Leg 001 – The Journey Begins

The Journey
This morning, I quietly embarked upon a 3,600 journey.  Albeit, a virtual journey. But a definite Journey, nonetheless! I have mapped a running route from Anaheim, California to Boston, Massachusetts. I call it my A2B Run (Anaheim 2 Boston).  To make the route interesting, I have mapped it to pass through a few places of interest.  For example, the course started in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland, in Anaheim.   Also, it will occasionally lead me on a virtual “run by” of a few family members’ cities and homes.  This includes my sister in Colorado, my parents and brother in Tennessee, another brother in Georgia, a cousin in New Hampshire, etc. Early on (within these first two weeks), I will pass through cities in California where a few of my cousins live.

So here is how it will work.  After my daily runs from where I currently live in Charlotte, NC, I will log my mileage, record a few thoughts, mark my virtual progress along this route, and perhaps provide some information about my virtual location.  For example, I ended my run this morning right in front of Alvaro’s Mexican Restaurant at the corner of S Gilbert St & W Orangethorpe Ave in Fullerton, CA.

So, that’s it!!

Barring any running injuries and other obstacles, roughly 2 years will be needed to complete this route.

I have a lot of ideas regarding things that I/we can and will do with this blog to make it fun and interesting.  As I make my way across the USA, you will see the website change, improve, and become more interactive.  But today, it is important to just get started.

The Run
Now, a quick word about this morning’s run.  I stretched a lot before getting started.  I felt tight!  As I began my run, my legs and body felt heavy and stiff.  So, I planned on just doing a very slow and easy 4 mile run.  The first two miles saw little improvement.  Then, in the third mile, my muscles began to respond a little. The oxygen finally started to reach my brain.  At that point, I decided that I would shift to a slow and easy six mile run.  Finally, somewhere in the fifth mile came that moment that I love.  My breathing finds rhythm. My arms drop a little. My stride naturally lengthens. And my body relaxes while rising to a faster pace.  The last quarter mile was full of energy and excitement.  What a great way to kick-off my A2B Run!!!