A Transport And Recovery Day...

Click to see the short music slideshow from yesterday's 33-mile trek from Valdez.

Today is a day off the road (transport day) and tonight I'll be laying my head down in Wasilla, Alaska - ready to do a short 13-mile day tomorrow from Eklutna to Eagle River, Alaska. I attended primary school at Eagle River Elementary and will actually be running right up to that school tomorrow morning. It has been 33 years since I was a 5th grade student there, and I look forward to giving an assembly after my arrival.

I want to say how proud I am of how well the school teams are doing in this P.A.C.E. Trek. I always enjoy seeing their progress and reading student comments in the Guestbook. There are 230 teams of children participating and so far all but 76 teams have posted their mileage to date. I'd like to see the remaining zeros on the mileage chart disappear in the next couple of days.

I've ran and walked through many places during this first week, including: Juneau, the Alaska/Canada border, Tolsona, Glennallen, Copper Center, Valdez, and Thompson Pass. I've logged 162 miles in 5 running days (averaging 32.4 miles per day). The terrain has been very difficult at times and I've experienced temperatures from 20 degrees to 60 degrees. I've battled mountain passes with a 9% grade and pushed through 30 mile-per-hour headwinds. I've experienced vast wilderness where no sounds can be heard, and fought off at least one very mean dog that wanted my leg for lunch. I've seen an avalanche, glaciers, and some of the most rugged and high mountains that this continent has to offer. With every step I've truly enjoyed this first week of P.A.C.E. Trek. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and the encouraging notes from students and others via the Guestbook are certainly fuel to my spirit.

I hope that you're enjoying the information that I'm posting daily at this web site. It's a challenge to not only do the daily distance, but then to be transported and set up my equipment to update the journal writings, pictures, videos, and more that go into the daily reports. I'm often doing that while my feet/legs are in ice and my body would rather be catching some extra sleep. However, it's important to me that the web site be as up to date as possible.

A quick note about team distances. As you've probably seen in the team mileage section, some teams are already done with the 500-mile challenge. I have no control over the speed by which teams log miles and I certainly don't want to set limits. I want teams to log as many miles as they want to. Some teams want to pace right along with me, which is fine. Others want to log as many miles as possible in the three weeks - which is also fine. I want team leaders to approach this in whatever manner they prefer. I'm logging 500 miles in three weeks. The teams can log their miles however they want to. However, only those school teams that report completing 500 miles by 6 p.m., PST, on May 12, will be entered into the drawing for $500.

Some Thoughts About The Distances I Cover:

I think one of the most common thoughts I hear from people have to do with their amazement over the distances I can cover on a daily basis. When I ran 3,260 miles across America 3 years ago I averaged 30 miles per day for 108 days. When I ran 620 miles across Montana last year I ran 31 miles per day for 20 days. Of course, I do all of this while pushing 80-pound "Bob", so the miles I log take every ounce of strength that my body can give... my feet and legs to propel me forward and my arms and back to push Bob each step of the way. It can certainly be exhausting and painful at times, and many people would classify what I do as "extreme". Perhaps it is, but it is what I enjoy doing. If I can make even one child pause and think about what can be accomplished... and what he or she may accomplish... then all of the mileposts are worth it. Based on many of the comments I've read in my Guestbook, I already know that my efforts through P.A.C.E. Trek 2009 are worth it. Covering distances of 30, 40 and even 50 miles per day... day after day... is an experience that is very difficult to put into words. It is an amazing feeling to stand on top of a mountain peak after a 30+ mile day and look far off to the horizon and know that you just did all of that distance alone... and that you could do it again tomorrow. Yes, I'm fortunate to have these experiences. I see places in a way that most people will never see them. Each P.A.C.E. Trek is truly an adventure and I'm always looking forward to the next mile.

Questions From Kids:

How do you get all of the information you provide on your web site?

