*additional details to follow once Mark has a signal...
I had an awful sleep last night (Thursday into Friday). Not only was it was boiling hot but the mileage deficit was playing on my mind. Oh and there was the small matter of trains passing nearby all through the night. So only 5 hours was had. Which is simply not enough.
The 0515 alarm went off and, while I was tired, I knew it was in my best interests to get on with the day before the real heat started.
I set off at 0615 on the aptly named west 359th street.
The first few hours involved a turn due north then a turn due west. There were a lot of farms and ranches nearby.
My heart sank when I saw a couple of vicious dogs running in my direction. At first I thought that a gate was open and they’d be able to get at me. I was relieved that wasn’t the case.
It was a sweltering hot day with a “heat advisory”’in place. I really struggled at 31 Celsius. That’s not like me at all. I’m hoping that another couple of weeks of high temperatures will achieve a good degree of acclimatisation.
After another left, then a right I was in the way in to Osawatomie, Kansas. A police officer drove by on mile 16. He said that someone had “called it in”. He had come to see if I was ok. I told him about my journey and, like many other people, he was full of admiration and wished me good luck. I asked him if he knew anywhere where we could dump RV waste. He said that I could ask at the city hall. All in all a useful encounter as well as morale boosting.
I made it to the RV meeting point at mile 17.5 just before 1pm. I felt pretty groggy again having spent all morning under the fierce sun.
Today’s plan was to split the day into 2 parts and rest in the middle. While I tried to sleep, Alan did the laundry.
I woke up after a brief snooze and I felt really dizzy. The RV was like an oven. I stepped outside and into the laundromat. There was a huge fan next to a seat. I spent the next 35 minutes there. I managed to eat some pasta too.
All the while, the clock was ticking. I was supposed to be resting and avoiding the heat of the day. No such luck.
The next job was to find a place to dump the RV waste. The grey tank was more than full. I know this because last nights shower water was still present. It stinks!
Alan drove to a nearby RV park to find dumping facilities. There were none. I did a quick search online and there was mention of facilities in John Brown Memorial Park. We drove there and Alan asked a worker in the nearby museum where the dump facilities were. He said behind the white building! So off we went but we couldn’t see anything of use. Not that I know what I was looking for.
The next port of call was to take officer Davis' advice and go to the town hall. We drove there and Alan went in to ask. Armed with a Run Geordie Run leaflet of course. He came out with a map of the park that we’d just been to. Off we went back there.
Behind the white building were two pipes in the ground. That was what was needed. Not only did the waste get dumped, but there was nearby water too. So we now have empty tanks and are full of water.
I set off running again from Osawatomie at 16:10. I’d literally gone a few hundred feet and a train barrier came closing down.
The train came to a halt. I waited almost 10 minutes to see if it would move before back tracking and taking a road that went over the train track.
I made it out of Osawatomie and onto the road heading due west. The sun was at its most ferocious and I got that familiar groggy feeling. It was just a case of carry on regardless.
At mile 24, I was greeted by 4 barking dogs who ventured onto the main road. They were not for letting me past. I backtracked and rang Alan to come and get me.
Alan picked me up in the RV and we got it turned around and back to the spot where I’d stopped running.
I walked slowly alongside the RV while the dogs were still barking in my direction. It worked and I was soon my way again.
Thanks to a surge of adrenaline, I was able to start building some pace over next few miles. I was just getting into a decent stride when I felt what I call an “explosion” on the ball of my left foot. I managed a few more minutes and called it a day at the RV meeting point (25.35 miles). Unfortunately, that seems to be the “sweet spot” for my feet at present. It’s frustrating and disappointing in equal measure.
As I was walking to the RV, a motorist stopped by and asked if we were ok. I told him about the journey, gave him a leaflet and asked for some advice about overnight parking. He was called Tim and was very helpful.
We drove to one of the spots he recommended. The mobile signal is poor here so this blog may arrive late. On the plus side, it’s very quiet. Oh and very warm too!!
TUNE OF THE DAY: Hound Dog - Elvis Presley
Huge thanks to those who donated on day 50 to push the charity fund for St Benedict's Hospice over £21,000. It's now well on the way to £22,000.
As ever, if you're enjoying following the journey and think that my efforts are worth a donation - hit that donate button at the top of the page or click here >
