5/13/08 - We're heading into the first 13.1 mile section of 52.4 miles today...
We've got 3 days in a row of 52.4 miles per day starting today ...stay tuned!
Miles Ran: 278
Miles to Go: 10,722
Monday, May 12, 2008
“IN 525,600 MINUTES - HOW DO YOU MEASURE, A YEAR IN THE LIFE?”
As I climbed my last of 26.2 miles, straight up the Hope Princeton Highway with wind, snow, and hail pounding my tired body, this song came to mind.
“525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year?”
With the first week now under our belts, running straight from Steve King’s great send off at the BMO Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon, to a host of supporters welcoming us at our Planet Organic Market event in Port Coquitlam, to Richard Hunt riding us into Whole Foods in Penticton on his electric bike where we were greeted by the city’s MLA Rick Thorpe, we’re realizing the depth of the year ahead of us. Greg Hendrickson from
www.WatchMyRace.com even flew up from California (spandex in tow!) to run the first few days with us!
It’s been a week ten times more than either of us could have imagined, or planned. We’ve been welcomed to stay at all places spanning from the K’wo:k’we:hala Eco-Retreat in Hope, to Manning Park Resort, Bromley Rock Provincial Park, and Twin Lakes RV Park, to the homes of Steve & Jean King and my Aunt Judy and Uncle Chris. People are stopping us on the road, donating money right through the window, interviewing us on our rest breaks, honking as we run past, running and biking with us from the curb right into town. Our ‘Eco-RV’ got a fill-up at Beecroft Biofuels Station in Penticton by Mr. Beecroft himself (!), accompanied by Mayor Kimberly and Terry David Mulligan, and Chris Corfield massaged our bodies to health on his day off.
As hundreds of new people visit our site every day, the Action Challenge numbers steadily rising, people telling us how important taking ACTION for our planet is to them, and their kids, the energy outpour is incredible.
“In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.”
We’ve pulled some long days, now having run over 12 marathons, running anywhere from 8 hours a day to 13. We’re splitting up our run days from 13 miles at a time, to 10k, when that’s all we’ve got, to hit our marathon per day goal. On Wednesday, I had a big character builder where Matt got the flat sections and the sunny times, and I got all the hills, sleet and snow. The Powell River Posse had my back up every hill – thanks Andy, Janette, and Rick. Our amazing Road Crew (now known as “The Licious Twins”), Brenda and Vanessa, were there with everything we needed. Matt nursed me back to health
“In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? How about love?”
People ask us how we trained for this. And though we’ve clocked roughly 11,000 miles in training, put in countless hours in the gym with Tony, and are in the best physical shape of our lives, it’s not this that will ultimately take us the distance.
We’re being carried by the reason we set out to realize our vision 19 months ago. We’re carried by what we believe in, our convictions to create a healthy planet now, and in the future. And we’re being carried by the amazing support we’re receiving from people who care to create such a planet themselves. We’re carried by their love for us, and what we’re doing. It’s the 20/80 rule. 20% body, 80% mind which will get the job done every day as we run around our great continent.
And at a deeper level, we believe this is ultimately what will help solve global warming. It may sound cheesy, but we believe it’s Love. People caring enough to change the way we think, the way we do things, those thoughts and actions that are destructive to our planet. People feeling a real heartfelt connection to make a difference during our short time on Earth.
May this be the beginning of many Seasons of Love to come…
Love,
Steph + Matt
