Dunn’s Daily upDates (August)
August 1 - Tuesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 119 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 60 / ??
Weather Conditions: Nice day.
Running Time: N/A
Road Finds: No road finds today. No running today.
Comments: Well, life throws us a curve now and again. I arrived in Indianapolis yesterday, excited about spending some time at "home" with my Mother, and of course excited about doing another 17 in row. After spending more than the usual 15 or 20 minutes trying to find where mom had parked, I was paged, and asked to report to the Airport Police. My first thought, "well, mom figured she'd just page me, and that's how we could connect". However, the officer who met me, informed me that June had been in a minor accident, and had been taken to the hospital. Now, given the fact that I had not been able to find my day timer, which holds all my ID and credit cards. So I had arrived in Indy with $20 and my passport for ID. (I'm telling this tale in it's entirety because it is a wonderful example of the fact that there ARE still a lot of kind people in the world. AND, it lends credence to the phrase..."what goes around, comes around".)
So, there I was at the airport, baggage laden, no transportation, little money and a Mother in the emergency room of a downtown hospital. Officer Wade, a female member of the Indianapolis Airport Authority, after learning of my financially embarrassing status, took charge. She hailed a cab, negotiated a $20 fare to the hospital, gave me a $10 bill to tide me over, and wished me well. The cabbie was nice. I arrived at the hospital shortly after mom had, and I was ushered into her little cubicle in the ER. She looked quite good actually, except for the bandages on both of her forearms, and the minor abrasion on her lower lip. She was completely coherent, and most concerned about whether she had turned off the beans before she left.....an ongoing joke, with some basis in reality.
Both the intern, and the "real doc" had exemplary bed side manner. (either that, or they were accomplished Thespians.)
As mom and I were discussing the options available for getting from the hospital to her home, some 15 miles to the south, in Greenwood, the attending nurse volunteered: "if the timing is right, I can take you, I live in Greenwood". So the 2 nice young docs, at the request of the friendly nurse, expedited the red-tape rigamarole, and we were on our way.
Having arrived at my home-away-from-home, with a slightly mutilated mom and no car, I was faced with the dilemma of: "do I run at 6 in the morning as planned? And if so, how do I get to the yet-uncharted start line and course? Do I leave a wounded woman on her own and go off chasing my own ego-driven escapades?" You know what I decided....to skip number 120 and leave it for tomorrow. So far this morning we've lined up a visiting nurse to come change the bandages; we've arranged for a rental car to be delivered; we've contacted the insurance company; and we've had a good breakfast. I can run tomorrow.
Stay tuned to see what speed bumps appear tomorrow.
Later. Jerry
***
August 2 - Wednesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 120 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 63 / 84
Weather Conditions: Humid would be the operative word today.
Running Time: 4:54
Road Finds: 1 cent.
Comments: First impressions of a the course, one which I have never run before.......flat, but after Salt Lake City and San Francisco it would be hard not to seem flat. Untrafficed...the course is mostly on non-main thoroughfares. Scenic....part of the course is on the former Fort Benjamin Harrison property. some of which has been turned into a state park. And about 8 miles is on Fall Creek Pkwy. which is just what it's name implies....a nice winding parkway that parallels a creek.
Now about this 4:54 running time...sometimes I'm so consistent that I find it hard to believe. I know that if I just get to the start line every morning, I can count on 4:50 to 5:15. I'm thankful for the "gift" I have been given, and part of what keeps me going every day is I believe something bigger the "200 IN 2000" is going to result from my efforts. It may not be anymore than what happened to me today, when one of my supporters told me that he looked to me for inspiration during the last few days, as he went through an unexpected life transition. Having him tell me this humbled me and inspired me, both at the same time.
I just do what I do, with faith, and hope that good things come from my efforts.
Off to a good start in Indy.
Stay tuned. Jerry
***
August 3 - Thursday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 121 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 61 / 73
Weather Conditions: Quite nice. Cloud cover all morning. Nice breeze for part of the day.
Running Time: 5:07
Road Finds: 3 cents. One of the pennies was the most mutilated, worn down, raggedy, weather beaten coins I have ever seen.
Comments: It's too late in the evening to do justice to today's events. I will do a double Update tomorrow.
Later. Jerry
***
August 4 - Friday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 122 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 61 / 76
Weather Conditions: Cool and cloudy.
Running Time: 4:53
Road Finds: 4 cents. A single in mile one, and trinity at 23.
Comments: I promised a full report of yesterday, today, but I think that will have to wait. To summarize some of what happened, I guess I could say that God was running with me yesterday. A series of things happened that gave me chills more than one time. Old friendships renewed; current friends showing up on the course unplanned; memories of other times spent on or around this course. Spiritual synergy explains what seemed to be happening.