The information about Alaska, as well as the health/fitness information in the "Did You Know?" section in the right-hand column of each daily page, is all researched before the trek ever begins. I use a variety of tools for gathering the information that I do (Internet, books, research studies, etc.). I aim to make the information that teachers and students find at the P.A.C.E. Trek web site as accurate as possible.

How do you go about researching the information for your site?

It takes quite a bit of time to do research and to select particular facts and statistics to share through this web site. I will actually start researching for the next P.A.C.E. Trek right after this one is done. I enjoy learning about new places and hope that the students who follow my progress and read about the locations I'm trekking through will also see that learning can be a lot of fun and that there is a whole world out there to explore. Of course, having a healthy body will certainly help you to be able to explore the places you want to.

Do your legs ever hurt and how do you train for such an event?

There are times that my legs hurt... and my feet... and my back. But that is just a part of what I do. Pain comes with this sport and the key to getting through to the next milepost is learning how to manage pain. It's not a matter of blocking out pain, but rather managing it so that you can continue. You don't want to mentally "block out" what is happening to your body as you do ultra-endurance events like this. You need to stay very aware of what your body's needs are and how it is responding. You need to manage your movements and pace so that you can endure. Training requires you to do that constantly, but it's not necessary to mirror the same mileage in training that you do during the actual trek. Proper nutrition, rest and mileage building are essential.

Do you ever get to go to any fun places along your journey?

I get to see some fun places and when my schedule allows I can take some time to "play". For instance, when I ran across America I stopped at Storybook Land in South Dakota and simply had fun. It's important to have fun and to enjoy what you're doing. I get to go to some wonderful places, and I make sure to stop and appreciate where I'm at.

Do you enjoy doing what you do?

I love it! Running has been my sport since I was 10 years old and although I am 44 years old now with a lot of miles behind me, I still love the sport as much as I did when I was 10. You have to enjoy what you do in order to do it to the best of your ability. All of us leave a legacy in this world, and aside from my wife and children I want my legacy to be that I was a man who used his running ability to try and inspire and encourage others to set goals, take care of their bodies, and use their abilities to make a positive impact in their own lives and in the lives of others. There's no greater feeling than to do something you do well and to positively impact the world around you. It's awesome!

Do you ever get lonely and how cold does it get?

I do have times when I get lonely on the road. It's not easy being out there for miles and miles every day and to only have "Bob" as my companion. I miss my wife and four children and am always looking forward to an opportunity to speak with them. Sometimes people will stop me along the road to chat, and that's always a nice break for me. However, I've run through some very remote locations and have had to get through loneliness on many occasions. With respect to how cold it can get, on this trek so far I've had temperatures ranging from 20 degrees to 60 degrees. I've trained in temperatures as cold as 25 degrees below zero, and I've experienced journey runs when the temperatures were near 110 degrees (of course it's always hotter on the pavement). So, my body has endured many varying degrees of temperatures and conditions.

Just a Sample:

Jody Erickson is a teacher at Warner Elementary in South Dakota and has a wonderful group of kids participating in this year's P.A.C.E. Trek challenge. She sent me a message today that reflects so many of the thoughts that I receive from teachers. I wanted to share part of her note with you so that you can read the kind of encouragement that truly helps me to accomplish these enormous distances:

"Hi Paul - Don't know HOW you do it? Amazing! We have really enjoyed all the information and clips and movies....Wow! Again, I do not know how you get it all done! It is so wonderful and the kids can't wait every day to check in with you. They are so pumped over all of this!  Yesterday, I played your 2006 slide show for them. Wish you could have seen their reaction when they realized that that was YOU in STORYBOOK LAND!! What fun!! Also, wished you could have seen their faces and felt the emotion in the room as they watched you, state by state, all the way to the Atlantic ocean. You have definitely inspired ALL of us with what the power of a dream and a desire to serve can accomplish. Thank you so very much."

That's all from this Alaska milepost! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to run back here tomorrow.