Blog Posts

$685,000+ raised. 4886 miles run.

49 days. 28 runners. 18 states.

ONE mission.

Over a month after finishing 4K, I’m still struggling to organize my thoughts into one final blog post. I’ve opened this page several times to write, only to find myself staring at it for hours. I write down a few words and delete them an hour later. But, I finally think I have the words to describe this summer – so here goes:

Going into this experience, I was extremely nervous and uncertain about what the summer was going to hold. One of the unique things about 4K is that every team and every year is very different. The idea and structure of 4K is of course still the same, but the jokes, the people, the experience, all varies. I knew what to expect in the sense that we would be relaying our way across the United States, but I was scared of the other unknowns. What were my teammates going to be like? Was I going to fit in with this group? What weird adventures would 4K bring us? Was my body going to stay in one piece this summer?

Looking back now that it’s over, I really had no reason to be nervous. The way 4K brings together a group of once strangers and allows them to see the country is very unique and truly makes this experience what it is. Each one of my teammates had a unique story to share and brought something special to our group. Getting to know them on an individual level, sharing laughs with them and feeling so supported by them on a day to day basis is something I am forever grateful for. They are truly 27 of the most incredible humans I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

This summer brought countless funny moments and memories I will never forget. Here is a long list of some of my favorite days and moments from this summer:

• The A’s game on send-off eve
• Lassen Volcanic National Park a.k.a *** Nation
• Host van on day four with Amber
• 12am sprinklers as an alarm clock in Reno
• The Loneliest Highway
• “Why” night on center court at the Utah Jazz Stadium
• Gratefulness miles in Grand Teton National Park
• Rest day hiking in Yellowstone National Park
• All of Montana
• Ripping fast miles with Brenda on our first seven mile day
• Prom-posals and prom in South Dakota
• The Sixteen Mile Day
• TedTalks on Toad Road with Leah, Justin and Abby
• The Milk Mile
• Seeing family and friends in Chicago
• Predicting the Cubs walk-off win
• Getting to know strangers at the running store in Kalamazoo
• Walking and singing miles with Krystan
• Spending the afternoon at the Manahan’s pond
• Cutting my hair in Defiance, Ohio
• Watching Ryan crush a 5:37 mile in Cleveland
• Reuniting with 2018 teammates in CO, NY and NH
• Finally getting coffee with Ally
• The thrill of our pass the baton, quarter mile legs in Maine
• Finishing our journey as a team, running into Boston Commons while shouting our cheer with 27 of the most incredible people!

These are only some of the ones that come to mind, some of my favorites, but there are truly so many more amazing moments from the trip that have been left off this list. If I sat here and wrote them all down, I would essentially be recapping the entire trip minute by minute. All of these memories are detailed in my weekly blog posts from the summer – if you are interested, feel free to take a look back at those here.

Below is a slideshow of all of my favorite photos from the summer:

The laughs with my teammates made the miles easier and the generous people we met along the way carried us to the finish. Strangers opened up their homes to us, treated us to a meal, hosted us for the evening, or went out of their way to make us feel welcome in their town. I am forever grateful for all the people we met this summer and for their generosity. This experience would not have been possible without them.

There was one example of the amazing people we met and is a memory I hold close to my heart. It is moments like these that make 4K what it is:

We were in Kalamazoo, MI after an easy six mile day, where we decided to spend the afternoon at a local running store. This was something we did relatively often – as runners, we all shared a passion for supporting local running shops. Tyler B., Ally and I were browsing the sale section when a woman, who we later realized worked there, walked in the front door. Before even putting down her stuff for her afternoon shift, she walked right up to us – three girls in similar Ulman uniforms. She asked us what Ulman was and what we were doing there. We explained that we were running across the country and she was almost instantly in tears – telling us that her nephew had passed away several years before from brain cancer. When we told her that we would dedicate our miles to her nephew, she was so moved by our offer. It was as if, after having spoken to her for a matter of minutes, we had made a lifelong friend. This was a prime example of the impact we were leaving on the communities we passed through. While this particular experience was one of the most memorable, it certainly was not the only one like this.

