Day 36: Lexington, KY, to Cincinnati, OH (Sunday, July 20)
Distance traveled: 83 miles
Personal running distance today: 10 miles (counting 2 miles that I walked last night at Kentucky's campus)
Total personal miles to-date: 226 miles
Today's dedications: Emily Morrison and Lori Tuin Redovian
My running buddy: Alex
Weather: Overcast, 80s
Because the roads in Ohio were miserably, terribly awful, today we opted to run in a beautiful state forest in Ohio instead. We all woke up at the Hope Lodge early and headed out after our dedication circle. It was almost a 2 hour drive to get to East Fork State Park, but the drive was well worth it.
When we arrived, we realized there was a 5- and 10-mile race going on this morning, so part of our run today we shared on the trail with these runners. The forest provided plenty of shaded trails for us, which didn't matter too much since it was pretty cloudy all day. We even got a few sprinkles here and there. But I loved being in the beautiful forest!
Distance traveled: 83 miles
Personal running distance today: 10 miles (counting 2 miles that I walked last night at Kentucky's campus)
Total personal miles to-date: 226 miles
Today's dedications: Emily Morrison and Lori Tuin Redovian
My running buddy: Alex
Weather: Overcast, 80s
Because the roads in Ohio were miserably, terribly awful, today we opted to run in a beautiful state forest in Ohio instead. We all woke up at the Hope Lodge early and headed out after our dedication circle. It was almost a 2 hour drive to get to East Fork State Park, but the drive was well worth it.
When we arrived, we realized there was a 5- and 10-mile race going on this morning, so part of our run today we shared on the trail with these runners. The forest provided plenty of shaded trails for us, which didn't matter too much since it was pretty cloudy all day. We even got a few sprinkles here and there. But I loved being in the beautiful forest!
I was paired up with Alex, my co-director, today. I was really glad to get to spend my miles with him today because without him, I'm not sure if I would be making it to Baltimore! He's been a great co-director for me and we have worked so well together. Since he and I both have some injuries, we walked most of our miles today, but we did spent some time getting a little run in, as well!
We started out walking on a paved road, but then we discovered where one of the forest trails started. The race was running on part of the trails that we found, so we decided to be adventurous and try a different trail that nobody was on. After a while, we weren't quite sure if the trail was ever going to end up anywhere...but we kept on going and eventually found our way out. We also took some pretty cool running-in-the-forest photos, I must say.
We started out walking on a paved road, but then we discovered where one of the forest trails started. The race was running on part of the trails that we found, so we decided to be adventurous and try a different trail that nobody was on. After a while, we weren't quite sure if the trail was ever going to end up anywhere...but we kept on going and eventually found our way out. We also took some pretty cool running-in-the-forest photos, I must say.
It didn't take too long for all our runners to finish up their miles, so we relaxed in the park for a bit before we decided to head to our host in Cincinnati. We stayed at Vineyard Westside Church, which I'm still not sure what denomination it was (I believe it was non-denominational), but it was seriously awesome. The pastor, who had tattoo sleeves and gauges in his ear, was amazing. He single-handedly cooked us an incredible pasta/salad/garlic bread dinner, and before that he had a counter full of snacks and ice water waiting for us upon our arrival. What a guy!
We spent a lot of the afternoon signing in each others' notebooks and just hanging out. I went to Dunkin Donuts to get wifi with our leg leaders, Haerie and Devin, to make the route for tomorrow before dinnertime. After dinner, I took a few girls to go gas up the vans so we could get out of the church earlier the next morning and made the GREATEST discovery of all time. Evidently, the United Dairy Farmers gas station is Cincinnati-based and is also the best gas station I've ever been to. In addition to gas, like a normal gas station, it has a full ice cream bar of amazing homemade ice creams. Coincidentally, today was National Ice Cream, so I couldn't help but celebrate with a delightful cone.
We spent a lot of the afternoon signing in each others' notebooks and just hanging out. I went to Dunkin Donuts to get wifi with our leg leaders, Haerie and Devin, to make the route for tomorrow before dinnertime. After dinner, I took a few girls to go gas up the vans so we could get out of the church earlier the next morning and made the GREATEST discovery of all time. Evidently, the United Dairy Farmers gas station is Cincinnati-based and is also the best gas station I've ever been to. In addition to gas, like a normal gas station, it has a full ice cream bar of amazing homemade ice creams. Coincidentally, today was National Ice Cream, so I couldn't help but celebrate with a delightful cone.
This evening, I got tired pretty early. I set up my bed area in the sanctuary with only a few other teammates, so I think it's going to be a pretty peaceful sleep, despite the fact that it's an inferno and burning hot in here. Tomorrow we head to Columbus and then have a service event with the Ronald McDonald House, plus we have our last rest day! It's crazy to think how close we are. But I'm over-the-moon excited for these next couple days of fun, so I'll be sure to post after them!
Run happy,
Natalie
Run happy,
Natalie