It was a lazy start to the day as planned. I was “awake” at 0730 and eating porridge with my protein shake. I’d had a decent nights sleep only spoiled by the bed sheet moving off the bed. That meant sleeping on a horrible plastic mattress most of the night. I look forward to one day having a great sleep. I think I’ll have to wait until the run is over however. The sleep need versus actual chart from my Whoop for May makes for interesting if not unexpected reading.
Last night’s stats made for great reading though.
John helped me strap my left foot up. Some padding was placed on the raw skin first of all and then the tape was wrapped around. I think we did a pretty decent job.
I set off running from the Marathon gas station in Cloverland, Indiana at 0823. I used the walking poles for support and to help take some of the pressure off my left foot. It was a slow start and quite cold. By mile 4 I was moving really well and with a small amount of pace.
I made it to the RV and had a quick banana and a drink. I didn’t hang about and continued down Highway 40.
By the time I made it to the next meeting point at 8 miles the sun was shining and the temperature had cranked up to 20 Celsius. John had parked in a Kroger supermarket car park in Terre Haute, Indiana. I laughed when I saw the Cheetos branded wagon. You may remember that was the staple diet of Carlton and Deb while they were the support team in early May.
John had bought some croissants (and if his wife is reading this, then he definitely didn’t have 2 big ones all to himself). I had 2 of them and a coffee and cake. Despite that, John doesn’t think I eat enough. He’s probably right and I’ve shed 2 stone since I started running on May 1st.
With a full tummy, I was back out on Highway 40 and heading towards the centre of Terre Haute. According to wiki - “The city is home to multiple higher-education institutions, including Indiana State University, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana. It also contains the United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute, which houses the US federal death row.”
I passed numerous murals and museums which made a nice change and helped the miles pass by.
I found a convenient boardwalk type path that linked Terre Haute and West Terre Haute. It overlooked the Wabashiki Fish and Wildlife Area wetlands.
I was stopped by a man on the boardwalk who asked if I was having a good day. I explained the details of my journey to him and he said that he’d keep me in my prayers. What a nice man.
I met the RV for some pasta at 12 miles. I wasn’t too hungry but ate anyway.
During the final session of the day, I spotted a road sign saying 160 miles to St. Louis. That simply has to be the target for Friday I thought to myself. Again.
I spent the final miles listening to Tony Blackburn on Radio 2. When he played Hot, Hot, Hot by Arrow I must admit I broke out into a bit of a dance. The hips started swaying and I must have looked like a right plonker. That’s tune of the day sorted!
I reached the final meeting place after 15.45 miles for the day. The location will allow John to get a quick getaway onto the interstate road in the morning for the handover with Alan.
The short day has allowed me to be well rested before tomorrow’s unsupported stint. I estimate that it’ll be between 25 and 28 miles before Alan reaches me. I’ll be carrying a lot more supplies than normal and it looks like it could be the hottest day of the tour so far.
Given the scarcity of water to fill the RV, I’ve perfected the art of having a 40 second shower. Hopefully, we can get topped up soon. That could well be Alan’s first conundrum.
I’ve just heard that Alan has landed in Philadelphia and his connecting flight to St. Louis is on time.
I was made aware of a mention in the St. Benedict’s Hospice newsletter this week. It is 15 years ago to the day that I had a similar mention.
A huge thank you goes to those kind folk who have sponsored me today. Over £450 has come in for St. Benedict’s Hospice via https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
Some of the messages left on the site make me chuckle. There have been quite a few anonymous donations too. Whoever you are, thank you.
The total amount raised for St. Benedict’s Hospice since 1993 currently sits at £169,680.63. If all other charities are included then £364,220.61 is the total. That’s some incredible generosity from so many people all over the world. Thank you!
Tomorrow will see me leave Indiana and enter Illinois. There’ll also be a 1 hour time zone change. It promises to be a tough old unsupported day.
TUNE OF THE DAY: Hot, Hot, Hot by Arrow
