USA Day 27 - Revisited (27/05/2011)

Thanks to an article on nufc.com there had been an increase in donations for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation overnight. It was always nice to start a day with some good fundraising news. As far as I remember, the fund was approaching the £34,000 mark around this time. There was still a long way to go to hit the £50,000 target that I'd previously set.

While the support team were doing various RV related duties in Emery, I was dropped off 5 miles to the south in the hire car that Shelli used to join the team and Comedy Jon would use to leave it. The plan was to run without breakfast and get something when I got back to Emery.

It was a lovely sunny start to day 27 and I set off running at 07:57 (Mountain Time). I could see for miles in either direction and the picture below was my view looking back from the day 27 start line at the previous day's closing miles.

I wasn't alone on the road as truck after truck made their way in either direction alongside me. Maximum concentration was once again needed. More often than not, the trucks would pull out to give me a bit of room (like the one in the picture below). That was usually accompanied by a wave from the driver and always helped to put a spring in my step.

When the need arose, I was always prepared to run well away from the passing trucks. You can see the almost none existent hard shoulder in the picture below. Thankfully, having so little room to run was a very rare occurrence in the USA.

I reached Emery after 5 pretty slow miles. The usual helping of Porridge was on the menu for breakfast. My blog from that time reads "I've just ran through the town of Emery which, according to Wikipedia, 'sits at the base of the mountains that contain the North Horn Formation. Named after North Horn Mountain, near Castle Dale, Utah this formation in Emery County contain numerous Cretaceous-Tertiary Era fossil invertebrates, microfossils and palynomorphs. Flagstaff Peak, north of Emery, has abundant dinosaur bone material and pre-historic mammal remains and petrified dinosaur footprints.'. As soon as I see a Dinosaur you'll be the first to know!".

While I was eating breakfast I received a video message from adventure, cyclist and documentary maker Mark Beaumont. It's well documented on this blog how much I've been inspired by Mark's adventures. He is a modern day hero and someone I really look up to. I played the video over and over. 

Kirsty said "When the video message came in from Mark Beaumont it was a real struggle to get our Mark out of the RV to run again! Over and over the video was played. I think Mark found this particularly touching as Mark Beaumont had cycled some of the very same route that we were following.".

The effect that Mark's video had on my running during the next 20 miles was remarkable. I set off from Emery at 10 minute mile pace. This felt like I was sprinting considering this was day 27 and 800 miles into the run.

I "slowed" down to an 11 minute mile pace and the miles seemed to absolutely fly by. As with some of the previous days, the scenery in this particular part of Utah was quite amazing. The sun was beating down and it was red hot. These were my kind of conditions to run in. I always felt that I could raise my game whenever needed. Throw in some hills or a bit of heat and this would usually always give me a raised level of focus and determination.

The terrain remained very kind and there were very few climbs to contend with. I used this to my advantage and only stopped very briefly to receive a fresh drink from the support team.

I got to the 15 mile point, obviously very euphoric, and tweeted "Just ripped apart the previous 9.5 miles in hot conditions at the start of The Dinasour Trail in Utah. Having a lunch break now.".

The quick start to the day meant that I was able to update the blog and answer a load of emails that had been sitting in my inbox.

The remaining 17 miles of the day were a lot slower than the first 15. And therein lies the eternal problem with running in a campaign such as this. It often became very tactical. Run too fast (if you had the legs that is) and you have the risk of burning out. Run too slow and you have all of the risks associated with spending a lot of time on your feet. I always felt that by running slower, even if I felt I had the legs to go quicker, meant that I would be able to survive to run another day. And another. And another! Getting the tactics and the balance right across 100 consecutive days of running and adapting to various temperatures, gradients, altitudes, degrees of fatigue and injury and so on was always a difficult task. As I found out though, thanks to the experience that I'd gained over the previous 18 years of running, I would usually get it right.

I ran through the towns of Ferron and Castle Dale and reached the 32 mile point with much of the day remaining. Kirsty joined me for the final few miles and she told me that the support team had found a nice lakeside RV park to stay in.

This was only the third RV park that we'd used in 27 days. Having been made aware of my usual lack of mobility, the owners gave us a spot near the shower block.

I recorded the following interview with Comedy Jon later that evening. Given his obvious talents I'm surprised that he hasn't been snapped up by the BBC!

My blog post for the day read: "Nutrition today was spot on and Chef Stephen cooked 3 superb dishes. The final one being a salad which the Support Team and myself thoroughly enjoyed. The meals were carefully prepared following a debate between me and the Support Team. Basically, I have had enough of pasta (for now) and feel very bloated after eating bread. That has now been put right.". 

