is not in the best shape after last months miles. I really pray i won't need surgery or worst a replacement part. Cutting is never a minor procedure and given a choice I'd take a scope over major work. So i have decided to just rest up for April and see how i feel.
Im going to attempt some water exercises and some upper body workouts to keep me fit and hopefully this walker will be back at it soon.
Im already going stir crazy on the weekends with nowhere to go. Now i avoid stressing about it because  i disabled Facebook.  Seeing all those i finished my race postings was just to upsetting. Here's to a good rest for my knees and finishing the goal i started last year.

Rewards

Its been a week since my last race entry. I had to take one week off just to rest because seventy miles in fourteen days was a bit much for me.
I have spent  my time thinking not only of my activism but of how i will enter this decade of my life being a doer and bridge builder. When i say builder im talking so much more than race and natoonality. In this age of the internet we have lost many venues to have civil conversations face to face.
When i enter a race that type of human interaction comes back. People come from all over and within any crowd there is a chance of connecting to whats good in the human spirit.  Through the toughest struggles of my life came the strength to make it to the next day. It is my faith that keeps me going but living the word powers my soul.
In the gate i learned a lesson that i knew but hadn't practice. I needed a buddy in that race to push me.Despite determination sometimes we all need a push from another persom to make it. At the end of my journey I took inspiration from all those around me and that was exactly how i made it through.
I saw a medal that described it so much i had to have it. This is not a blog where i sell things, if it doesn't  fit into my experience its not on here. I might be to personal but believe me when i say Im honest in my failures and triumphs. I will never lose if I'm always making an effort. I did those miles and im proud.

I want to thank these two ladies for coming along and helping me put my show back on the road

To keep me inspired i got this and as the miles added up i realized i hadn't lost the experience of going to selma i gained a greater victory at home.

Day 7

I tossed and turned all night never really getting any rest. When my alarm went off i felt relieved. At three in the morning it didn't take long to hop on the interstate. vehicles were few and far in between each other on I -95 making it practically empty. Talk about a rarity in Jacksonville. I had no trouble finding the exit or the staduim. As i turned into the parking lot i realized i was basically alone. About fifteen minutes later cars began to trickle in and i felt better. I settled in and arranged my water belt which had everything from a first aid kit,mints and a wallet stuffed in various pockets. By the time the sun was hitting the horizon i was ready to leave the car. I noticed that people had started setting up tents and tailgating. Many were dressed up in matching team colors and T-shirts. There were twosomes and large groups of friends that were out to have a good time. Reading the backs of some of their shirts i discovered they were running for the sick,departed, buddies and every cause you could think of. All that and the normal supply of super hero customes. The atmosphere felt more like a low key football game than a 15k race. I loved it because i have only been to small local races but on the other hand i was by myself and became a little lost in the crowd. On my way to the start line i walked though the veterans memorial located in front of the staduim. I passed various groups of BGR and thought maybe i should introduce myself but ended up just strolling by them without saying anything. That area was so crowded with groups taking pictires i was a little overwhelmed. I wish i had asked someone to take my picture now. The price of buying them is going to be steep if any turn out worth having which at this point i hope so.

Thank goodness i snapped a picture of the memirial the day before after packet pick up. So I weaved through the veterans memorial and made my way over to wave 4 corral and began pacing the lot until my pedometer read 45 miles. I was only walking nine and needed to be on target when i got my medal. By 8:50 am it was show time and when the gun sounded i moved slowly towards the final steps of the journey.

It wasn't going to be a fifteen minute day for me. Even though i had a fruit cup and banana for breakfast i knew my fuel gauge was on low. The incline on the first bridge set me back and i turned around frequently to find comfort in not being last. I was carrying the same flag i used on the walk to the Moore center. My only regret was that i took it off the pole. It was a little tricky holding on to it when my arms tired but old glory never hit the ground. Exiting the bridge i had high hopes for a great experience. This race had been on my radar for five years and now i was making it the end cap of a memorial journey. I was practically pleased the route involved bridges and as the few spectators left to cheer us back of the packers on with waves i couldn't help but notice the irony. Once the cameras leave the reason for the real struggle begins to shine through. Around this juncture in the race I was cruising steady towards the water as the early bird runners with decent times were nearing the finish with that part of the race already in their memory file. So by the time i hit the shopping district the water station people told us we could take our own water off the table. Glad i didn't need it at that point because their gloves had been who knows where by that time.

