Day 3: Morro Bay, CA, to Santa Barbara, CA (Tuesday, June 18)
Distance traveled: 138 miles
Personal running distance: 10 miles
Today's dedications: Sarah Darling and Ada Bloom
My running buddy: Alison
Weather: Sunny, upper 60s
I apologize for the lack of post last night about our Day 3 journey, but I had to take Nicole (another 4K staff member who had spent the first few days of the run with us) to the LAX airport in Los Angeles, which was a 2 hour drive from our host in Santa Barbara. We didn't get back until almost 2 a.m.! So I'll be sure to catch you up on yesterday's and today's activities.
Day 3 started out waking up early at our host's home. I slept so peacefully in their home and didn't want to leave! We got up at about 5:15 so we could head back to the church at 5:45 for breakfast. Again Shoreline Calvary provided us an incredible meal. I had cantaloupe, a bagel with peanut butter and milk for my breakfast.
When we circled up for our dedication circle on Day 3, many members of the church joined us, which was really special. We had spoken with several of them who had cancer connections, so it was great for them to join us in dedicating our day to others. One of the hosts even ran the first 2 miles of our day with a couple of our runners.
I was in Team 1 today, so it was my first day starting the run directly from our morning host site. Today everyone ran 10 miles, and it was pretty toasty out since the sun was beating down on us all day. I definitely remembered the sunscreen today, and I even wore a hat to give my face some extra protection.
Today I ran with Alison, who's my age so I didn't feel so old finally! We had a lot of fun, despite the fact that most of our views for the run were of crop fields, or even worse, dirt fields that hadn't been planted. At least there were some mountains off in the distance to look at, but everything seemed pretty desolate. In one of our 3 mile legs, we ran through the entire city of Guadalupe, so that tells you a lot about what sorts of areas we were running in. We had definitely reached the country part of California.
Distance traveled: 138 miles
Personal running distance: 10 miles
Today's dedications: Sarah Darling and Ada Bloom
My running buddy: Alison
Weather: Sunny, upper 60s
I apologize for the lack of post last night about our Day 3 journey, but I had to take Nicole (another 4K staff member who had spent the first few days of the run with us) to the LAX airport in Los Angeles, which was a 2 hour drive from our host in Santa Barbara. We didn't get back until almost 2 a.m.! So I'll be sure to catch you up on yesterday's and today's activities.
Day 3 started out waking up early at our host's home. I slept so peacefully in their home and didn't want to leave! We got up at about 5:15 so we could head back to the church at 5:45 for breakfast. Again Shoreline Calvary provided us an incredible meal. I had cantaloupe, a bagel with peanut butter and milk for my breakfast.
When we circled up for our dedication circle on Day 3, many members of the church joined us, which was really special. We had spoken with several of them who had cancer connections, so it was great for them to join us in dedicating our day to others. One of the hosts even ran the first 2 miles of our day with a couple of our runners.
I was in Team 1 today, so it was my first day starting the run directly from our morning host site. Today everyone ran 10 miles, and it was pretty toasty out since the sun was beating down on us all day. I definitely remembered the sunscreen today, and I even wore a hat to give my face some extra protection.
Today I ran with Alison, who's my age so I didn't feel so old finally! We had a lot of fun, despite the fact that most of our views for the run were of crop fields, or even worse, dirt fields that hadn't been planted. At least there were some mountains off in the distance to look at, but everything seemed pretty desolate. In one of our 3 mile legs, we ran through the entire city of Guadalupe, so that tells you a lot about what sorts of areas we were running in. We had definitely reached the country part of California.
Today the running/driving/pick up/drop off transitions went a lot smoother; things are finally starting to make sense to everyone! Once Team 1 got to our halfway point, it was after 2:00 and we were all pretty exhausted. Everyone did a 2 mile leg, then 3 miles, then 3 miles, then finished with 2. We still had a 1.5 hour drive to get to our host in Santa Barbara. We drove through tons of vineyards and wineries, though. Finally, when we got to Santa Barbara, we spotted the Pacific coast once again.