I’m sure that should I have the opportunity one day to road trip across the United States it would be a blast. Hitting all the National Parks throughout the US would be right up my alley and fit right in with my love of adventure. What I would miss, though, is the instant conversation starter the Ulman logo is. Every gas station, every pit stop – people stop you and ask what the Ulman Foundation is or what “4K for Cancer” means. It almost instantly sparks a conversation that more often than not has someone telling you their connection to the cancer community. It’s a connection and conversation starter you otherwise wouldn’t have. It allows you to meet people and hear their stories as well as provide hope in the lives of people you would otherwise not find yourself interacting with.

My Biggest Take Away From This Summer

4K has a special way of teaching you lessons through serving others – lessons that can be applied to all aspects of your life. The biggest lesson I learned this summer was about the importance of taking care of myself.

My whole life, work ethic has been a frequently discussed topic with hard work being my ONLY option. While I believe that working hard is important, and I will reiterate that to those I mentor now and in the future, my misunderstanding came in my definition. For me, hard work always meant sacrificing myself and my wellbeing to accomplish a goal or complete a task. It meant risking injury, burnout or simply putting the goal above my own needs and safety.

4K was no different for me – I was doing this for a reason. My goal was to run across the country to honor the lives of my friends and family and to honor the people we met along the way. If my legs fell off while doing it, it didn’t matter – I had to keep going. I had a goal to accomplish.

I began the summer preaching the fact that it wasn’t about the miles we ran each day or how fast we ran them. That it was just a catchy way to start a conversation or raise money leading up to the trip. This was true, but I didn’t truly believe it for myself and I sure as heck wasn’t going to listen to my own advice.

The goal for the summer is of course, that the entire team makes it across the country healthy, but the chances of that happening are unfortunately small. Running an average of 10-12 miles a day, will tear apart the legs of even some of the fittest runners. 4K is defined as a cross country journey, but it’s about coming together as a group of likeminded individuals to raise money and awareness for young adults with cancer and even more so, to provide hope in the lives of the people we meet along the way.

For the first part of the trip, I felt great. I experienced some rather tight calves (I still have a knot) and some soreness here and there. But generally, I was ok to keep going. Around the halfway point, the aches and pains got worse. My teammates told me how uncomfortable I looked as I ran, but I paid them no mind. I was fine! The reality was, I was in denial – I was not fine, physically or mentally.

It wasn’t until Chicago (day 30 of 49), that I didn’t hit the mileage cap. At first, I was dead set on making up those miles I had missed. I refused to admit that I missed them because I was hurting. A few days later, despite trying to take it easy by walking some miles, getting a massage, icing and stretching – my legs were still not feeling any better. I knew what to do, I just refused to do it.

Leaving Chicago was an emotional day for me, my legs felt wrecked and I had a lot on my mind. The following day, our team trainer told me my stride looked terrible and that I should consider stopping. I was fine, I told him. A few days later, I was running through a small town in Michigan when I got a glimpse of my reflection in the window of a shop. That leg was my last for the day and the second day of the trip that I would not finish all of my miles. That was also the day, I realized that I didn’t need to finish every mile. I had done my part for the team and would continue to do as much or as little as I could to help us accomplish our goal of making it to Boston.

Leading into the summer, I had long surpassed my limit – but I kept pushing. I was tired, I was burnt out, I was wrecked, by the time I even started this summer’s journey. I pushed myself passed my limit, because I had forgotten that I too am important. This summer reminded me, that my needs and my wellbeing matter too. It allowed me to see that not only on 4K, but more importantly in life, I do not need to run every mile. And, should we find ourselves in a situation where we are unable to keep going, it is perfectly acceptable to tap out and say – I am not ok.

My Thank You’s:

I want to start off by thanking all 27 of my teammates – each one of them made me laugh on a daily basis, encouraged me when I thought I couldn’t take another step, and reminded me why I was running across America. I have loved getting to know them through conversations on our runs, in host van or late into the night. I am so grateful for all they have shared with me and all they have taught me throughout our seven weeks together. They have truly left a lasting impact on me.

Next, I want to thank all my donors! Over two years of 4K, together we have raised more than $10,000! You made this experience possible for me – not only once, but twice. Your generosity will go a long way in helping countless people through the Ulman Foundation’s amazing programs!

A huge thank you to our hosts, those who fed, opened up their home to us or simply stopped us to find out what we were doing. We would not have been able to complete this journey without you. Your generosity means so much to each one of us.

Thank you to the Ulman Foundation for all their hard work putting together the 4K for Cancer – for supporting our teams, making sure we are safe and for providing us with this platform to give back.