"Today was the quickest 32 miles I've ran so far. It took me 07:26:23. It's a far cry from day 1 when it took me 09:18:10 to run the same distance. That was with fresh legs too. Although I was 2 stone heavier! It was an absolute pleasure to run in yet more amazing scenery today. Utah is definitely my favourite state so far in the USA.".

USA Day 26 - Revisited (26/05/2011)

The support for Run Geordie Run and the run across the USA had reached a new level by Day 26. I've got hundreds of emails and Tweets from this time. I often look back through them fondly.

Sky's Ben Shephard Tweeted "Mate, hope all's good and the feet are holding up!".

I received a nice email from Steve Harrison. Steve would be joining the support team in early July. Days earlier he'd sent me a photo of Peter Beardsley holding a Run Geordie Run t-shirt. It read as follows:

"Hi Mark, Thought I'd send an e-mail as a change from the tweets! I'm sure you know, but just want to let you know that you've an amazing amount of support back here, at work, friends, anyone I talk to I mention you and what you're doing, including Pedro (Peter Beardsley)!. I don't think people really believed what you were going to do...the blog brings it all home. I'm getting into work later everyday because the first thing I do in the morning is to go through your progress, it's now part of my daily routine. When I say to Linda, 'Mark's just done another 30 or so miles' we both shake our heads in disbelief at how you do it, but we both know you'll do it the next day and the next...  

It was a shame that the Journal reported your 'bad day' incorrectly. As you rightly put it, you're running 3,100 miles across America in 100 day's...you're entitled to a few off day's (although judging by the reports from Comedy John, you're in an off day mood every morning!). Knowing you, the article in the Journal will only drive you on and encourage you to 'put the record straight' as you always seem to be able to turn a negative into a positive (re Comedy John again...after breakfast!). 

I can't wait to get out there, to see you and lend any support I can. It's also nice that it will be your birthday...we'll both be in our 40's! Watch how you're going and from over here it looks like you're getting stronger all the time...you are an inspiration to all who follow you.

See you soon. Steve"

Another email of support was received from Alan Millen who had previously travelled all the way from Switzerland to be at the start of the run in Huntington Beach! Alan together with Tim Readman (aka The Exiles) had previously recorded 2 songs for the 2 charities. They can be downloaded on iTunes. Meanwhile, this is what Alan wrote:

"Hi Mark Having just read your latest update, I want to congratulate on finding the true grit required to get through a couple of pretty tough days. The message in the letter you quoted from was spot on! 

My American expat friend in Switzerland has been truly moved by your updates about running across his home country and the accompanying photos. And am I ever impressed by the Peter Beardsley photo! Cheers Alan".

Day 26 of the run across the USA continued on Interstate 70 at 08:25 (Mountain Time) and 6235 ft above sea level. It was another one of those valleys where you think you've reached the exit only to be  confronted by yet another section. Such were the surroundings, I found it very difficult to work out whether I was running up or downhill. The only way to tell for sure was to occasionally look behind. It was then immediately obvious that I was running uphill. Comedy Jon had the same experience in the RV. We were both convinced that we were travelling downhill. The adjacent down flowing river suggested otherwise.

I later found out that this particular valley in Utah was called Salina Valley. It was yet another fantastic place to run. The surrounding snow capped mountains (part of the Wasatch Range), quick flowing streams and impressive elevation all  made for a beautiful backdrop.

There were a lot of trucks on the Interstate road. I suspected that there may be some kind of mine nearby. I think that it might have been coal.

Thankfully, the hard shoulder was very wide and, while I still maintained maximum concentration, they were always at a safe distance from me.

The first break of the day, after just 6 miles, was on the Interstate/Sufco Coal Mine Road slip road. I had a short tactical snooze before setting off again. I was feeling particularly sleepy and I suspected that there would be more sleeps to come.

The next few miles had the protected Fishlake National Forest situated either side and I continued to climb and climb!

I reached the summit for the day (Emigrant Pass at 7873 ft) after 15 miles. This, apparently, is the highest highest point of any of Utah's Interstate Highways.

