Day 28: Emma, MO, to Columbia, MO (Saturday, July 12)
Distance traveled: 72 miles
Personal running distance today: 8
Total personal miles to-date: 180.5 miles
Today's dedications: Moya Brown and Brigid Hamm
My running buddy: A group of teammates
Weather: Sunny, 80s, humid
If you were wondering if I woke up this morning with my alarm set as Mizzou's fight song, the answer is yes. And if you were wondering if it's possible that I annoyed my team with my passion and enthusiasm all morning about our journey to CoMo, the answer is yes. It felt SO GOOD to be home!
We started the morning off with a wonderful pancake breakfast provided by the church. After our dedication circle, we headed to the vans and moved out. Last night as we attempted to make the route for today's run, we decided that most of the roads weren't the greatest for running on since they don't have shoulders. So, in a last-minute solution, we made the decision to drive straight to CoMo and get in our miles on the MKT Trail instead of trying to find roads that are runable.
We ended up arriving a little after 8 a.m. The first thing I made everyone do was head to the quad so I could get a big group picture of my awesome team in my favorite place in the whole world!
Distance traveled: 72 miles
Personal running distance today: 8
Total personal miles to-date: 180.5 miles
Today's dedications: Moya Brown and Brigid Hamm
My running buddy: A group of teammates
Weather: Sunny, 80s, humid
If you were wondering if I woke up this morning with my alarm set as Mizzou's fight song, the answer is yes. And if you were wondering if it's possible that I annoyed my team with my passion and enthusiasm all morning about our journey to CoMo, the answer is yes. It felt SO GOOD to be home!
We started the morning off with a wonderful pancake breakfast provided by the church. After our dedication circle, we headed to the vans and moved out. Last night as we attempted to make the route for today's run, we decided that most of the roads weren't the greatest for running on since they don't have shoulders. So, in a last-minute solution, we made the decision to drive straight to CoMo and get in our miles on the MKT Trail instead of trying to find roads that are runable.
We ended up arriving a little after 8 a.m. The first thing I made everyone do was head to the quad so I could get a big group picture of my awesome team in my favorite place in the whole world!
After this, we went to KD, where we were staying for the night. We had planned on unpacking our stuff and then heading straight to the trails, but once everyone had walked into Kappa Delta, they were a little awestruck. I learned that most people had never been in a sorority house of this size, and a lot of people were truly amazed by it. I gave people a little tour of our beautiful home, and then a lot of people also wanted a campus tour. I decided to delay running my miles for a bit, so we started the morning with a walking tour of Mizzou.
I was thrilled to be back in my natural tour-giving habitat. I gave some of my teammates a great look at the campus. Some of my injured teammates went to the rec today to try and get an alternative workout in, so a few of them even got a glimpse of that awesome spot.
After the walking tour, a group of us decided to go out and get some miles done. I was supposed to run with Joe today, but he ended up getting his miles done earlier in the day, so I ended up running in a group with a few other girls. We went to the MKT and did an out-and-back to get some miles in.
As I was finishing up running, both my parents and Adrienne called to let me know they were in the area and could stop by KD to say hi. I ran back to KD and was greeted by an ice cold glass of water from Adrienne, it was too glorious. My parents stopped by briefly to give me a few things, including a box of Charla's world-famous chocolate chip cookies to share with the team. Then they headed on to my grandparents' house for a few hours.
Adrienne came inside and we went in to hang out in KD, just like the good ol days. Soon after, Alan and Patrick had stopped by too. Then Kelsie joined in, and it was a perfect Mizzounion. We all hung out for an hour or so, then Kelsie and I went to Sonic for Happy Hour, which is our CoMo summertime staple.
After the Sonic run, I went back to the house to get ready for dinner. I was eating out at one of my favorite CoMo restaurants for dinner with my parents. They picked me up, took me back to my Grammy and Papa's house so I could visit with them for a bit, then we went to Flat Branch. I got the same thing I get every time, but you really just can't go wrong with it: veggie burger with their famous mashers. YUM. I also had an Irish red ale to top it all off.
