They Say Running Clears Your Head

But what about lack of sleep?

5 Run It Fast Club Members are currently running 314 miles across Tennessee:

RIF #1 Joshua Holmes (@bayou)
RIF #79 Dallas Smith (@smithbend)
RIF #101 David Wingard
RIF #159 Diane Bolton
RIF #276 Diane Taylor

They have been on the road for 5 solid days now and have covered from 164 to 270 miles so far! They are doing great and just keep pushing forward and it is really inspiring to watch...from afar. :)

I have been posting daily live blogs on Run It Fast and you can check them out to see what running across TN in July looks like. Josh has been trying to get me to run this for two years now. I always think no way! But then I start following along and I think...maybe...Who knows? Maybe one year I WILL do it. It sounds like crazy fun. :)

How crazy does it get out there? Check out this email from the conclusion of Day 3 from the race director Lazarus Lake that includes a funny section abour RIFers Diane B and Dallas. The runners must check in every 12 hours and let the RD where they are. It seems simple enough... 

clear thinking after 3 days on the road

this morning's check-ins are off to a flying start.

i am groggy when the phone rings,
after having been up most of the night waiting on the stinky feet
to finally choose the correct roads into alabama and georgia.

the connection seems to be no clearer on the opposite end.

shaking out cobwebs, i answer;
"good morning! 3-day check-in"
"this is marcia"
(ah, this one remembered to tell me who was calling!)
"so how was your night?"
"yes, yes it was."
then she hangs up.
i have all the critical information,
except where she is.

i don't have long to think about this,
because the phone rings again.
"good morning! 3-day check-in"
"do you have any coffee?"
"no, i don't have any coffee here."
"i thought you might bring some coffee."
"no, i won't be bringing any coffee."
"oh well; i am at the church of latter day saints."
"who is i?"
"diane bolton."
"i don't know the distance for that church."
"between parsons and linden."
(that would be between 103 and 125)
"which side of the tennessee river are you on?"
"yes."
"you haven't reached the tennessee river yet?"
"oh no, we crossed that a long time ago...

but we haven't got to linden yet."
i am trying to think of a way to narrow this down some, and she volunteers a clue.
"dallas is right behind us."
"oh, dallas."
"dallas smith. poor dallas."
"poor dallas?"
"i have a crew, and he doesn't.
(she laughs)
i think i have lost my humanity.
i should feel guilty, up here eating ice chips....

and there is poor dallas.
he doesn't have a crew.
he doesn't have anything."
then she laughs again and hangs up.

so far i know that marcia had a night,
and diane has ice chips, but would like coffee.
(also dallas still has no crew, but that is only hear-say)

the phone rings again.
"good morning! 3-day check-in."
"this is (garbled) bruce's crew"
"and how are yall doing this morning?"
"we are doing good. bruce is at 102."
"102? it seems more likely he is at 202?"
"oh, yes. it is probably 202. not that it makes any difference....

well, it might make a difference to bruce."
(i am sure it makes a difference to bruce.)
"i have you down, ya'll have a fun day out there."
"ok"
she hangs up.

i am not sure the vol-state is good for brain function.
but the important thing is,
everyone seemed to be in very good spirits.

i better get these results to carl,
so we can start figuring out where people are
(within a planet)

laz