The second stop for the was at the 19 mile point on a slip road adjacent to the Fishlake National Forest. I needed yet another tactical snooze! I wrote the following on my blog that day:

"As I was snoozing during the second break I heard Shelli, Comedy Jon and Wee Kirsty talking about why they chose to apply to be part of the Support Team. For example, without the help of an organisation in the US similar to The Children's Foundation, Shelli's son Levi would not have survived as a result of being born 12 weeks premature. Comedy Jon's father survived 2 major operations to treat cancer last year and is now in remission. Wee Kirsty's Grandad died from Cancer and her brother was born prematurely. It was obvious that these 3 members of the support of them were here partly because of past family experiences. I lay there half asleep with tears in my eyes having been inspired by the team. Soon after, I resumed running with a nice warm feeling inside. To be fair that may have been something to do with Chef Steve's latest pasta dish!".

I finally reached the end of the valley and entered open land after 20 miles. I could see huge mountains to my left in the north (pictured below). 

I left the Interstate to join Route 10, heading north, at the 24 mile point. I was fully aware that I'd be on this road for quite a few days to come. 

I didn't particularly like the mile markers at the side of the road (You may be able to make out mile marker 4 on Route 10 below). I tried not to look at my GPS watch too much during the day. This would sometimes, make the miles go slower as would catching sight of a mile marker! 

The only advantage of having the mile markers were that they could be used to mark an exact end to a day's running.

Kirsty joined me for a few miles and we talked about nutrition. The conversation soon changed to how sick I was of pasta and porridge and Kirsty recommended a couple of tweaks to my diet.

The road was very busy with coal trucks and I decided it wasn't safe enough for Kirsty to continue running with me. You can see in the image below that I was a couple of stone lighter compared to the start of the run across the USA. I was also growing a beard "like Forest Gump"!

Comedy Jon ran the final few miles with me. This meant that Stephen had to drive the RV for the first time since he nearly crashed it in Colorado City, Arizona. Thankfully, this particular stint passed without incident.

The scenery got better and better. "This was 'wild west' territory" I thought to myself. To my left in the west was a range of high sandy mountains. The land to my right in the east seemed very flat in comparison. The coal trucks (some pictured below) continued to make their way down the road in vast numbers.

After avoiding the many coal trucks, Comedy Jon and I reached the 32 mile point (pictured above) with the final 3 miles seeing the quickest pace of the day. I still, to this day, look at some of the stats in amazement. I can give no reason for some of the quick miles I ran. 

My final Tweet of the day read "Another 32 miles done today with some serious climbing on a hot(ish) day. Felt great at the end. ".

The overnight stop was in a parking lot in Emery under a huge communication tower. It was yet another chance to cut costs! There were some public toilets nearby that the team were able to use. Again, this was another chance to cut down on costs as it cost money to empty the waste in the RV.

With 750 miles in the bag, I'd climbed 38,389 ft burning 97,000 calories. No wonder the weight was dropping off me!

USA Day 25 - Revisited (25/05/2011)

I started day 25 in Richfield, Utah with a blog post in response to an article that I was made aware of in The Journal. The tone that the paper had taken was that if I hadn't have read David Fairlamb's letter that I would have given up altogether! It may have been an overreaction at the time, but I wasn't best pleased. Particularly, since the Journal hadn't spoken to me directly about the incident, choosing instead to cut and paste text from my blog. I responded with the following article on my blog:

"Coverage of the build up and the actual run across the USA from the Journal newspaper has been absolutely first class over the last few years. And boy how I have appreciated their support and publicity. The Journal is a voice of the North East in print and is read by many of my friends, colleagues and supporters. 

While it was great to receive further publicity in an article yesterday, it's unfortunate that the lack of clarity led many people to worry that I was on the verge of giving up my run across the USA. As regular readers will have seen on this blog, I had a bad afternoon sheltering from lightning showers and fighting an overwhelming sleepiness (probably due to running at a consistent high altitude). I needed inspiration to get me through the day and remembered that I had motivational letters from my mentors; Dave Fairlamb and Mark Fleming. 

The letter I chose to read, together with the encouragement and support of my Team here in the USA transformed the day into a good one. 

But, let me make one thing absolutely clear. There was never the slightest possibility of me giving up my incredibly tough 3100 mile run across the USA. We all have bad days. I will have further bad days during this tour. But I am here to finish this run and raise desperately needed funds for 2 charities that are very close to my heart. 

I am sure journalists have bad days too but I'm confident that doesn't lead them to abandon their profession. 

I regret the concern that was caused to many followers in the North East by the article. I am very grateful for the many messages of support. The show must and will go on.".

As I would do many times in the USA, I would always look for the slightest bit of confrontation that could be used to my motivational advantage. That's exactly what this article and my response was used for. With that in mind, I started the day with a quicker than usual pace, despite having no breakfast. I also tweeted the following at the time:

"Angry about piece in Journal newspaper suggesting I nearly gave up running across USA. Reality is nearly gave up FOR THE DAY after 18 miles.".

