Some of the final words on yesterday’s blog were “Could this be a much needed good nights sleep?”. I’m pleased to report that it was with a tremendous breeze that almost made it a bit too cold around 0300. We were right next to a busy train line but the noise cancelling headphones worked well. A good 7 and a half hours was had.
I set off from the RV at 0626. I decided not to take any painkillers. That wasn’t a good decision with hindsight.
A train passed by. It was one of countless trains that I saw and/or heard during the day.
As was the case with previous days the roads were long and rolling. A man pulled alongside me to ask if I needed help. I don’t think he was a podiatrist so I told him about my journey instead. He looked shocked and amazed in equal measure. I get that a lot!
I met the RV for painkillers at mile 3. I ditched the walking poles and switched to my waist pack. It’s something I’ve not used for a while due to the pain in my lower back. That’s gone now so I thought I’d give it a try.
The first two hours of the day were quite mild (24 Celsius) in comparison to recent times.
I met the RV just before 7 miles for a water refill and the last of Terry’s oatmeal and butterscotch cookies. They went down like a treat.
Once again, I ran past many ranches and farms. The ranch entrance below was one of my favourites today.
I said hello to a few friendly bow wows down the road. They responded well to my good boy/girl offering.
There were plenty of cattle to greet too along the way. They seem like very inquisitive animals. At mile 8, I ran next to a rattlesnake. I thought it was dead at first. However, its eyes blinked and I didn’t hang about.
After some really decent running, I made it to the outskirts of Emporia, Kansas at the 13.5 mile point. I got a water refill at the RV and continued to “ride the wave” of decent pace that I’d found.
I met the RV again at mile 17 for a water refill and some snack bags. Alan tried to persuade me to stop and eat but, with the momentum I’d built up, I decided to press on. My decision came with a risk. Alan needed to do some shopping, dump the waste and find some propane. In the searing Kansas heat, that meant that he could be out of range for an hour or so. It was a risk I was willing to take, as good form such as that isn’t easy to come by.
That 10 mile section of good pace had been built up using several things. Firstly, when there is a good nights sleep there’s always a chance. Then, conversations with Donna followed by David Fairlamb boosted my morale. Some witty voice notes between support man Thomas and I lifted my spirits further. The cloud cover that suddenly appeared offered a rare chance to take advantage of slightly better conditions.
As I tore through the streets of Emporia, I sent a few video messages to people. That’s not something I’ve done before but it was good to have that one way conversation. I followed it up with a couple of Facebook live videos just to capture the euphoric miles.
All through Emporia, people smiled and waved. It was almost as if they knew about my journey. That support helped massively.
The real catalyst for the pace was a song I heard on radio 2.
That’s TUNE OF THE DAY(1) - Fight Another Day by James Morrison.
The lyrics were very relatable to this run. I must have listened to it over and over on Spotify afterwards. The chorus is as follows:
Cause' sometimes it hurts, we cry till we break God only knows what's waiting for us tomorrow, oh And those hard days will come, that we just can't escape But if I hold on to you and you hold on to me We'll live to fight another day.
I’m sure you can see how I was able to connect that song to my running.
After about the 6th time of listening my thoughts turned to the staff, patients in St. Benedict’s Hospice and their families. When I started to think about them, then the song took on even greater meaning.
Ultimately, I thought about my Mam fighting to stay alive during her final days in the hospice. It was a fight that she’d inevitably lose. Every day that she won though, was a day that I still had her in my life. As you read this there will be terminally ill people in the St. Benedict’s Hospice in exactly the same situation. Thanks to the care of the staff there, many of them will be living to fight another day.
The music and the subsequent thoughts I had while profoundly sad, had a positive impact on my mind and my running.
As in left Emporia, I decided to do another live video on the Run Geordie Run Facebook page. I talked about my Mam’s time in St. Benedict’s Hospice in a bit of detail. I also talked about the pride I felt at “playing a part” at the hospice. It’s a small part in amongst an army of other volunteers as well as the doctors, specialist palliative care nurses, fundraising team, trustees, the chaplain, therapists, admin and reception staff and so on. I got a lot off my chest in that video.
Back to the running and I made it out of Emporia at mile 19. The temperature had reached 32 Celsius and the cloud was disappearing quickly.
I was now on Highway 50 which was a dual carriageway with a hard shoulder.
The temperature was getting much hotter it seemed. I was beginning to think that my decision to press on while Alan did the chores was a stupid one.
Those chores were taking a lot longer than I’d anticipated. While I ran out of water after 24 miles, I didn’t feel any need for panic.
I eventually met the RV at 26.2 miles. Stopping points on Highway 50 were few and far between. Thankfully, Alan found one next to the railroad. I quickly downed 2 cans of coke and rested for 15 minutes. My left foot in particular was quite painful. At least the right foot was having a day off.
I decided to leave my waist pack behind. Despite success earlier in the day it was causing come lower back pain. I think that’s nerve related.
I took my foot right off the gas for the final few miles. I had another good chat with Donna back home. We talked about my earlier Facebook Live video. She has this great gift of explaining things to me in a way that just makes sense.
The final 2 miles were spent singing Englebert Humperdinck songs at the top of my voice. Thankfully, “on Highway 50 nobody can hear you sing”.
At mile 30.3 I could see some familiar looking clouds ahead. It was like Kansas in 2011 all over again. I know a thunder cloud forming when I see one. That was me done for the day at an early time of 5pm.
As I’m typing this blog we find ourselves on the fringe of some spectacular lightening activity. It seems to be coming our way. Here’s hoping the good ship Run Geordie Run (the RV) doesn’t get struck overnight. I wouldn’t rule anything out on this tour.
In absolute grim news, my left foot is not recovering well from last weeks trails and stones. Thankfully, my right foot is. ^DA - I've shrunk these photos case of mealtime reading!
Thanks to an incredibly generous, and well timed, donation from the Newcastle United Supporters Club, the fund has smashed the £22,000 barrier. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow and share the story. Donations to St Benedict's Hospice can be made here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/rungeordierun2025
