Barbara and Boyd ran across a couple, Johnny and Audrey, on July 30 in a trek across country from Oregon, one running and the other riding. They began end of April, 2013. Unique yes ! Through the "powers that be" they received a night stay at Fall Hill.
This relates well with 2nd Pentecost in June where we welcomed the stranger. Of course then it was healing the Centurion’s slave which was very different. Still the principle is the same – welcoming Johnny and Audrey as the sermon emphasized with "graciousness and generosity." Here, Boyd is helping Johnny with maps charting the next step on their journey:
Everyone needs a summer’s vacation. Don’t you think the buildings need a break from us ! The same old people and the same conversations. Yes.. We take vacations from it so it needs one from us.
Here’s their set up for the night:
There is a story here that is told in their blog
Doing some digging this is what I found… You can trace their trek to Port Royal but here is some of the background to get you started.
As Barbara writes "They will then travel to Bern, NC to visit friends; back to Michigan to visit Johnny’s parents for their 65th anniversary, and visit friends in Iowa. At that point they may take the train back to Oregon."
9/20/2012
"Several months ago as I was contemplating retirement I had a dream to do something after retirement that would stretch me both physically and emotionally. I wanted to do something while I was still young enough and healthy enough to push myself and I also wanted to have every chance possible to succeed in any endeavor that I tackled.
" The dream I have is to run across the United States. But this is only half of the story……Audrey will ride her recumbent bicycle beside me every step of the way. We will both be self-supported which means I will pack the gear I need into a cart and push it across the US and Audrey will pack the gear she will need into a trailer and pull it behind her bicycle.
" We will run from the West Coast to the East Coast. I haven’t established the route yet but plan to have it firmed up by January 2013. The trip (Lord willing) will begin in May or June 2013 and take approximately 4 months.
" This blog is for our friends and family who would like to follow us as we prepare and as we head East.
" Our prayer: "Lord Jesus, we trust you and commit our lives to you. We ask that you use us as we train and as we head East. We pray that we remain in your will and your hand is upon us. We trust you with our bodies and ask that you keep us healthy. Let this not be all about us but let us glorify you every day. Put us where you want us when you want us there and open doors for us to love and lead people to you. It’s all about you and we are committed to give you the glory. We love you." Johnny & Audrey
9/22/2012 training
" I’ve been a runner most of my life so I figure that as long as I can put one foot in front of the other for X-amount of miles each day, eventually I’ll get to the East Coast. I’ve heard of guys running 20 miles per day, 30 miles per day and even up to 60 miles per day. Most of these guys have had a support team but running that many miles is an amazing feat nonetheless. I have set my goal somewhere between 30 and 40 miles per day. How do I train to prepare for that?
" Starting the week of June 11, I began running 5-6 days per week and I’ve tried to increase the miles and do some double days along the way. Audrey rides her single recumbent with me on 99% of my runs and so far we have ranged from 40 – 70 miles per week. Our biggest week is this week in which we logged 103 miles. The good news is that I wake up feeling good and I don’t have any aches or pains. Audrey has no problem keeping pace with me. Ha ha ha!!!!
"Some weeks I incorporate bicycle riding and/or hiking into my training. Audrey and I have a tandem recumbent which is a major workout. Most of our hikes have been moderate to difficult. Stretching has become a daily event. I really believe that cross-training will pay huge dividends as we approach May 2013.
3/29/2013 training
"We have logged between 40 – 120 miles per week since October. I have purposefully not over trained as my weight was dropping pretty fast. We hit the weights pretty hard to make sure our muscles and ligaments are ready for the pounding miles ahead and I’m doing my best to get my weight back up so when we start out in May I’m at a healthy weight.
"Our nutrition plan has taken another dramatic shift as it is primarily fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and a minimal amount of grains and beans (quinoa, brown rice). Maintaining this type of eating while on the road for 4 months might be quite a challenge. We’ll see………
"We feel GREAT! Other than some pretty sketchy nights of sleep being the norm, we believe that we are ready to go. We have all of our gear with the exception of a solar panel which will be here next week. We have a list for each of us itemizing what we will be carrying. Everything has been weighed so we know what we will be pushing/pulling across the country. It looks like we both have 40 lbs. without water and food. I will carry 252 oz. of water and Audrey will carry 152 oz. That adds another 16 lbs. for me and 10 lbs. for my girl.
"I know that I need to get my per mile pace up to the level that I can sustain for 30-40 miles per day but so far I’m in the 8:30 range. I think I’ll need to be in the 9:30 – 10:00 range. That will be fun!