"Reality is not even close to giving up running across the USA while I have a breath in my body. I will have many more bad days but not quit.".

Thinking back, it could all seem like a bit of an overreaction on my part. The fact is that, any tiny crumb that I could use to stir up anger could always be used to help put one foot in front of the other. The times when the chips were down, when there was doubt amongst the people following the journey or when the odds heavily stacked against me were the times that I would, more often than not, start running better. There will be plenty of evidence to back this up during the remaining 75 blog posts to come.

Meanwhile, back to Richfield, Utah at 07:34 (Mountain Time) where I had previously struck a deal with the support team. The following rewards were on offer in return for miles ran before breakfast:

• 3 miles - 1 McGriddle
• 4 miles - 2 McGriddles
• 5 miles - 2 McGriddles, a hash brown and a coffee 

Needless to say that I managed 5.5 miles. The team were generous enough to throw in a doughnut too. Comedy Jon summed up my breakfast quite eloquently here:

As well as a huge breakfast, I was able to talk to Katy and Jack on Skype before setting off. It made for a great start to the day. The Support team were on fine form too and we had a really good laugh during that first break. I tweeted:

"5.5 miles done before breakfast. In the RV crying with laughter. Support Team on very good comedy form.".

The next 4 miles were pretty quick and I reached Lost Creek Road in good time. The next part of the route was off road and very tricky. I arranged to see the support team at the 21 mile point. What lay between 10.5 miles and 21 were a lot of winding dusty farm roads where a good sense of direction was needed at all times.

The plan was for the Support Team to take the RV on the Interstate road and I would run along the mostly off road route. The sun was beating down and I knew I'd have to use my water sparingly. 

As I ran underneath Interstate 70, I remember seeing a huge colony of tiny birds with nests attached to the undercarriage of the road. That was the first of many such sightings on bridges all over the run across the USA.

The residents round these parts were very friendly with the majority of passing folk waiving as I ran past. There were some beautiful looking ranches. It looked like a really nice place to live.

It took several phone calls and text messages to find the RV. Fortunately, things went almost exactly to plan. I had managed to head in the right direction and the RV parked exactly where was needed.  When I actually made it to the 21 mile point I had completely ran out of water and was really thirsty! This wasn't an occurrence that happened too often during the 100 day tour.

The remaining miles should have been on a path running through the valley adjacent to Interstate 70 (pictured below). Due to some flooding on the path, I had to climb through a barbed wire fence and back onto the main road. I didn't have any complaints as I made some quick progress on the very quiet Interstate road. 

Despite a climb of 1000 feet, there was a quicker than usual pace during that last 5 miles for some reason. I also remember that the headwind over that last stretch was particularly strong. 

I finished running for the day after 32 miles and wrote the following on my blog:

"So that's 716 miles ran so far on this tour. It was at this stage of my run from John O'Groats to Lands End in 2007 that I started to become noticeably stronger. With sports therapist Wee Kirsty still performing miracles and keeping me injury free I hope to see a similar improvement. I've got just over a week left in Utah then it's into Colorado and some serious altitude. It's all coming together nicely in the first third of the run across the USA.".

Shelli Mayfield joined the support team later in the day. I had been really enjoying the banter within the current support team setup. Inevitably, the team dynamic would change with this latest configuration. I just hoped that the standards set by Jon and Kirsty would remain intact.

Shelli's first action on the team was to have "clear the air" talks with Stephen who, weeks earlier, had sent her an email criticising her PR contribution to the run across the USA. Surely, that would be the end of the confrontation on this latest configuration of the support team. Or not…...

USA Day 24 - Revisited (24/05/2011)

Day 24 saw another anniversary of sorts. It was exactly 12 months to the day that Mr Fearon, the surgeon at Newcastle General Hospital, fixed my broken ankle by inserting 2 pins to help the fracture heal properly. In July 2010, Paddy Power made a donation to the 2 charities for the naming rights of my ankle. From that moment it has always been referred to as "The Paddy Power Bionic Ankle".

