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DAY 2 - TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2008 - - - -
Today's Distance:
29 Miles
Today's Route:
8 Miles West of Plevna to Powder River
Today's
Weather:
Hot - over 80
degrees, clear, sunny!
Current Elevation:
2,650 Feet (158' Less Than Yesterday)
Total Distance Traveled:
62 Miles
Total
Distance Remaining:
558 Miles
 Paul's
Thoughts For Today:
This was one of
those days that I certainly did not expect during this run
across Montana. Let me begin by saying that the day began
with me giving a presentation and answering questions at
Plevna School. It was great to meet the kids and to share
details about P.A.C.E. with them. I got on the road around
9:15 and immediately started to shed some of my cold-weather
gear because the temperature climbed quickly. In fact, the
temperature reached at least 83 degrees today with
completely clear skies and a harsh sun. The pavement
temperature had to be at least 95 degrees. The day started
with just a gentle breeze, but by the time I reached the 15
mile mark I had a strong wind out of the west (into my face)
which lasted for about 8 miles. Then, the wind completely
stopped and the heat radiated at me since the sun had
shifted more to the west and shined right into my eyes - one
of the drawbacks about running east to west. I wasn't
acclimated to such heat because my training in Missoula had
primarily been throughout the winter months and then the
cool spring temperatures of 40s and low 50s. So, to jump
into the mid-80s right away was quite difficult - especially
starting out yesterday morning at 19 degrees. It has been 36
hours of varying temperatures. In the past two days I've
logged 62 miles, and those of you who are good at math will
figure out that I am a mile short of where I should be.
Well, that's because something happened today that has
caused a delay in my progress on this trek. At around the 24
mile mark today I was pushing "Bob" up a considerable
incline on my way to the Powder River. I wasn't experiencing
any problems, but all of a sudden a tendon or ligament (to
the best of my knowledge) at the top of my left foot pulled
or strained... bringing me to a stop and making me scratch
my head as to why this happened. I've pushed Bob over the
Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, and everywhere
in between and have never had anything like this occur.
However, today it happened and it brought me to a limp.
Since I was out in the middle of nowhere... and I mean
"nowhere"... and didn't have any signal on my phone, I had
no choice but to limp forward - hoping that I would gain a
phone signal to make a call. I limped for 1 1/2 hours before
I was able to use my phone. By then, I was only about a mile
from the finishing point of the day... but my foot was
completely done. I sat on the edge of the road and called
Karen and Gary Huckins, who live in Miles City (where I was
scheduled to stay tomorrow evening). They were kind enough to
drive the 30 miles to pick me up and bring me to their home
to evaluate the situation and to spend the evening. A friend
of theirs works in the local hospital and is also very
knowledgeable in sports medicine. He came over and looked at
the injury... flexing my foot and applying pressure to see
if he could draw any conclusions. The conclusion at this
time is that it is hurt. I know... that's not a real medical
conclusion, but I am scheduled to go in for an x-ray in the
morning to see if we can narrow in on the problem. I don't
believe it is a stress fracture, but rather a
tendon/ligament issue. I'll know more tomorrow. These types
of things can happen and I'm certainly not Superman. Yes, I
did run across America solo in 2006. However, I even battled
a few injuries during that journey. However, none of them
were serious enough to stop me. When faced with a situation
like this it's important to stop and find out precisely what
is happening, and that is what I'm going to do. You have to
be smart and when the body is experiencing a problem and is
not responding as it should, you need to find out why.
Tomorrow I hope to do that. If this is a tendon/ligament
matter I hope to be able to rest it for a day or two and use
a slush bucket treatment on it (a bucket filled with water
and ice). I would then make any modifications needed to get
back on the road and continue west. At this point, some
options following a day or two of rest for the foot include
lightening "Bob" a bit by removing the tent so that I don't
have as much weight to push. I would also proceed slowly,
working back into any running slowly. So, the first few days
back on the road would likely include only walking. Also, I
would break the upcoming 46-mile day from Miles City to
Forsyth into two days. I do have some concerns about the
following 40+ mile day into Ingomar since I know the amount
of strength that is necessary to log a 40-mile day while
pushing a loaded jogging stroller. So, some adjustments need
to be made due to the injury I sustained today. I'm not
quite sure why it happened, but it did. I will certainly do
all that I can to get back out onto the road. In the
meantime, the registered teams have a decision to make. You
can either take a couple of days off so that you don't get
too far ahead of me, or you can simply proceed if pacing
close to my location is not important to you. The choice is
yours. At this time, there's no way that I can be on the
road tomorrow (Wednesday). Thank you for stopping in and
I'll keep you posted. Listen to the
Powder River audio file for
more.