Another thing that happened yesterday was that I found a Discover credit card in the road. I pulled my trusty phone from my fanny pack and called information in an attempt to find the rightful owner. One of the names listed had an address on the street where I had found the card, so I made the assumption that I had found the correct person. And in fact I had. She came out in her car and found me on the road and I returned her card. I also gave her my business card, and she called me later, while I was still running, to see if she could offer me a reward. I declined money, but asked if she would consider keeping a jug of water in her front yard so I could refill my water bottles. We had a deal. What made this occurrence fit into the ""syncronicity" syndrome, was that at almost exactly the same time I found the Discover card on the road, Elaine was at home searching the trash for my credit cards and other ID. Almost to the minute she discovered my Discover card.
Today was rather uneventful, except for the fact that my mom was notified that her car was considered a "total". So now we have to go automobile shopping. I think we do that online.
I'll try to get back to running news tomorrow.
Later. Jerry
***
August 5 - Saturday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 123 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 60 / 78
Weather Conditions: Great!
Running Time: 5:01
Road Finds: 104 cents. Well, actually a one dollar bill and 4 pennies. (Only the second time this year I have found Green money. The last time was April 17th during the Boston Marathon.)
Comments: After the run today, I had lunch with Syd. Syd has been the best man at 2 of my weddings. Syd was the first person to ask me for help in training for a marathon.....and then he had the unmitigated gall to beat me. Syd is the only runner I've ever done speed work with, and we had a lot of fun actually racing each other once in awhile. Syd became a father for the 1st time at 46, and now he and John, who is 10, are running and cycling together. Syd made my day.
Much less traffic today....everyone was at the Brickyard 400. Who won, anyway. There were a lot more runners and cyclists out today, and that made for a better performance.....I don't walk as much when there are people around.
As of today I have a total of 3,222.6 miles, and after tomorrow's run I will have less than 2,000 miles to run. I realized that today when I thought about having 77 marathons to go, and then remembering back in Boston when I hit day 77 and realized at that point I had passed the 2,000 mile mark. (Too much time to think).
Keep a positive attitude....and make life happen.
Jerry
***
August 6 - Sunday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 124 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 78 /84
Weather Conditions: VERY humid. Thunder, lightning and rain at 7 am and again at 10. I loved it.
Running Time: 5:08
Road Finds: 12 cents.
Comments: The man responsible for me becoming an "ultra" runner joined me this morning for 4 miles. His name is Jim Dill, and we did our first ultra together back in the 20th century....1988 to be more exact. We had actually done one together in 1987, but I was just his pacer, and not an official entrant. Jim was a competitor in the Huntsville Double Ironman competition. Yes, you read it right....a 4.8 mile swim in the Tennessee river; a 224 mile bike ride; and a 52 mile run. I paddled the support canoe during the swim and then went back to the hotel and slept while Jim's son crewed for him on the bike ride, and then I paced him on the double marathon. We did a lot of walking, but to this day I credit that experience with giving me the confident to know that I could actually cover 52 miles on foot w/o a break.
Anyway, Jim and I had a nice "reunion" run. It didn't last nearly long enough, but he had to get to church.
The weather today was exhilarating. A summer storm with all the accompanying lightning and wind and thunder... just great. I mean I was already soaking wet from just the humidity, so what's a little rain.
All in all it's been a wonderful day here in Indianapolis.
***
August 7 - Monday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 125 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 71 / 81
Weather Conditions: Mostly cloudy, warm and muggy.
Running Time: 5:11
Road Finds: 5 cents, in the form of a nickel.
Comments: I started extremely early this morning in order to be at a Pre-trial mediation with my Mother. In addition to the car wreck last week, my mom was being sued by 2 of her stepsons for what they considered unfair treatment in the distribution of their fathers' estate. She needed me there. I know she needed me there because this meeting was scheduled without my knowledge, and I just happened to be in town at the time of the meeting. The result was that my mom made a minor concession that appeased the "plaintiffs". Which leads me to believe that their counsel advised against bringing the suit to court because they had a weak case.
Anyway, I've yet to find a day that I can just relax after my run, and it's beginning to wear on me. TOMORROW....run and rest, period.
Later. Jerry
***
August 8 - Tuesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 126 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 70 /79
Weather Conditions: Pretty nice.
Running Time: 5:01
Road Finds: 2 cents
Comments: Since I'm writing this on the 10th, and since the days all seem to appear like that next mountain across the desert.......one, just like the next, as the days of running dissolve into just another 5 hours on the road. (that didn't help me think of a darned thing that happened on Tuesday. Now I know. My running that day was secondary to my mom's purchasing a replacement for her smashed up Buick.
