Update: SunUP to SunDOWN

New- Fresh from the Trail!

6:00 PM: Just talked to Rick, our Crew Chief, here's the scoop:

Ben has less than 3 hours left to go tonight
finishing up a 50-mile day (yes, 50 miles...)


They're currently in the Shenandoah National Park - where the terrain is smoother and more familiar. "Heaven for Ben," Rick suggests...relatively speaking.

Temperature is 55 degrees, beautiful, and they expect to camp tonight once Ben gets in. Last night they camped under a very foggy sky on something of a ridge - with the wind blowing forcefully. It felt like sleeping up in the clouds -- Rick says.

The past few days have been marked by increased mileage - and Both Ben and Rick feel they have hit the sort of routine they had envisioned from the start. To give you a glimpse, consider the mileage count from the past two days and what is projected for the next two:

48 miles: Tuesday
50 miles: (Wednesday)
48 expected for Thursday
48 expected for Friday

They're treating this as a watch-and-see --- keeping an eye on the way that Ben's body (and mind) react to the demand increase. Rick says that from here on out, it will be a Sun-Up to Sun-Down, a push to the finish; Ben has his eyes locked at finishing before Thanksgiving, less than 20 days from today.

Another change in the pattern is that Ben is moving forward now without his running vest and meeting Rick every five miles at the 'aid station' (crew vehicle). This helps to break up the day into bite-size, manageable pieces. [You've heard the adage - "how do you eat a whale?" -----"One bite at a time"]  That's exactly what they're doing. 

Eating:
Mac and Cheese
Trail mail cookies from Carey, Karen & Jenn
Hammer Nutrition : protein/mix & Perpetuem for Calories during day-time
Boost

Footwear:
North Face Rucky Chucky's from Altrec.com
Ben alternates 2 pairs of shoes each day
Rick's been hiking in with Ben, before each aid stations -- 6 or 7x a day

Clothing:
Ben now wears a bright orange visor...
He would occasionally hear gunshots from hunters in the distance when he was running through PA. As a result, Rick found a bright orange hat, cut off the top and made it in to a visor to replace the ever-present black one. Ben was wearing that -- along with several orange streamers tied to his bag as he entered into VA...
Now Rick says hunting is not an issue since they're in a National Park.

That's it for now -- thanks for keeping tabs.
Team 2175 will push for the next 20 days before Ben returns is to raise $5,000. Please consider a donation - even if it is $1. Just imagine what would happen if 1 million people gave - just $1....

Thanks immensely to those who have submitted stories for us to feature - we will be posting those in the days to come and look forward to sharing your insights! Have a good week - we're very lucky to have this beautiful month ahead. Remember that every day is a new page...a new opportunity...

I have to draw out a quote from the interview with Mark Reiman, (featured as our Hero on 10/28);  his words are something that each of us can take with us into the day tomorrow:

"I have come to understand that my life has a new and different purpose now and so I choose to focus on that new purpose and what I *can* do, not on what I cannot. Since the beginning of time history has never been about what happens *to* us. It is about how we *respond* to those circumstances. Each morning I wake up thankful to have one more day to make a difference in the world through what I *can* do, even if that is just love my friends and family. I believe with all my heart and soul that our greatest value on this earth has very little to do with arms and legs and has everything to do with a positive attitude and a loving spirit."

*Be Well,

Team 2175 (Cj)