One of the coolest things is the random people you meet/talk to along your routes each day. Since our vans are decorated with 4K for Cancer stuff all over it which tells drivers a bit about what we're doing, people are more than willing to talk to you about their experiences with cancer. We had taken a wrong turn into a winery, but a UPS man in his truck stopped us as we passed by to ask about what we were doing and share that his daughter had cancer and survived. It's the little things like this that we experience every single day of the run that remind me exactly why we're doing this. I love being able to proudly tell these people that we are running for their loved ones, too.
One of the coolest things is the random people you meet/talk to along your routes each day. Since our vans are decorated with 4K for Cancer stuff all over it which tells drivers a bit about what we're doing, people are more than willing to talk to you about their experiences with cancer. We had taken a wrong turn into a winery, but a UPS man in his truck stopped us as we passed by to ask about what we were doing and share that his daughter had cancer and survived. It's the little things like this that we experience every single day of the run that remind me exactly why we're doing this. I love being able to proudly tell these people that we are running for their loved ones, too.
When arrived at our host, La Casa de Maria, which is a retreat center with dorms and bunk beds (like summer camp), it was about 5:30. I took a quick shower, and when I got out, I learned that a local Chipotle had offered to provide free dinner for ALL of us if we went there! The team packed up and feasted on Chipotle together, which I was thrilled about. At the Chipotle, 3 men were sitting at a table and chatted with us a bit and shared their experiences with cancer in their family, as well. It was another moment reminding me of our mission and why we're doing the 4K in the first place.
Directly after Chipotle, Nicole needed to get to LAX for her flight. Although it didn't leave until 5:30 the next morning, she was going to stay in the airport and we needed to make sure we got her there in time for us to get sleep, as well, since it was a 2 hour drive. My teammate Sarah came with me so I'd have a buddy on the drive home.
I've never been to Los Angeles, so after Sarah and I dropped Nicole off around 11 p.m., we decided we needed to at least see something in LA while we were there, so we attempted to see the famous Hollywood sign. FYI, they turn the lights off at night so the residents around the sign can get some sleep. So we saw the unlit sign, which wasn't quite as cool. But, we also saw Hollywood Boulevard and the stars on the sidewalk, plus we drove up Mulholland Boulevard to get an incredible view overlooking the lights of the City of Angels. It was a pretty cool little adventure! Sarah and I drove back and got the host and in bed around 2 a.m.
Directly after Chipotle, Nicole needed to get to LAX for her flight. Although it didn't leave until 5:30 the next morning, she was going to stay in the airport and we needed to make sure we got her there in time for us to get sleep, as well, since it was a 2 hour drive. My teammate Sarah came with me so I'd have a buddy on the drive home.
I've never been to Los Angeles, so after Sarah and I dropped Nicole off around 11 p.m., we decided we needed to at least see something in LA while we were there, so we attempted to see the famous Hollywood sign. FYI, they turn the lights off at night so the residents around the sign can get some sleep. So we saw the unlit sign, which wasn't quite as cool. But, we also saw Hollywood Boulevard and the stars on the sidewalk, plus we drove up Mulholland Boulevard to get an incredible view overlooking the lights of the City of Angels. It was a pretty cool little adventure! Sarah and I drove back and got the host and in bed around 2 a.m.
Day 4: REST DAY - Santa Barbara, CA (Wednesday, June 18)
Weather: Sunny, 70s
Even though today was a rest day for us, we had to get up around 7:30 a.m. to eat, pack up and load the vans to head to a different host for tonight. We had a brief team meeting to go over a few logistical things before we headed out to the church for tonight.
Right now, I'm at the church with just one of my other teammates, Christina. Everyone else is either at the post office sending a package of stuff home because they overpacked, and a few went to a nearby laundromat. I'm going to go to another laundromat when some people get back who haven't gone yet because I'm in desperate need of washing my dirty, sweaty running clothes from the first 3 days.
Now that it's a free day, I feel like one chunk of the trip is over. I've sort of mentally thought about the trip in chunks, with each rest day bringing a new chunk after it. Since this rest day is technically Day 4, it means we've only got 38 days left, which seems like so few already! Today is definitely a welcome relief after running 31 miles in our first 3 days of the trip. My legs are very happy to be idle today!