I appeared on the front page of The Journal, a few days after the operation. It was a picture taken from my hospital bed just before I was discharged. My blog at the time stated:

"The Journal's headline on page 9 was 'Unlucky break is a setback for epic run'. The sub headline read 'But dream of charity trek is not scuppered'. I must admit, that's exactly how I felt when I lay on the floor just after I fell off my bike a week ago. It's also exactly how I feel writing this blog post right now. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I've undergone an operation to have two pins inserted into my ankle. Without so much money for the 2 charities riding on a successful 3100 mile run next year, there's no way on earth I would have entertained having an operation. I would have let nature take it's course with the risk of the ankle not healing properly. Having that operation was a massive, massive decision for a big wimp such as me. If anyone ever doubted my commitment to raising funds for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation then surely they must doubt no more.".

It was a very cold start to day 24, at 07:10 Mountain Time, with icy rain pouring into the valley around Marysvale. Thankfully, there was no thunder and lightening forecast!

Apart from Marysvale being the most hospitable place that I'd encountered in the USA (See previous day's blog post), it seemed to be a place with lots of things to do. It was situated at the heart of the Paiute ATV trail for one. Aside from horse riding, fishing, cycling and hunting, I think that it was a destination for snowboarding in the Winter. Perhaps I'll stay longer next time!

Together with the support team, I'd decided on a small change of tactics by running a short distance before breakfast. It was a case of out of bed then start running. My blog from that day states: 

"Comedy Jon reckons I spend the first hour of each day moaning, groaning, scratching and complaining. So with that in mind I did all of the above during the first 2 cold, wet, miserable and dark miles. At the 2 mile point normal morning service was resumed as I had my porridge and Wee Kirsty warmed my legs up with a vigerous massage. I was soon on my way into the pouring icy cold rain. I was just glad that there was no evidence of yesterday’s quick finish in my legs.".

Given the damp conditions I didn't really lift my head up to enjoy the scenery. I did manage to spot a dead snake at the side of the road though (pictured below).

It took 5 miles of running in the pouring rain to reach the start of the long winding valley known as Marysvale Canyon. This part of the route was very similar to the previous day. Just as I thought the end of the valley was just around the corner, there was another section to run along.

I stopped to take the photo below. It was the American flag tied to a short pole at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. Any small incident like that was enough to give the day a bit of a boost. Running at the side of the road day in and day out would prove quite monotonous at times. Without being able to listen to music on my iPod while running I think I would have been driven mad. So please forgive me if I appear a little too excited at the the sight of a dead snake and a small American flag at the side of the road. Those kinds of were memorable events during the long days of running across the USA! 

I met the support team for a bacon and egg sandwich at the 9 mile point and still in the valley. I also took the opportunity to change my soaking wet running clothes.

The sun appeared briefly before I got one final soaking for the day. I hadn't seen too much rain up to that point during the run across the USA. I didn't complain too much.

Marysvale Canyon was very scenic indeed with the Sevier River flowing quickly alongside. The sun made another appearance and was to stay with me for the rest of the day. 

I left Marysvale Canyon at the 14 mile point where I stopped again, this time for a tactical snooze. The next section was into a huge expanse of open land with snow capped mountains all around. This section saw some quicker than average miles being ran. It must have been due to a combination of the tactical snooze, the sunshine and the lovely Utah scenery.

Later that afternoon, the support team found some unprotected wi-fi belonging to a church in Elisnore at the 24 mile point. I managed a quick update of my blog and we made time for a quick photo. That's Stephen, Kirsty, me and Comedy Jon pictured below. 

Kirsty accompanied me during the final session of the day to Richfield. We stopped running after 30.5 miles. The "campsite" for the night was another Wal Mart car park. I ended my running with the following Tweets.

"Down to 5400 ft. Lovely warm, sunny end to the day here in Richfield, Utah."

"30.5 miles done. The Support Team are off shopping for supplies. Not a bad day."

And this Tweet made reference to the style in which all of us had spent the day communicating with one another:

"Today in the Run Geordie Run RV the team have mainly been speaking in the style of......Alan Wicker."

You had to be there I suppose!

The support team took the opportunity to get some much needed supplies. This was the first time in a week that we'd seen proper commercialised civilisation.

The much needed shower that I had in the RV was interrupted by Stephen knocking on the locked RV door. I didn't know that it was him at the time. There was no way that I was prepared to finish my shower early. This didn't stop him continuing to knock on every wall on the RV to get my attention. I did finish the shower early thinking that something must have happened to the support team. I got dried and changed as best as I could despite my lack of mobility. 

I eventually opened the door to Stephen who gave no particular justification for his constant knocking on the many parts of the RV. "You ******* idiot!" I thought.

I struck a deal with the rest of the team that I would build on today's early start before breakfast with another one tomorrow. The deal was to run 5 miles before breakfast. If I was successful, they would buy me a McGriddle from McDonalds as a reward. I went to bed a happy man that night!