Lastly, I would like to say a huge thank you to Jack Link’s Protein Snacks and Justin’s Nut Butter for unofficially sponsoring my run this summer. I would not have made it through the summer without your tasty snacks fueling each one of my miles.

What’s Next?

Each 4K blog I wrote this summer, finish with a “what’s next” section. I figured it would be fitting to update my few loyal blog readers with one last one.

I am back in Mexico with the same organization I was with before. I have returned to work in the same role for the next year and I am so excited to be back with my kiddos. I am looking forward to continuing my work with a refreshed head. I, however, am most excited to continue to watch the kids grow into the amazing young adults I know they will one day become.

Sunday – July 28th

Monday – July 29th

Tuesday – July 30th

Wednesday – July 31st

Thursday – August 1st

Friday – August 2nd

Saturday – August 3rd

---

Total Weekly Miles: 45.82

Total Team Miles: 543.8

---

And just like that, we have finished our cross country journey! We made it all the way from San Francisco to Boston. Over seven short weeks, we covered 4886 miles as a team while I ended up covering 341 miles of that on my own two feet.

This week was all about enjoying our last moments together as a team. On Monday, we arrived in Lebanon. Passing through Vermont and staying the night in New Hampshire – our fifteenth and sixteenth states respectively. That evening we were treated to a lovely dinner by a friend of one of my teammates. 

Tuesday proved to be another great day – we were seven miles running from our last rest day of the trip. This was the first time in a bit that I got to hit all of the day’s miles and my legs were feeling great. Halfway through our miles that day, we stopped to take a dip in a lake we had found along the route. That night, we were welcomed to join a community dinner at the church – the folks hosting us were lovely and the food was delicious. 

The next day was one I will surely not forget for a long time. It was our last rest day of the trip – the team was tired and so was I. We needed a day off. We were in northern New Hampshire (spending the night in Lancaster) so there wasn’t much to do other than enjoy the outdoors or relax at the host. With my legs feeling pretty sore, I elected to save them for the twenty miler and spend the day at a coffee shop.

Before I can share why it was one of the best days of my life, I have to share a backstory. In January, I was at home in Wisconsin visiting friends and family – I had just officially committed to 4K #2 and noticed one of my teammates (who will remain nameless so as not to call her out) was from the Milwaukee area. I was nervous, but I reached out to her and asked if she would be interested in meeting up for coffee. I thought it would be cool to meet someone from the team before beginning our journey together. She said yes – I was so excited.

On MLK day 2019, I was stood up for coffee by the above mentioned teammate – she had a “meeting” at 5pm and couldn’t make it, she said. I was devastated to say the least. A few weeks later, we were tabbed as training partners leading up to the summer. I was still upset and a bit salty about the fact that she had stood me up for coffee, so I didn’t reach out as much as I should have. I think this was the universe trying to bring us together, but we were fighting back as hard as we could. 

Early on in the summer, she apologized for ditching me, which meant a lot but I didn’t feel like it really made up for her mistake. The entire summer went by and I was waiting and waiting for my invite to join her for coffee. Finally on July 30th, 2019, our last rest day of the summer – it happened. She invited me for coffee and neither of us bailed. It was one of my favorite rest day activities we had all summer long and it was everything I had dreamed of. I knew in that moment, I had a friend for life.

For those of you not named Ally (oops, I’ve outed her) that read my blog – I’m sorry you had to read that story. It probably meant nothing to you and wasn’t as interesting of a story as I tried to make it. There really was absolutely no point in telling that story, other than to say that I am so thankful we let the universe win this battle. Ally has been a large part of the reason this summer was as great as it was. Her and my teammates have been amazing in that they’ve accepted my crazy antics, loved me for who I am and supported me through every one of my struggles. I will be posting a 4K wrap up blog at some point in the next few weeks with more on this. 

That afternoon, after finishing at the coffee shop. Two of my teammates and I went for a swim across the Connecticut river. We decided it would be fun to say we had swam from New Hampshire to Vermont and back.

Continuing with the week, day 46 brought some of the most spectacular views I have seen on the east coast as we traveled to Portland. We also crossed into our seventeenth state of the trip – Maine. My teammates and I are proud to say we were the first (and possibly the last) 4K team to ever go through Maine. Portland was a fun city to spend the evening in and we got the chance to eat at a teammates house again that night. I also got to meet up with a friend from my time in Mexico after dinner, which was wonderful as well.