This evening we're having our very first of 2 scholarship presentations that we'll do during this trip. We are awarding a college-aged student who is a cancer survivor with a scholarship to help pay for the cost of tuition. This morning, our service coordinator Taylor read the scholarship recipient's essay out loud to the team. The recipient's story was incredible and moving; it was a great reminder of how important 4K is in the lives of so many young adults. The recipient will be coming to Santa Barbara tonight to join us for the check presentation and for dinner, and I can't wait for this experience! I'll be sure to write about it tomorrow.
Other than the scholarship presentation, I'm taking today easy and not doing too much. I'll do some laundry, run some errands and just relax at the church we're staying at. I'm exhausted from our late arrival from LA last night, and need to make sure I'm well-rested for our day tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Day 5, we head to Bakersfield, CA. Our teammate Zack, who is from California, warned us about the heat for the next few days. We're now starting to head east across the state rather than down the coast, so it's going to get very hot, dry and arid. It's crucial for our team to stay hydrated and healthy the next few days. We're also going to start leaving WAY earlier in the morning. Tomorrow, our alarms will be set for 4 a.m. so we can be on the road by 5:30 at the latest, as the sun rises. We hope to arrive at our host around noon or just after in order to avoid the worst heat of the day.
But we have great motivation to get up and get going tomorrow, because our "host" tomorrow night in Bakersfield is actually a HOTEL that donated several free rooms to us!!!! In addition, our teammate Danielle's mother actually volunteered to pay for the last couple rooms we needed to house the entire team. We are TOO excited to stay in a cushy, comfy hotel for a night! We'll all be living the good life tomorrow night, so my next update will come from the comfort of a fluffy hotel bed.
Run happy,
Natalie
Weather: Sunny, 70s
Even though today was a rest day for us, we had to get up around 7:30 a.m. to eat, pack up and load the vans to head to a different host for tonight. We had a brief team meeting to go over a few logistical things before we headed out to the church for tonight.
Right now, I'm at the church with just one of my other teammates, Christina. Everyone else is either at the post office sending a package of stuff home because they overpacked, and a few went to a nearby laundromat. I'm going to go to another laundromat when some people get back who haven't gone yet because I'm in desperate need of washing my dirty, sweaty running clothes from the first 3 days.
Now that it's a free day, I feel like one chunk of the trip is over. I've sort of mentally thought about the trip in chunks, with each rest day bringing a new chunk after it. Since this rest day is technically Day 4, it means we've only got 38 days left, which seems like so few already! Today is definitely a welcome relief after running 31 miles in our first 3 days of the trip. My legs are very happy to be idle today!
This evening we're having our very first of 2 scholarship presentations that we'll do during this trip. We are awarding a college-aged student who is a cancer survivor with a scholarship to help pay for the cost of tuition. This morning, our service coordinator Taylor read the scholarship recipient's essay out loud to the team. The recipient's story was incredible and moving; it was a great reminder of how important 4K is in the lives of so many young adults. The recipient will be coming to Santa Barbara tonight to join us for the check presentation and for dinner, and I can't wait for this experience! I'll be sure to write about it tomorrow.
Other than the scholarship presentation, I'm taking today easy and not doing too much. I'll do some laundry, run some errands and just relax at the church we're staying at. I'm exhausted from our late arrival from LA last night, and need to make sure I'm well-rested for our day tomorrow.
Tomorrow, Day 5, we head to Bakersfield, CA. Our teammate Zack, who is from California, warned us about the heat for the next few days. We're now starting to head east across the state rather than down the coast, so it's going to get very hot, dry and arid. It's crucial for our team to stay hydrated and healthy the next few days. We're also going to start leaving WAY earlier in the morning. Tomorrow, our alarms will be set for 4 a.m. so we can be on the road by 5:30 at the latest, as the sun rises. We hope to arrive at our host around noon or just after in order to avoid the worst heat of the day.
But we have great motivation to get up and get going tomorrow, because our "host" tomorrow night in Bakersfield is actually a HOTEL that donated several free rooms to us!!!! In addition, our teammate Danielle's mother actually volunteered to pay for the last couple rooms we needed to house the entire team. We are TOO excited to stay in a cushy, comfy hotel for a night! We'll all be living the good life tomorrow night, so my next update will come from the comfort of a fluffy hotel bed.
Run happy,
Natalie