USA Day 23 - Revisited (23/05/2011)

Day 23 was an anniversary of sorts. It was exactly 12 months since I fell off my bike and broke my ankle. The right medial malleolus to be precise. At the time, I was told my the male nurse in A&E, who was also a runner, to "forget all about running across the USA". That together with a piece of advice from round the world cyclist, adventurer, author and documentary maker Mark Beaumont were the 2 things that I kept constantly in my mind in the build up to the run. 

On one hand you had a medical expert writing you off and on the other an absolute hero of mine telling me to "keep focussed". In the months before I set off across the USA, what that provided was a healthy balance of cautious optimism. 

I set off running towards Circleville, Utah at 08:02 Mountain Time. The first 5 miles of running was  through a fairly winding valley. It was one of many I ran through in the USA where I always thought that just around the corner would be the end of it. More often than not, what was waiting for me around the next corner was another scene just like the one I'd left. I'm not complaining, though, as the scenery was as spectacular as I'd become to expect of Utah. 

It took 8 miles to reach Circleville at 6063 ft above sea level. The town was named after the valley in which it sits; Circle Valley. I later found that Robert Leroy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, spent his childhood in Circleville.

After a short break to take some photos in Circleville, I was soon on my way again. It was at this point that I could see some very dark clouds behind me in the distance. They were slowly but surely making their way towards me and I did my best to try and stay as far ahead of them as I could.

I managed to get to the 11 mile point before diving into the RV for cover. I tweeted the following:

 "Did my best to outrun storm. Now in RV. Lots of thunder, lightening and pea size hale stones.".

"Sitting in the RV watching the very impressive storm.". 

The storm passed over in 30 minutes and I started running again. I made it to a town called Junction at the 15 mile point where I had a tactical snooze for an hour.

I'd felt quite tired for days. This was a proper sleepy kind of tiredness rather than the usual physical fatigue from running. I hope that makes sense. The bottom line was that I felt that I could have slept for a whole month!

I really didn't feel any better when I started running again. I was still very tired and it seemed that running the long daily distances at altitude was beginning to take it's toll. 

I stopped running at the 18 mile point. I was, in my own words at the time, "a defeated man". I had hit a wall physically but more crucially I'd hit a wall mentally too. I'd had enough quite frankly. I wrote the following on my blog that day:

"A day interrupted by thunder and lightning and extreme sleepiness left me feeling frustrated and dejected. Comedy Jon thinks the altitude has played a part in the sleepiness. Given my lack of experience of running consistently over 6000 ft I wouldn't like to say [for sure]."

"I was sipping a cup of tea with the team while they tried their best to motivate me. Comedy Jon read a profound poem which did not do the trick. I said that I needed that one by Rudyard Kipling. Chef Steve piped up "Speaking of Kipling, I could murder a Bakewell Tart!". He does come out with some crackers that lad. He usually starts a conversation with "Well, erm you know that thing, erm, what's it called?'. Or a similar statement based on a person or a place. You spend the next 10 minutes asking questions in order to establish what point he's trying to make. It makes the breaks go quicker if nothing else!".

"I suddenly remembered that my mentors, Dave Fairlamb and Mark Fleming, had written me letters only to be opened if I needed a "pick me up". This afternoon I definitely needed one of those. I chose to open Dave's letter and read it. It said the following, which I'm sure Dave won't mind me sharing with the readers of my blog.".

"Mark,

I asked you to open this at a time when you needed a pick me up. It's 20th April 2011 at 9.07 pm and this is from the heart.  Don't give up. Don't ever give up! Smile at what you are achieving and start running.

Look back to where you started. Look how far you have come. Now look to where you are going to be. You are about to reach a goal that very few people could ever dream about never mind achieve. Your Mam, Dad and Brother would be so, so proud. Just to let you know that I have a lump in my throat and my eyes are watering as I am writing this!

Think of the money you are raising and the lives you could be saving. This short time in your life is tough but you can go home at the end. Others may only have this time left before they die. So don't give up. Don't ever give up! Smile at what you are achieving and start running. One hundred days out of your life. That's all it is and yes, physically the task is mind blowing. You're probably hurting so much today but remember this run isn't going to touch your mind, heart or soul. They can't be touched. You are doing this run from the heart. Therefore, you will keep going and you will finish.