I weaved my way through the water crews cleanup and kept going. The course was not scenic in that section but i still felt good as i neared the three mile mark. Late as it was there were still people sitting by sidewalks in the neighborhoods cheering us on. Then another hill showed up. I've been in Florida to darn long to be comfortable with anything steep and i was not pleased as a mini bridge approached in the distance. For us sunshine staters it was a hill, to everyone else it was a bump in the road. Whatever you want to call it, i counted it as another assault on my calves.

On the bright side the shade from large oaks that began to line the route became a blessing as i made my way through those side streets. The temperature was hitting eighty and i was feeling every bit of it. Some people were offering water, orange slices and even sausage.

I wanted none of it, the heat was taking over and my mental state waned. I knew why i was there but i wanted to say kick rocks to this race. Instead i thought of how the marchers kept moving. When that stopped working for me i walked to the side of the road and bent over,i was thinking about resting. Two ladies who had been tailing me came up and said oh no you don't, you pushed us and now we will pull you. Thank the lord it was mile six and for a mile thats what we did, the three of ud talked and kept moving. We hit a corner jamming to a dj on course playing a Beyonce sounding song. I don't know the name but i rocked steady until i hit the final bridge.

I took one look up and realized why they call it the green monster. You struggle through an entire race and then as a reward your given what might as well be Mt Everest. As i eased closer to the monster i saw that the heat and who knows what else had claimed victims all around me. I passed a young girl waiting for medical attention but i didnt look as i passed. My focus was solely on making it to the top I stumbled over to the guardrail and tried to lean on it but my feet hurt and although i wasnt tired my knees were shot. I needed to move to stop the pain of blisters which were a result of grinding my foot to compensate for those knees being unstable. That's when the cussing began. Silently at first,then i mumbled to myself. I called on the Lord as i fought to make that hill. A lady in a nearby small struggling group i was passing said out loud you can do it to me, while i said jokingly to myself won't he do it. Even in my time of despair i can amuse myself. I knew only God could get me up and over that steep bridge. I looked in front of me at three souls that i had trailed the entire race. One of the friends was blind and was lead by the guy with the backpack. The man being lead had some trouble with needing to rest along the way and the bridge was getting to him too. Midway up his friend turned on some inspiration. Earth, Wind and Fires Shining star. Yes that snapped me into conqueror mode too. I followed them to the top passing another woman stopped for some reason. With my blister worsening they left me in the dust. I caught up to a streaker ( someone who has run every race since it started in the 80's) he looked ninty and was not happy i passed him. I turned on the jets so that his attempt to catch me would fail, not that either one of us were going fast.

The relief i felt making it to the top was short lived. The view was awesome but i couldnt linger.With a bad knee that wasn't hurting but causing me to limp, a supposedly good knee acting up and feet in need of a soaking the decent was pure torture.

I gingerly made my way down the hill in agony the entire way. At the bottom a sheriff told me the famous almost there line. He said 400 ft, not ! It was a bit more than that across the street around the staduim and then through what used to be the finish area. No one but the medal guy was there and only a few people lingered in the message tent. All the water was stacked up directly in the sun mind you it was over eighty degrees at that time and it was about a hundred yards away. I looked and there wasn't so much as a banana left. I was so tired i laid on the dirty ground unsure if i would ever gather enough strength to get back to my car. Then as i laid there with some late finishers i saw these volunteers hauling out water and bananas. I said to them i thought you were coming over to ask us if we wanted anything. They said no this is ours. Can the people who paid for and finished the race get a banana before everyone else snatches the vitals up. I hope they enjoyed their haul while i sat there starving and thirsty ( i couldn't drink hot water).

