Party, Party, Party

That’s what we will be doing [for the next month, at the very minimum]. Won’t you join us?

We are so excited and hope to see you there!

Having Visitors is Like Getting a Fun Package in the Mail

Over the last couple weeks I have had some very exciting visitors. While that did mean that Sydney and I were apart for several days at each interval, it was still really great to have some fresh faces and new energy on the road.

On Halloween, Sydney left to go to LA for a wedding extravaganza so Darby and her mom, Judy, drove from LA to pick me up at the end spot in Arizona. They greeted me in festive costumes of Tigger (Darby) and a tutu-ed lady (Judy). They stayed with me until Sunday, November 4 and we had a fantastic time together. We enjoyed staying in Kingman and Bullhead City in Arizona before they dropped me in Needles, CA. The best part was that they were with me when I crossed into California on November 3rd which was a huge milestone for the GLR.

Sydney was back for a week before heading up to San Francisco on November 9 in order to be in town for the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation gala, which was held on November 10. In her place came several people- my parents picked me up Friday afternoon and we enjoyed a night in Barstow, CA. Saturday evening I had the pleasure of being joined by two of my college roommates- Lauren Mann and Katie Varney, as well as Katie's mom (and my nutritional consultant) Jeannie. Katie and Jeannie joined me for the full run on Sunday and it was awesome to have their company. At the end of the day Lauren and my father joined us for a few miles and a jolly time was had by all! On Monday Lauren joined me for a stellar 16 miles, braving some mountains and blisters.

Sydney returned Tuesday afternoon of last week and we have gotten right back into our routine as we head north from Bakersfield toward SF. This past weekend while in Lemoore, CA, Sydney's good friend from college, Arielle Fersht, joined us for a few days. Instead of running, she brought her bike along and followed me along my route both days. She even bought a GoPro for her trip out, a little camera that she attached to her head while riding behind me. She got some great footage and is putting together a video which we will of course post right here on the blog.

Currently we are in Los Banos, CA, about 65 miles south of Trac. Planning for all of the arrival events (December 1 & 6) has been exciting and we are both very happy to truly be in the home stretch.

Thanks to my visitors and to all of our supporters!!!

top left: Lauren, me and Katie
top right: me, Sydney and Arielle
bottom left: Papa Harrison, me and Mama Harrison
bottom right: me, Lauren, Jeannie and Katie

Sh*t Gets Real Round 2 & A Little Gratitude

Okay, okay. We admit it. We are more than a little guilty of posting blog updates less than often. It’s time for another round of “sh*t gets real on the GLR.”

The truth is, our sites are on the finish line and that’s the main focus. The novelty of eating every meal out, living out of a duffel bag, running 30 miles a day, being in a new town every couple of nights—it’s pretty much all worn off. We aren’t complaining per se, but we admit to feeling a bit uninspired when it comes to writing these days.

We know [and are tremendously looking forward to!] all the exciting things that are coming up in the next few weeks—our families decided to have Thanksgiving together this year, so there will indeed be an official Great Lung Run Thanksgiving, the official GLR arrival on December 1 in Crissy Field [we better see you there…], and the welcome home party hosted at SI on December 6 [better see you there, too] so we will just keep our sites on that and keep chugging along.

With all that aside, as we approach the end of this adventure, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving and the holiday season, we need to give a few public messages of thanks.

to OUR PARENTS: like in everything we do, your support means the world. We are endlessly grateful for the constant encouragement. We feel pretty lucky to have the parents we do.

to DARBY: thanks for being the best boss/friend/helper/coordinator we could ever ask for.

to everyone at the BONNIE J. ADDARIO LUNG CANCER FOUNDATION: thanks for supporting this entire adventure. It would have never happened without you.

to KATE BERGSTROM: thank you for giving us Ollie (may he rest in peace). We made it to New Mexico because of your generosity. 

to Kelcey’s entire body but especially her legs and feet: way to go. You rule.

to HENRY: you can read about how grateful we are to you here, but let us say it again: you reminded us what it means to be truly selfless, good and kind. Thank you for giving two random girls a means to continue this epic adventure.

to our VISITORS: each of you has brough something to this adventure, re-energizing us in a way we haven’t even known we’ve needed. Thank you for taking time out of your busy lives.

to every single person who has supported this adventure in any capacity—a text, an email, facebook message or tweet, donation, good thought or prayer, sent a care package, provided a meal—the list goes on: we wish saying thank you would cut it. You can never really know how much your support means to us.