I just wan't you to know the dedication and inspiration you have shown me since I met you has been unmatched by anyone I have ever met. You are a true inspiration who I turn to and think about when I am low because I think about how strong you are within. Your mental strength and determination will see you to the end! So get up and start running because by doing this you are giving hope to others and are making a positive difference.

Don't give up. Don't ever give up. Keep that dream alive and it will become reality.

Dave".

My initial reaction to reading that was how few spelling mistakes Dave had made. Despite having the ability to turn people's lifestyles around for the better, he is often not the best speller or user of the Queen's English. In a later blog post I'll take about his hilarious run in with the US police.

But seriously, Dave's letter had a quite amazing effect on the rest of the day. Back to mile 18 and I'll let my blog from that day do the talking:

"After reading that, I was back in the game. I took off my 5 layers of clothing and put on a base layer t-shirt and my Run Geordie Run technical t-shirt. I put on my hat and my gloves. I stepped outside the RV and started at a gentle pace. Stephen had offered to run with me for a bit and he pushed on ahead. I soon overtook him (which was nice!) and the gentle pace turned into a more serious pace.  Mile 19 was done in 00:12:40. Wee Kirsty then joined me. She had to ask Comedy Jon to drive up the road to catch me such was my increase in pace and mile 20 was done in 00:10:19."

"For the first time in a few days my mind was in the right place. It's probably what you call "being in the zone". Wee Kirsty is a great running partner who matches my exact pace. Unlike previous runs we both had our iPods plugged in and since I was listening to the Rocky soundtrack I pictured her as Apollo Creed to my Rock Balboa training on the beach. The reality was a cold afternoon running in the mountains."

"Mile 21 was the quickest mile I've managed to date here in the USA. For the first time on this tour I was running with the technique and style I always strive for. Breathing was good. Stride was good. Rhythm was good. Knee lift was good. Posture was good. 

Mile 21 was done in 00:08:57. Wee Kirsty and I was eating up the miles like I've not really managed to do in the 645 miles to date in the USA. Miles 22, 23, 24 and 25 were all 10 minute something or other. It got hilly! Mile 26 was a warm down mile at 00:13:48 with me drinking my Cherry Active. Given the weather related interruptions, I had hoped to do 25 miles today. At 18 miles and utter dejection I would have settled for 20. To do 26 miles was just amazing. The whole support team was lifted as well as me.".

To the ordinary runner that pace may not seem much at all but when you've ran over 600 miles in 23 days it feels like you're sprinting. When I thought that all hope was lost I'd remembered that I had the letters and used one of them to good effect. This, of course, meant that the final letter from Mark Fleming would have to go unread for the remainder of the journey across the USA. If I'd ever had to read that then I would have nothing further to fall back on. It was my "safety blanket" for the rest of the run.

I really can't express the final part of the day better than that day's original blog post:

"We set off looking for propane gas for the RV and called in at Lizzie and Charlie's RV park in Marysvale. Once the manager, Mylo (pictured below), heard about the run across the USA and the 2 charities he refused to accept payment for the Propane and offered us a place on his park for the night. I told him how grateful I was and shook him by the hand. Yet another amazing gesture by an American towards the Run Geordie Run team.".

"The generosity didn't end there either. Mylo asked the onsite pizzeria to serve us a large pizza "on the house". This little place was called The Garage and the pizza as well as the rest of the food we ordered was the best I've tasted so far in the US.  

Steve ordered an ice cream for dessert, the like of which I have never seen before. It was huge! He finished the lot too! 

In summary, today was a bad day that turned good. The thunder and lightning is likely to disrupt progress tomorrow. After that, the forecast gets better. Other plusses are that I'm losing weight all of the time. I'm spending a month running at altitude (good for fitness) and I have no injuries to speak of (thanks mostly to Wee Kirsty). Today made me realise that I'm winning the physical battle and, as I predicted some time ago, the mental battle is now there to be confronted and overcome. This run will get physically easier over time. It will, however, require every ounce of mental strength that I possess to complete. This is something I have prepared for over the last 3 years. I'm ready to meet this battle head on over the remaining 77 days and 2446 miles.".

I spoke to Gary and Lisa on Real Radio that night. Click the following link to hear that interview:

Listen to ‘Run Geordie Run on Real Radio (USA Day 23)’ on Audioboo

USA Day 22 - Revisited (22/05/2011)

Due to a lack of internet signal at the time, I never managed to write about day 22 while I was in the USA. It's nice to be able to put that particular wrong to rights in this "USA revisited" blog post.