Overall this journey has been an incredible humbling experience. For the lady and her daughter that offered me a scrunchy then had to stop before mile six, i hope you were able to continue. If not you are still awesome and for my back of the pack crew wtg we made it. I walked to honor a trek for civil rights and that voting rights act. On my sojourn i found what i knew to be true that there's still plenty of work to be done and what i needed to be reassured of was that good people rise up in crisis. May the Lord bless everyone that made this possible, i have said many times i walked alone but i never really was. I felt the ancestors with me every step of the way.

Day 6

I took the show on the road today. The orginal plan called for a few pit stops along the way but the ride to Jacksonville takes a few hours and i didn't want to miss packet pickup. So i decided to melt away the chunk of miles before the grand finale at the expo.
I wanted to get to 45 miles before  Saturdays race where i counted on polishing off the last nine of my 54 in the Gate river run 15k.
I arrived at expo a little after three, i was surprised i had no problem parking and was able head right into the exhibit hall. Received my bib and was directed to shirt pickup where i learned that they were out of womens 2x shirts.  They weren't going by size ordered but what people wanted. They had it in mens but the color was neon yellow green. I liked the fusia the women's came in, so i took large. I cant fit it but I will eventually  frame it anyway. In fact I wish now that i had asked for a small.
After getting my swag bag taken care of i entered the expo part. It was the first time i have attended a large expo where i could buy shoe brands and gear.
I tried on hokas they didnt feel or fit right.The girls at the booth were awesome though. Looked at a few others brands too but nothing caught my fancy. I also spotted belts that held water bottles, cell phones and accessories. The young lady selling those was a good pitch person and if i hadn't already seen them cheaper in my local sporting good store i would have taken one home.Glad i finally got to see what people in my running groups were talking about though. Then i remembered the day was all about finishing those miles.
The expo area wasnt large though and i wasn't able to walk off much and so i left to do some laps in the parking lot. Now i know I looked tore up, my pants were to big and i had on a dinky training tshirt. I would not have shown up like that but i was tired and frankly was in character mode. I was so deep into getting my fifty four i vowed not to change my shoes or style of dress until after the last mile was done. I didn't know anyone in Jacksonville anyway.
Well, on my way out i ran into a lady from BGR Orlando. Twenty thousand runners and i see one of the few people I ve met at races. thats my luck. On my way out i pasted this guy who for some reason liked playing the Flintstones theme. To funny because yabba dabba do was not how i was feeling knowing i needed ten more miles before race day.

I made tracks to the side of the stadium parking lot that would serve as the starting corrals then proceeded to cross off 8.5 of the 10 i needed. I was losing daylight so i walked back to the expo area where a lady stopped me to offer her post meal ticket. I normally don't eat race food but decided to check it out. Two young girls sat in front of the beer trailer with a large uncovered bread basket of dinner rolls on one side and nasty looking ziti in red sauce in warming trays on the other. I saw just a few people eating washed out looking iceburg salads along with the pasta at the tables. It was late and everything was wrapping up so i passed on the free meal, regifted the ticket and got in my ride knowing i had one and a half miles to do before the race the next day.

Day 5

Today i tied my shoes and head out the door . I wasn't running on all cylinders but i was moving.Not even the woman who slammed her door shut when i walked past her car could sour my mood. Im facts neither she or her friends who kept clicking the car alarm was going to ruin my day.
I started slow but improved as the miles built. Then something special happened at mile six. I started feeling really good, in fact i felt strong almost as if i could blaze around the course. If i had not run out of day light I'm sure i could have eaten ten miles easy.
I find it encouraging that my body didn't take long to adjust to the miles. All that's is mental preparation as i work towards the last miles of the journey i find myself struggling.  Not in stamina but rather the ability to stay pumped up enough to work through the drudgery of each step.

