One more long flight, 13 hours to be specific and we landed in Los Angeles. How quickly the week went by. The consistent drumbeat of activities keeping us moving and not focused on the days or hours. Now, just one more day of Run Joe Run – the significance of the thought tempered by the 26 miles ahead. Never an easy distance and in this instance made harder by the prior five days. But with a support crew send-off of grand enthusiasm, the run would begin. North from Redondo Beach along the beach and the Pacific Ocean with the waves lapping at the sand and the beauty of the setting inspiring. And start running I did, the magnitude of the last marathon both a source of energy and a recognition that the fatigue was setting in. Mile after mile the LA vibe came through, at Venice Beach, Marina del Rey, and Santa Monica. All of it symbolic of the location, the challenge and what I came to find. And once again my running got better and stronger at mile 20. The last six miles were just amazing. The significance of the finish line ahead and the completion of this amazing challenge building inside me as each of the last miles clicked off. And then there it was, New Roads school in the distance, the end of the challenge, with a group of school kids waiting to greet me as I crossed the finish line. An emotional moment for sure, high fives, hugs, words of congratulations and most of all words that inspired me from the middle school kids when they told me of their dreams to do big things in their lives. A most fitting end to the most remarkable experience I have had in my life. There are many take-aways from this week- they will fill this blog space for a least the next few days. I leave tonight’s post (yes posted quite late) with a few comments, I feel better than I expected (the legs are doing great), I found what I was hoping to find (the human spirit around the world is amazing), the world is made of great people, and the world will conspire in your favor when you follow the mantra, Dream it, Plan it, Practice it, Do it. Amen….time to rest.
Loving life after day six!
Ciao
Joey g