Finally, to JILL: thanks for inspiring us day after day. We love and miss you, always.

And San Francisco…well, we are pretty grateful to call you home. See you in 15!

Your Burning GLR Questions...Answered!

Darby did a little interview with Kelcey with some of your most pressing questions. Still have a question you want answered? Leave it in the comment section below and we will do our best to respond!

From Darby...

When my mom and I started our drive out to meet Kelcey on the road last week our minds were spinning with questions we just had to ask. Despite being heavily involved in outreach and fundraising for the Great Lung Run, I still had NO idea how Kelcey was actually getting from New York to San Francisco. There were so many burning questions that I had to bombard her with, even after a 35 mile run. So, in an effort to feed everyone’s curiosity and answer many of your questions, I conducted a little interview with Kelcey and have hopefully cleared up small parts of The Great Lung Run. I still do not understand how a human body can physically run 30 plus miles every single day for four months, but hey, I am pretty sure Kelcey is Superwoman. So that answers that!

Darby: How often do you eat while you are running and what are your favorite snacks? Do you carry your water with you? And how do you carry it all?

Kelcey: I will usually eat two bars while out on the road and maybe some fruit that I all carry in my camelback. My camelback also has my iphone, wallet and a cell phone case charger just in case my phone starts to die.  

D:  When you wake up in the morning how do you prepare for the run? What is your daily morning routine?

K: I am normally up between 530 and 6. I get dressed, brush my teeth and fill my backpack with water. Then, I have a little breakfast which normally consists of coffee, oatmeal (if available), greek yogurt and fruit. Then, Sydeny drives me out to the drop off spot, which at times can be over an hour away and I take off!.

D: How does your body feel when you first roll out of bed? Are there days when you just want to snooze and take a day off?

K: My body usually feels fine. The sorest part of the day is actually right when I finish the run for the day and jump in the car. I am pretty accustomed to getting up early in the morning so it never occurs to me to turn off my alarm, but my bedtime is normally about 830 so that makes it easier.

D: How often do you go through running shoes?

K: Probably every 400 to 500 miles.

D:   Have there been any situations where you’ve felt really scared or uncomfortable?

K: No not at all.

D: How many animals have you seen on the road? Have any ever come close?

K: No idea how many animals I have seen in total but I have seen lots of cows, goats, horses and rabbits. The one time I did feel a little bit intimidated by an animal was actually last week. I was walking on a back road and a cow started following me. Normally when I pass by cows they just mind their own business and continue eating their grass but this one was different. It followed me for a while and then started scraping its feet and sort of blowing air out of its nose. Just in case, I found a concrete/fenced in metal area that I stood in for a while until the cow finally lost interest and turned around. Other than that I haven’t really had any close encounters with any animals.

D:   Have you fallen or suffered any injuries?

K: I fell once (link to blog) about two months ago maybe 200 feet from where Sydney was parked to pick me up. I fell flat on my face but luckily nobody saw, not even Sydney. I haven’t had any injuries during the run just some soreness.  The first couple of weeks of the run I went through a series of sore muscles but I think it was just my body adjusting. Recently my shoulders have gotten pretty knotted up but it’s more annoying than anything and not a major injury.

D: What is most of the terrain like that you are running on? Dirt, sand pavement?

K: The terrain is so varied I couldn’t event really answer that; it totally depends on the day. I have run on highways, trails, hiked without a road or trail, sand, desert, mountains, mud, everything.  I have only had a couple of days of rain but once you’re wet you’re wet.

D:   When you get back to San Francisco and stop running a marathon every day, do you forsee any problems like sleep, the need to run everywhere rather than have a car?!

K: I am definitely nervous about sleep. Just being tired enough to sleep at the end of every day. I am also really nervous that I will develop restless leg syndrome. Other than that I will just be happy to change my routine and be more yoga heavy. Plus I’m just excited to be home.

D:  What are the top 5 things that you have missed most while being on The Great Lung Run?

K: I have really missed cooking and eating home cooked meals. I miss wearing regular clothes and not jogging outfits and sweats all the time. I really miss Whole Foods Market as well as my daily yoga classes. But, most of all, I miss my family.

Fast Five Questions

1)   Dirt or pavement? Pavement

2)   Music or books when you run? Depends on day. More music than books

3)   Rest or out and about when you finish your run? Depends on day too. If something interesting then out and about. Otherwise rest is always good.

4)   Favorite state to run in so far? California!!

5)   Least Favorite state? New MEXICO!!!

Darby and Kelcey on the road to California