Day 4

I knew squeezing these miles into my everyday life would be a challenge but i had this fantasy i could make it a great adventure.
Well the reality is i am getting the miles in wherever i can and today i did what i had to do to make it work.
I found myself at Walmart after surviving a traffic backup from an accident on I-95 and gridlock from an afternoon baseball game. It turned a five minute trip to the store into forty five minutes. Then after shopping i saw rain clouds looming, so i put the few things i picked up in the back of the car and off i went to circle the parking lot.
I only did a mile and maybe three fourths i know it wasn't quite two. The parking lot smell almost killed me. There was an 1960's era VW bus with solor panels out that must have thrown their waste water on the ground. I saw a large spot on the pavement near it and it smelled like urine. It was not the only place on the lot i smelled it but all the combined smells made me cut the walk short.
Then i headed home unloaded the goods and went back to a neighborhood park. I didn't want to but as i near Saturday the miles are building up and i just dont want to do to many before my last day.  All in all i knocked out seven and am inching closer to my goal.

Day 3

There are many types of walks and on the third day of my journey i knew in my heart i needed to take a walk of honor.
So Tuesday I drove to Eastern Florida State College because it was the midway point to my destinations for the day and it would serve as my emergency support point. I usually carry everything i need with me from a first aid kit to food and porta potty but the comfort of having security and an air conditioned place to rest if i became ill or was injured convinced me to park there. I had also hoped to march a loop around the campus and perhaps strick up  some interesting  conversations with students. I'd had that kind of talk with a group of nineteen and twenty somethings there during the black history luncheon. However It was getting close to spring break though and the student count was low  judging from the parking lot. So I made the decision to quickly gathered my supplies for the day and head out to the road to start.
It was a little past noon and hot. I would never be caught out under normal circumstances at that time of day but i told myself the marchers had to deal with whatever the weather brought them and so should I.

The sun was at full power when i stepped onto the shoulder of US1. Even though I was holding the flag i wasn't all that hot.The wind was really whipping old glory around but the breeze took away some of the heat for the long walk ahead. The day before i scouted my route and noted it was a little over a mile to the first destination. I also knew to walk against traffic as this is Florida and people will mow you over. Being left as two legged road kill while the motorist drives home and has dinner like nothing happened was not on my agenda. What i wasn't prepared for was the length of time it would take me. The weeds masquerading as grass slowed me down and maneuvering around roadside debris was taking its toll. I also made sure to watch out for snakes or anything else coming out the bushes. Other than a few motorist honking their horns because i was waving the flag i was basically alone. I neares a farm and noticed a horse who happened to be grazing with some cows looked up at me and just kept staring. As i passed he waged his tail like a dog. I don't know much about horses but i hope it was a good thing. I looked back and noticed he or she didn't put its head back down to continue eating until i was a ways down the road.

It was another half hour before i finally saw what i was looking. a small sign saying mims. My energy drink was almost gone but i still had a full bottle of water remaining . It gave me enough strength to walk the two long highway blocks to the museum i on the way to .

I was looking for freedom avenue the road that lead to the Harry and Harriett Moore cultural center and park. Once i found the street the pep came back in my step.

I walked straight down the middle of the road flag raised and eyes on the prize

It was important for me to make this a stop on my trek. The Moores were civil rights pioneers in the fifties. They were on the front lines of the struggle until they were killed by a bomb placed under their house. I wanted to walk the path around the complex to pay homage to the sacrafice they made. As i passed the replica of their house built on the site where the orginal stood it felt as if someone was home and would invite me in.

I meandered through the water garden lined with tribute bricks reading names then continued around to the back of the property.

Leaving i snapped one last picture as a reminder to myself to honor those that may not always be in the civil rights conversation but should be.

I headed back to the college and packed the flag away and drove to the a local bridge. I wanted to finished my day by walking the Max brewer bridge. With the flag flying in a strong wind i sang the glory song and made up my own songs to pass time. I got some thumbs up and high fives on the walk over and back from people who just saw the flag and it made them feel good. One lady who was crossing towards me said it was a beautiful sight to see as she looked up while walking up the bridge towards me. It was the perfect way to end the day.