With a bit of luck and some good behaviour from the weather, day 22 of the run across the USA would see me break the 600 mile barrier. The day started at 6,800 ft on Route 89 in Utah and could be seen as having 2 sections. The first was a 9 mile stretch to Panguitch. After that the road would take me North East towards Circleville. As per usual, 31 miles of running was the aim.

I started the day in good spirits, pleased and motivated by the fact that "Team Run Geordie Run" had competed in the Edinburgh Marathon/half marathon that day, raising £1100 into the bargain for St Benedict's Hospice and The Children's Foundation. All 5 of them got a PB!

Pictured below from left to right are Louise Cooke (01:52:00 for half marathon), Mark Fleming (03:30:00 for full marathon), Jane Henderson (01:43:19 for half marathon), Mick Butler (01:46:00 for half marathon) and Alison Hudson (01:42:20 for half marathon). 

The support team went for a brief visit to Red Rock Canyon while I started running. I saw the pictures later in the day. It looked like another amazing place with some mind boggling rock formations.

I took a very early break at the 7 mile point to watch the Newcastle versus West Brom match on an internet channel that Comedy Jon had found. It was the last match of the season and ended 3-3. Never mind! It was only 65 days until I would get to see the pre season friendly in Columbus, Ohio.

After the short break, Comedy Jon took the photo below on the way to Panguitch. It was an impromptu shot taken through the RV window from the driver's seat. It's one of my favourite's from the entire run. It has almost everything that optimised the run across the USA; big wide American road, spectacular scenery and me pounding out the lonely miles.

I reached Panguitch, where we'd stayed the night before in a truck stop car park. That was yet another one of the free stops that was used in order to keep the costs of the trip down to a bare minimum.

If you look close enough at the image below you may be able to see me running towards the parked RV. The range of hills and ridges in the background is where the team had visited earlier in the day.

The impressive scenery continued on Route 89 on the long road out of Panguitch. I always considered myself to be fortunate to have a decent sized hard shoulder to run on. I would say that it was my "running track" for a good 95% of the run across the USA. I rarely get this kind of "luxury" when running on roads in the UK.

Just to keep the excitement levels up I got chased by a huge black dog at the 17 mile point. It saw me run  the quickest pace of the day by far! I had to cross the road 3 or 4 times to get rid of it. I think it got sick of dodging what little traffic there was and turned back.

I spent most of the afternoon watching the very impressive lightening storm to the east of Route 89. It was absolutely mesmerising! Fortunately for me, the storm stayed in the mountains.

I met the team for the final break of the day, at Bear Valley Junction, where Kirsty and Jon were exploring an abandoned property. It gave them something to do I suppose! I don't think I approved at the time. I didn't think it was right for the team to take risks like that. I suppose I was still in that "timid Englishman" phase of the journey.

My luck with the weather had appeared to run out and the onward journey was delayed slightly. I Tweeted the following:

"Waiting in the RV as there are huge forks of lightning and thunder up ahead.".

When it was safe to proceed, Kirsty joined me for the final few miles. Kirsty recently said the following about her time running with me.

"What I enjoyed most about my whole Run Geordie Run experience was the miles running with Mark. He is a totally down to earth guy, just trying to raise money for charities close to his heart and willing to put himself through serious physical and mental pain as well as financial burden to show his appreciation. I have so many great memories of running along sharing stupid stories and jokes or our ‘guess the celeb game’! I’m sorry to say Mark, but Kermit the Frog still isn’t a real guy!".

In the coming blog posts you read more about the games I used to play with whoever was accompanying me at the time. There are some really tenuous classics to come such as "Guess what Carlton and June had to eat at their anniversary dinner" or "Blow your own trumpet". I'm certain that the latter had real TV game show potential. You can read more about that much later!

Kirsty stopped for a toilet break after a while in some bushes and I ran on. She took ages! Being the gent that I am, I didn't turn around and see where she was at first. She surfaced out of the bushes 10 minutes later and admitted that she'd had a "bit of an accident". In my experience, whenever you mention "toilet" and "accident" in the same sentence or context it means something a bit different to the fate that had befallen poor Kirsty! She'd fallen over in some prickly bushes and her legs were in a bit of a state.

I finished running for the day in the pitch black after 32.4 miles. With the canyon road up ahead, I didn't feel that it was too safe to continue running in the dark.

On Comedy Jon's advice we parked in a residential side street in Circleville at about 9pm. It was a much safer place to stay than the spot at the side of the road that I'd originally suggested. As I'd hoped before setting off for the day, the 600 point was, indeed, breached with 626.5 miles in the back after 22 days of running.