We made a quick Walmart run after dinner, then it was back to KD so our team could have a pow wow at 8 p.m. We all love getting the whole team together for some positive encouragement and uplifting, so this was yet another successful pow wow.
Post-pow wow, I knew a bunch of my friends were in town and out at the bars since it was Saturday night, so I set out on a mission to see as many as humanly possible. My first stop was my beloved Harpo's, where I saw Chuck, John and Lindsey. After that, I bopped over to the Berg to visit Adrienne, Katie, Megan, Patrick, Brandon and several others. Next stop was Itap to hang out with Jared, Mallory and some of their friends. Finally, I couldn't leave without going to Quinton's where I met up with a few people from the Berg, as well as LeAnn, Ross and Alan again. It was some serious Tour Team lovin.
I was thrilled to be back in my natural tour-giving habitat. I gave some of my teammates a great look at the campus. Some of my injured teammates went to the rec today to try and get an alternative workout in, so a few of them even got a glimpse of that awesome spot.
After the walking tour, a group of us decided to go out and get some miles done. I was supposed to run with Joe today, but he ended up getting his miles done earlier in the day, so I ended up running in a group with a few other girls. We went to the MKT and did an out-and-back to get some miles in.
As I was finishing up running, both my parents and Adrienne called to let me know they were in the area and could stop by KD to say hi. I ran back to KD and was greeted by an ice cold glass of water from Adrienne, it was too glorious. My parents stopped by briefly to give me a few things, including a box of Charla's world-famous chocolate chip cookies to share with the team. Then they headed on to my grandparents' house for a few hours.
Adrienne came inside and we went in to hang out in KD, just like the good ol days. Soon after, Alan and Patrick had stopped by too. Then Kelsie joined in, and it was a perfect Mizzounion. We all hung out for an hour or so, then Kelsie and I went to Sonic for Happy Hour, which is our CoMo summertime staple.
After the Sonic run, I went back to the house to get ready for dinner. I was eating out at one of my favorite CoMo restaurants for dinner with my parents. They picked me up, took me back to my Grammy and Papa's house so I could visit with them for a bit, then we went to Flat Branch. I got the same thing I get every time, but you really just can't go wrong with it: veggie burger with their famous mashers. YUM. I also had an Irish red ale to top it all off.
We made a quick Walmart run after dinner, then it was back to KD so our team could have a pow wow at 8 p.m. We all love getting the whole team together for some positive encouragement and uplifting, so this was yet another successful pow wow.
Post-pow wow, I knew a bunch of my friends were in town and out at the bars since it was Saturday night, so I set out on a mission to see as many as humanly possible. My first stop was my beloved Harpo's, where I saw Chuck, John and Lindsey. After that, I bopped over to the Berg to visit Adrienne, Katie, Megan, Patrick, Brandon and several others. Next stop was Itap to hang out with Jared, Mallory and some of their friends. Finally, I couldn't leave without going to Quinton's where I met up with a few people from the Berg, as well as LeAnn, Ross and Alan again. It was some serious Tour Team lovin.
I was pretty proud that I managed to make it to 4 bars and spend NO money the whole night. Why couldn't I ever do that in college? After all this, my body was completely exhausted and I needed sleep badly. I called it a night a little after 11:30 and walked back to KD along the quad, just like always. It felt so perfect.
Tomorrow we're making our way toward St. Louis, another wonderful city in Missouri! I'm excited to get there for several reasons: 1. I love STL, 2. we have a rest day, 3. we're getting free massage and a hospital visit on the rest day, 4. I can't wait to see Matt and Adam and their new apartment. Lots of fun things to look forward to in the next couple days!
Run happy,
Natalie
Tomorrow we're making our way toward St. Louis, another wonderful city in Missouri! I'm excited to get there for several reasons: 1. I love STL, 2. we have a rest day, 3. we're getting free massage and a hospital visit on the rest day, 4. I can't wait to see Matt and Adam and their new apartment. Lots of fun things to look forward to in the next couple days!
Run happy,
Natalie