Day 92 was delayed while we waited for the police to take a statement about last night's attack on the RV. I didn't start running until after 10 and any hope of running 40 miles and getting some much needed sleep later on had all but vanished. I only managed 2.5 hours sleep last night and woke up very very tired this morning. I was very fed up when I started running. Phone calls from Dave Fairlamb. Not only am I in constant daily contact with Dave but Mark Fleming is also helping keep my morale up all the way from the UK.
I've not checked the stats from my GPS watch but I'm sure today saw me do the most climbing to date on this run. The first major climbs were in and out of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania. I stopped for coffee at Subway which helped keep me awake. Carlton joined me for a climb to 2000 ft. I stopped half way up for 2 of those caffeine based energy drinks. Within minutes of downing them I could feel the tiredness subside and the climb up the hill continued. Gary and Lisa from the Real Radio breakfast show rang to record tomorrow's piece as I ran up the hill. I wonder if you can tell that I had so much caffeine when you listen to the interview!
After a spot of lunch and a 30 minute Tactical Snooze, the big climb of the day was started. I reached a whopping 2728 feet up Laurel Summit. I haven't been this high up since Kansas. It's certainly nowhere near the 11,300 ft that I ran up in Colorado though.
There was a bit of downhill for the remainder of the day and I stopped running at 7 pm at the 23 mile point. Enough was enough. I was absolutely shattered. It was time to catch up on the blog, get some decent food, have an earlyish night and get a much needed 12 hours of recovery.
The state of my feet are now a major cause for concern. I can hardly feel the ends of most of my toes. The sole on my left foot is very sore and since the heatwave last week I also have painful blisters. It's very much like the first 2 weeks on this run. I'll be on painkillers for the remainder of the run I would imagine. I've not had pain like this since I ran from John O'Groats to Lands End with shin splints in 2007.
The state of my feet are now a major cause for concern. I can hardly feel the ends of most of my toes. The sole on my left foot is very sore and since the heatwave last week I also have painful blisters. It's very much like the first 2 weeks on this run. I'll be on painkillers for the remainder of the run I would imagine. I've not had pain like this since I ran from John O'Groats to Lands End with shin splints in 2007.
On a more positive note, thanks to Grace (below) for letting us stay in her lovely safe and quiet RV park. Thanks also to Owen McMahon for sponsoring breakfast, Jeff O'Brien for lunch and Lee Banks for Dinner. There was some bonus sponsorship today and thanks to Stephen Henry for sponsoring the washing of my socks! I ran past the RV at around 13 miles today and saw a load of laundry drying on a fence at the side of the road. It was all my stuff. I don't think it took long to dry in this heat!
Thanks to everyone who has made a donation to the 2 charities over the last few days. The charity fund for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation is almost at £46,000 and currently stands at £45,921.
If you would like to sponsor my run across the USA then donations can be made in a number of ways. www.justgiving.com have introduced a brilliant new free donation method. Did you know that you can now donate to the 2 charities using your mobile phone?
To donate an amount to St Benedict's Hospice, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR98 to 70070:
To donate an amount to The Children's Foundation, please text your desired amount and the following code RNGR99 to 70070:
Donations can also be made direct to St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation using the following links to justgiving.com.
(St Benedict's Hospice)
(The Children's Foundation)
Finally, a donation can be made via cheque payable to 'The Children's Foundation' or 'St Benedict's Hospice' and sent to the following addresses:
FAO Libby Nolan
The Children's Foundation,
PO Box 2YB,
Sir James Spence Institute,
Victoria Wing,
Royal Victoria Infirmary,
Queen Victoria Road,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
NE99 2YB.
FAO Sylvia Stoneham
St Benedict's Hospice.
Monkwearmouth Hospital,
Newcastle Road,
Sunderland,
SR5 1NB.