I was not real cranked up about having to go do the evil deed of ....CAR SHOPPING. (Especially with someone who has little or no idea of what she wants.) Here's the kicker.....we went to ONE lot; looked at THREE cars; she bought the 3rd one...wrote the guy a check....and drove it home. And the even better part, she put a few grand in the bank.
That was my day.
***
August 9 - Wednesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 127 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 75 / 78
Weather Conditions: More rain, lightning and thunder......almost scary.
Running Time: 5:11
Road Finds: 4 cents.
Comments: My friend Syd met me at the start line and did 9 miles with me. We had a fun sharing running memories from the "old days". Of all the running partners I've had over the years, Syd and I were probably the most compatible, and competitive. I ran him pretty hard; wore him down quite a bit; and then sent him off to work.
Just as he was pulling off in his car the sky opened up and dumped on me. I had to spend a few minutes under an overpass because the force of the rain and the wind made for very uncomfortable conditions. The positive side of the storm was that the temperature stayed cool for the rest of the morning.
I had a massage today, and the thought of that kept me going for a few of the final miles that seemed to be very long today. In other words.....I struggled a bit today.
I'm half way through my stint in Indiana, and that always feels good to have more days behind me than ahead of me.
Later. Jerry
***
August 10 - Thursday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 128 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 60 / 78
Weather Conditions: So so. Still humid, but no rain today.
Running Time: 5:11
Road Finds: 6 cents
Comments: Me and the servers at the Java Junction coffee shop at mile 4, are becoming pretty good friends. I stop there every morning and get an everything bagel with plain cream cheese; fill up my water bottles; make a bit of tiny talk and head on out. In my attempt to eat more during my run, I take a short walk break and eat 1/2 of the bagel right away. I stash the other 1/2 in a tree at about mile 5, which later becomes mile 12. At which time I retrieve it; take another walk break, (and this by the way is not the 1st one since I made the stash, 7 miles ago), and slowly masticate the rest of the bagel.
(This is all so very interesting, ain't it?)
Tomorrow I'll tell you how I get water refills between 4 and 26. You can hardly wait....right?
Later. Jerry
***
August 11 - Friday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 129 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 59 /78
Weather Conditions: Breezy; cooler; very pleasant
Running Time: 5:09
Road Finds: 2 cents
Comments: cooler weather made for a more pleasant day...not any faster, but less sticky.
Also for a change of pace, I ran the second half loop first. This part of the course is more scenic, and it was nice to see the wooded area along Fall Creek with the early morning sun shining through....as opposed having it bearing directly down on me as it usually does.
All in all I just really enjoyed a day that had little to make it special...just still being able to be out there again is special enough for me.
Later. Jerry
***
August 12 - Saturday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 130 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 61 / 79
Weather Conditions: Outstanding!
Running Time: 5:10
Road Finds: 1 cent, and a miniature Snoopy key fob.
Comments: I ran the second half first again today. And I did the first 4 mile loop last. This meant that I stopped in the Java Junction much later than usual...only to find a 5 piece combo performing jazz. The interesting thing about this group was that they were all sophomores or juniors in high school....and they were good. The owner of the place likes jazz; these kids don't charge him much; and they love playing...and it shows.
As part of my Masters degree work I was required to do a 2 1/2 year counseling internship. I worked mostly with individuals, but in our second year we had some couples as clients. This morning the husband of one of those couples recognized me while I was running and wheeled around and came back to say hello....we had about a 20 minute chat. This made my day....and it seemed like it made his too.
The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. I was hoping to see some of the runners I saw last Saturday, but alas, it was just me and the road, yet again.
I'm supposed to be met by Baron in the morning, and he indicated that he was going the whole distance.....we'll see.
Don't Limit Your Challenges....Challenge your Limits.
Jerry
***
August 13 - Sunday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 131 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 56 / 77
Weather Conditions: Coolest day yet. Cloud cover all morning.
Running Time: 5:08
Road Finds: 2 cents.
Comments: A unique experience today....I had a running partner for the entire run. Baron showed up on time, just as he had said in his email. he has run 1 other marathon in a time of 4:04, so for him, my pace was a bit slow. But we quickly developed a comfortable and compatible stride, and cruised throughout he course. Only the second time this year this has happened....it's great.
At mile 16 a young man caught up to us, which wasn't all that hard to do, and slowed enough to chat a while. He recognized me from the paper, and had some very complimentary things to say....which I never mind hearing. During he course of our conversation, he reminded me of a book I read a long time ago...THE BLUE HIGHWAY...if you haven't read it, give it a read. We parted ways at about 17 and a half miles, and that was that. At mile 23 and half, a little over an hour later, there he stood with his fiancee, (and more importantly, he had brought cold water and cold Gatorade). He wanted his fiancee to meet me, and to bring us refreshment. What a thoughtful thing to do.