From Portland, we dipped back into New Hampshire and stopped for the night in Portsmouth. Day 47 was another fun day full of 4K antics with my teammates – we started off by doing a proper pass-the-baton relay style run. We each ran 1/2 mile legs and carried a baton during it, then as we finished, we passed it to the next pair who ran their leg. It was much harder than we expected as four minutes is not a long time to get from one stop to the next. The challenge added an extra level of fun. Once we realized we wouldn’t have time to stop for bathroom breaks, we switched back to our regular style of running and finished out our miles. That night, Kinsey came for a visit, which proved to be just the boost I needed to get me through the next few days.

From Portsmouth, we made our way to Hopkinton, Massachusetts the following day. Our last state on the journey. Our last day running relay style. Our last host. Our last afternoon together as a team. I got to run/walk day 48 with Ally, Aspen and Tyler B. – my gals. We had a wonderful day chatting and enjoying ourselves. That night we also had the chance to hand out two Ulman scholarships to two very deserving recipients.

Saturday: arrival day was here! We woke up early and packed our vans as usual. From the YMCA we made our way to our days start point as a team, where we had dedication circle for the last time. We each dedicated our miles to all our loved ones and to each other. After our cheer we were off and running – making our way to Boston Commons. We quickly broke off into groups of three or four people. My group was again Aspen and Tyler B. and being able to talk to each other the entire time made the miles fly by. I don’t know whether it was the exhaustion, the loss of water or what, but my emotions were all over the place throughout those twenty miles. I went back and forth from holding back tears and ready to walk to hyped and sprinting pretty quick. Around mile fifteen and a half I got a phone call from a friend that lifted my spirits and carried me to the end. A mile later, I found myself sprinting to the finish of our first seventeen miles. I hadn’t run that fast in weeks, but I was so happy to be there and feeling no pain in my legs for the moment.

We had a break at the seventeen mile mark before we ran as a team to the Boston Marathon finish line and then to Boston Commons to greet our families. Our last three miles we spent yelling our cheer over and over again – letting all of Boston know who we are. People who had no idea what we were doing were clapping for us and cheering us on as we ran by.

At one point during my day, while running with our small group, I was almost in tears thinking “I cannot do this – my family isn’t at the finish line to support me.” I was tired and ready to quit, I felt there was no point to keep going – I let my teammates running with me know how I felt and they said everything they could to encourage me. I kept pushing on and as we yelled our cheer together over those last three miles, I finally came to a realization. My family was in fact there – it was those 27 amazing individuals standing right by my side as we ran up our last hill in Boston. And I wouldn’t have traded them for anyone in that moment.

What’s to come?

In the coming weeks, I will try my best to put this experience into words with a final 4K blog. At the moment I am still processing this summer and not in a place where I can properly put this experience on paper yet. In the meantime, thank you so much to everyone for their love and support! I could not have done this without such an amazing group of people cheering me on from all over the world.

Sunday – July 21st

Day: 36

Route: Lakeside Marblehead, OH to Cleveland, OH

Total miles: 75.7

Individual miles: 6.06

Partner: Ally

Dedication: Ryan, Laurie

Monday – July 22nd

Tuesday – July 23rd

Day: 38

Route: Cleveland, OH to McKean, PA

Total miles: 101.2

Individual miles: 1.03

Partner: Luke

Wednesday – July 24th

Thursday – July 25th

Friday – July 26th

Saturday – July 27th

---

Total Weekly Miles: 16.26

Total Team Miles: 568.5

---

Week six is over – wow. It’s hard to believe we are only one week away from arriving in Boston. I’m not ready for 4K part two to be over yet. I’ve made memories that will last a lifetime and forever friends. As one of my teammates put it last year, at this point in the trip my body is ready to be done, but my heart is not.

We began week six running into Cleveland, Ohio and followed that up with a service event at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. We ended the week in Saratoga Springs, New York and are now only four states (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts) away from the end!

Sunday, running from Lakeside Marblehead to Cleveland, Courtney (a 2018 Team New York Alum) joined us for our miles. I was officially partnered with Ally that day and we walked a few miles together, but I bounced around from group to group to finish out the days miles. I got the chance to walk two miles with Ally as well as to run two with Courtney. Overall it was a great day with some wonderful conversation, but I was limping which I knew was not a good sign.