Today's
Montana "Did You Know?"...
Montana is the only U.S. state with a triple divide allowing
water to flow into the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and
Hudson Bay. This phenomenon occurs at Triple Divide Peak in
Glacier National Park. Overall, Montana's rivers and streams
provide water for three oceans and three of the North
American continent's major river basins.
Today's Native
Americans "Did You Know?"...
Dreams have been important in the Indian tradition. It was
believed that dreams were the "windows" to the soul. Many
thought a person's hidden desires were expressed in dreams.
Today's
Fitness "Did You Know?"...
An estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents from
ages 2-19 years are overweight according to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, which has declared childhood
obesity a national epidemic.
Your Turn!
Share Your Thoughts With Paul...
Click here to
sign the official P.A.C.E. Trek 2008 guestbook!
Thanks for stopping by this milepost
update. Run back here tomorrow!
Keeping on PACE,
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Along The Way... |
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 On
the way to the Powder River today I ran past
ISMAY, Montana. The Milwaukee Railroad named the
town of Ismay after the two daughter’s (Isabelle
and May) of a company executive. However, the
residents there, hearing that a passenger on the
Titanic named "Ismay" pushed his way onto a
lifeboat ahead of women and children, wanted to
change the name of the town. For whatever
reason, this didn’t happen.
In 1990, Ismay was Montana’s smallest
incorporated town with only 31 people. In May of
1993, the town of Ismay was contacted by a radio
station in Kansas City, Missouri. The station
had a special request for the town to consider
changing the name of the town to Joe, Montana
for the duration of the football season. The
radio station promoter felt that this was a
great way to honor the well-known NFL
quarterback, Joe Montana who had recently been
signed to the Kansas City Chiefs football team.
The people of Ismay agreed. On July 3, 1993, it
was official: Ismay became Joe. In celebration,
the town organized a ranch rodeo, a parade, and
a fireworks show for July 3. The events drew
over 2,000 spectators. They hoped to raise a
couple thousand dollars to cover the annual
operating cost
 of
their local volunteer fire department. The
mayor, who earns $4 a month for his duties,
proudly reported that by February of 1994, the
town had netted nearly $70,000. And hey, if it worked
once, why not try it again? Assured of a spot on
the David Letterman show, they geared up for an
even greater extravaganza the next year.
However, the spot didn’t materialize because no one
showed up. Today's maps still call the town Ismay - a little place in Montana of about 25
people that had a brief moment of fame.
Personally, I prefer "Ismay" over "Joe".
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Paul's Current Position In Montana |
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Click
Links Below To Listen To Paul's Audio
Files From The Road. Also, To Save Audio
Files You Can Right Click On The Links &
"Save Target As".
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On Pictures For Larger Versions
The
Powder River is a tributary of the
Yellowstone River. It's approximately 375 miles long
and meanders in southeastern Montana and
northeastern Wyoming. It drains an area historically
known as the Powder River Country on the high plains
east of the Bighorn Mountains. It rises in three
forks in eastern Wyoming. The North and Middle forks
rise along the eastern slope of the Bighorn
Mountains. The South Fork rises on the north slope
of Garfield Peak in the Granite Mountains west of
Casper. The three forks meet on the foothills east
of the Bighorns near the town of Kaycee. The
combined stream flows northward, east of the
Bighorns, and into Montana. It is joined by the
Little Powder near the town of Broadus, and joins
the Yellowstone approximately 50 miles downriver
from Miles City, Montana. The river was named the
"Powder River" because the sand along a portion of
its banks resembled gunpowder. The Powder River
Basin near the Montana/Wyoming border is a major
source of low-sulfur coal mined in the United
States. 