There ARE still a lot of good people in the world, and most of them are marathon runners.
So Baron and Matt were my BLESSINGS for this, Sunday morning, August 13th, 2000.
Amen.
***
August 14 - Monday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 132 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 61 / 79
Weather Conditions: Back to muggy and sunny.
Running Time: 5:22
Road Finds: Can you believe it.....2 cents, again.
Comments: Another local runner E-Mailed me on Sunday afternoon and wanted to do 14 to 16 with me today...she, just like Baron, had concerns about water stops. Janet arrived at about 20 ’til 6, and we began running at 5:48. She is a teacher in the Indianapolis Public school system; has been running for years; and is training for the Chicago marathon.
One thing that was of great interest to me is that Janet has been to a real "running camp" a couple of times, and since I have one of those in my long range business plan, I was eager to "pick her brain". (I plan to have Elaine’s Black Hills Harriers Hideout up and running by the Spring of 2002).
We were able to get a comfortable stride established early on, and ran pretty relaxed the entire way. But as often times is the case, I ran a bit faster than usual....somethin' about this ego of mine.
I did have another of those rare, philosophical insights about marathon running.....the road is like a sheet of music, and we, the runners are the musicians. We may not be able to communicate in other ways, but when we step to the line and begin to run, we're playing the same song....reading the same road if you will.
(Maybe it wasn't as deep as I thought.)
It was fun to have company 2 days in a row...and tomorrow, the local FOX station is going to "track" me for 3 hours, and give me about an hour of air time.....my sponsors are going to love that.
And then only 2 more, and I'm off for home, and the Hills, and my house and my HONEY.
later. Jerry
***
August 15 - Tuesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 133 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 61 / 79
Weather Conditions: Warming up again.
Running Time: ????
Road Finds: Another 2 cents.
Comments: Today was a hoot. I paid for it by spending more time out on the road today, but it was worth it. (You'll note that I didn't get an accurate time for today).
FOX 59 News met me at 5:30, and hung out with me ’til 9 am. During that time, the race director of the Indianapolis Cinergy Marathon, Joel Sauer, accompanied us for the first few miles, and was able to get in a nice "plug" for his race.
The interviewer was a young TV weatherman/journalist/comedian/all-around fun character.......we got along right from the git-go. One of the spontaneous things we did was prompted by a passing motorist who informed us that "over behind that high school, there's a running camp going on". We ran about a 1/4 across an open field only to find out that we were already being talked about. RESULT: after taking a couple of minutes to tell them who running has turned my life around, and that I was excited to see them out running, these 50 kids joined me for their warm up run. I REALLY felt like Forest Gump. (I think they were a little more excited about the prospect of being on TV than they were to be running with me). And we did in fact do the next segment of the show with Cody interviewing one of their coaches, Kevin Kelly, about the program....and the kids DID get to run by the camera and wave.
But the exciting thing for me was that I was able to provide an opportunity to promote kid's running. Because that is part of my overall mission in life.....to improve the wellness level of our youth.....and ADULTS. And every opportunity that other kids can see their contemporaries running, and having a good time doing it, the more the word gets out that "it's cool to run".
The other thing that happened today was that Nik, the son of my friend Diane, who died earlier this year from complications of a double lung transplant, called me to say he was watching me on TV, and that he was proud of me.....that felt good. When I went back on the air, I told Cody that I'm often asked "what motivates you, Jerry", and one of the things that has gotten me through many miles (besides fantasies about Elaine), is the admiration I had for Diane for squeezing 5 more years out of life....after her transplant. Those were not easy years for her.
So anyway, the day was filled with highs, and highers. 133 was filled with glee. (sorry, I couldn't resist).
Later. Jerry
***
August 16 - Wednesday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: 134 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: 62 / 80
Weather Conditions: Great.
Running Time: 5:10
Road Finds: Zero, nada, zilch, nothing.
Comments: Elaine is waiting back home in Hills. All 500,000 Harleys have headed out of Sturgis.
I can't wait to get home. Jerry
***
August 18 - Friday
200 IN 2000 Day Number: Still 135 of 200
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Temperature: ?
Weather Conditions: N / A
Running Time: N / A
Road Finds: They were all washed away.
Comments: After all the traveling I've done this year, I was finally caught in the "travel delay vacuum". I spent last night at my mom's house again, due to "weather" all around the country. So that long awaited reunion with Elaine has been postponed until tonight.
***
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