The following day in Cleveland, we spent our morning volunteering at the local children’s hospital, Rainbow Babies – we broke into three groups and took part in three different activities while we were there. Those activities included spending time with patients in their play room, having a discussion with staff members about support (or lack thereof) for young adult cancer patients and then saw the community rooftop garden. We learned a lot about the different programs they offer young adults specifically, which aligns well with Ulman’s mission.

As a side note, and a plug for the amazing work Ulman is doing – all of the money we raise for Ulman (through 4K) goes towards patient support specifically for young adults facing cancer. If I have learned anything on 4K, it is that young adults are often forgotten in a hospital setting. For example, a 25 year old diagnosed with cancer is too old to be considered a pediatric case and too young to be a geriatric case – with these being the two groups most often receiving support. Being a young adult leaves them in a middle ground with no one to relate to and not many resources available. Ulman, as well as Rainbow Babies, are two organizations working to change the circumstances for young adults.

After the service event, I (tried) to take Ally to the doctor in Cleveland. We learned a lot about the Cleveland medical system as we struggled to find an urgent care that had what she needed, let alone one at all. We drove around the city for about an hour – going a little crazy during the afternoons events, but we at least had fun doing so. We eventually ended up at a local running store and never got her in to see a doctor.

That night, my teammates and I went to a local track to cheer on our teammate Ryan for a timed mile. Ryan is a testicular cancer survivor and has been trying to break six minutes in the mile – something he hasn’t done post treatment. He had tried once before, earlier in the trip while at altitude and after ten miles, he came in around 6:17 that day. Back at sea level, he was giving it another shot – he ended up smashing his goal this time!

As far as running this week, it has been on the back burner and that has definitely allowed me to remember why I’m here. Up until this point, I have been helping remind my teammates that this trip is not about the running despite the fact that we spend 75% of our day out on the road running. I was so focused on helping others understand that, that I kind of forgot that myself. A few good days passing through the midwest last week and some leg pain this week, were all I needed to remind myself.

It’s been an up and down week as I’ve had to walk most days and even take a zero day this week. But I am ok with that, as right now my main focus, running-wise, is day 49. I won’t use the “I” word, because I refuse to admit that there’s anything really wrong with me, but I have had to take it easy so the soreness I’m feeling doesn’t turn into injury or force me to overcompensate and injure something else.

Towards the end of week five, I took a few easy days and then took my host van day completely off with the hope that heading out of Cleveland, I would feel better. Well that wasn’t exactly the case.

Day 38 and Pennsylvania brought me a shooting pain from my lower back all the way down through my heel in my left leg. I spoke with the trainers and we came up with a few possibilities but I was holding out hope it was nothing serious as the pain wasn’t localized in one spot. Leaving Cleveland, I took it pretty easy knowing we had two run days and another rest day coming up. I walked one mile into Pennsylvania and then took a zero day running into Buffalo the next day, for two days off of running in a row sandwiched by two rest days on either side.

That evening, in Buffalo, after the team finished their miles, we went to Niagara Falls and saw the American side of the falls. It was beautiful, but like Mount Rushmore – I felt it was a bit overrated if I’m being honest.

The following day in Buffalo, we had a service event. I spent the morning hanging out with a 2018 teammate, Alison. We went to see the Canadian side of the falls which was my first time officially crossing the border into Canada. After returning to America, we walked around downtown Buffalo for a bit before prepping for dinner. My team and I then headed to Roswell Cancer Center to paint in the park with patients. That evening, I was interviewed on the local news where I debuted my new haircut to the world – you can see the interview here. After our service event, Alison hosted us for dinner downtown.

Next run day, we headed to Skaneateles, NY – try pronouncing that! I’m still unsure the proper way to say it. I decided that despite feeling better, I wasn’t going to push it too much allowing myself one extra day to rest. So I walked four of the ten miles for the day.

On Saturday, we headed from Skaneateles to Saratoga Springs traveling through Utica, NY. I was van two that day so I got to start my miles in Utica that day. That was a really cool moment for me – Utica, New York is the hometown of the last few generations of Balches. Specifically, my great grandfather lived there, my grandfather was born and raised there and my dad was born there before moving to Florida. I had never been there before so it was cool to (very briefly) see some of the families roots. Up until the day before, I was unaware we would be traveling through so it was a pleasant surprise.

Day 42 I decided I would try running again – it had been almost a week of rest days or easy days so I was ready. The pain had subsided significantly, but I still didn’t feel great. Despite that, I got what I could done.

