Run the Cross

I went to my family doctor yesterday and the Urologist Specialists today. The doctor today strongly advised to keep the catheter in for one more week to let the bladder heal and reduce the chances of infection and reoccurrence of blockage. And then do more testing.

And so the journey ends. It was a wonderful blessing to me: getting to do something I love - 620 miles of long distance running and exploring in 20 days, getting to see the Dakotas and half of Nebraska. And to meet wonderful folks and to be supported and encouraged by friends - a heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you (especially Marcy and Wayne).

Most all of my ultra running friends know the feeling: you put an extraordinary amount of effort into training, dreaming, and planning the next race or journey - but it’s always a risk. It sometimes doesn’t go as planned. Two of my friends have gone through it recently (David, Arnold).

So, you “recalculate” and dream/plan for the next race. Marcy knows I’m a dreamer - I’m already thinking of the next one.

I’m still the most blessed person, always finding peace and hope in the midst of storms and failures thanks to my Saviour, Jesus Christ.

A few more clouds in the sky kept the temperature under 90. There were plenty of rolling hills as I headed south on highway 14, totaling 29.0 miles and finishing 4 miles south of Neligh, Nebraska.

There were long stretches of yellow and lavender wildflowers along the side of the highway, like the stretch in the picture below.

However, note that there is only about 8 inches of pavement outside the white line. Outside of the 8 inches, there may be a little gravel or just mainly weeds. Between the head wind and stepping on and off pavement, I was worn out at the end of the day.

An interesting note: we had changed the planned route a few days ago. Instead of going to Nebraska on 281, we took a more easterly route and went south on 37 through Huron and Mitchell. Today the 2 routes converged in Nehigh. I originally estimated to reach Nehigh in 541 miles. I actually made it in 537 miles, the new route being only 4 miles different.