What’s to come?

We are in our last week. Up to this point, my teammates and I have traveled over 4300 miles from San Francisco, CA and are currently in upstate New York. On Sunday we will hit our fifteenth and sixteenth state – Vermont and New Hampshire. Later on in the week we will travel up to Maine and then back down into New Hampshire to Massachusetts for our seventeenth and eighteenth states of the summer.

I have personally run over 295 miles in six weeks and have about sixty miles left to run. We will end week seven running the twenty miles from Hopkinton, MA to Boston Commons where we will finish our trip and celebrate with friends and family.

Sunday – July 14th

Monday – July 15th

Tuesday – July 16th

Day: 31

Rest Day Activity: Visited the Imerman Angels office and handed out Lemonheads around the city. Met up with my dad following the service event and spent the day hanging out with him!

Wednesday – July 17th

Day: 32

Route: Chicago, IL to St. Josephs, MI

Total miles: 106.0

Individual miles: 8.00

Partner: Tyler S

Dedication: Brooke

Thursday – July 18th

Friday – July 19th

Saturday – July 20th

Day: 35

Route: Defiance, OH to Lakeside Marblehead, OH

Total miles: 93.2

Host van day with Jack – zero miles run.

---

Total Weekly Miles: 38.59

Total Team Miles: 659.2

---

It’s getting hard to start off these blogs because each week I want to begin by describing the week as “amazing.” I’m pretty sure the last four weeks, my blog has begun with a different way of telling you that. It is very true, each week seems to be better than the last and just simply amazing. To be honest, there are no bad weeks on 4K, only a few tough or trying moments here and there.

So another amazing week of 4K and this time I’ve walked away with a new haircut – here’s what happened this week and how we got to that point. I feel like there was so much packed into this week, so bare with me here.

An update on miles traveled and individually run – I am at 279 miles run and our team has traveled 3775 miles from San Francisco.

We started the week with what I now refer to as – Milk Mile Day. I was paired with Justin that (14 mile) day, but Abby and Leah joined our group as well running in a group of four. We walked most of our miles, as we were all tired and rundown from our 16 mile day two days before. After mile thirteen, we decided that we needed a change. We decided that we’d finish thirteen miles and then do a milk mile. The next gas station we saw, we stopped and each bought ourselves our respective milk cartons.

A milk mile is where you drink, in my case 14oz of milk, every quarter of a mile. Abby, Justin, Erin and I went for it. We ended up running the mile in 9:34, running our quarter miles at about an 8:30 pace, but adding a little extra time on to chug the milk at each stop.

The following day we ran into Chicago. This day was a little bitter sweet for me – a tough two days in town for sure. To begin the day, the roads were unsafe so we had to reroute. After four miles along the lakefront path, I took a much needed afternoon away to see my Auntie Carrot. It had been over two years since I had seen her – we got lunch and chatted away. That evening I went for a mani/pedi and then got a massage to try to relax a bit. It was tough to have such a quick visit to the city, because I wanted to see everyone but couldn’t. Getting to see everyone for what felt like only a few moments and not knowing when I’d be back sure made the next few days hard.

Our first night there, some old friends came to visit me at trivia night hosted by our team. As we are currently in a competition with the other 4K teams, my team set up a trivia night in Chicago. We ended up raising around $200 in total and between that and our event in Iowa City a few days before, we were neck and neck with team Baltimore.

The next morning was a service event with an organization called Imerman Angels. Imerman Angels connects cancer survivors and current caregivers with cancer patients, giving them a sort of mentor to help them through their diagnosis. We spent the morning handing out Lemonheads with information about the organization – I learned that day that Lemonheads help to get rid of the taste that’s left in your mouth from chemo. It was a great conversation starter, allowing us to get the word out about Imerman Angels, but also the Ulman Foundation and what we were doing.

That morning while helping out, we met four women – probably somewhere in their early 80s. They met each other at five or six years old they said, and graduated high school together over fifty years ago. They were amazed by what we were doing and chatted our ears off for a bit, provided us with some good laughs and finally handed us a donation and wished us well.

After our event, I met my dad to spend the afternoon with him. We walked around the city and then went for a nice steak dinner near our host site. It had been over six months since I’d seen him (and will be a few more before I see him again), so it was good to chat and hang out. After dinner, I went to meet my team for our dinner which was provided by a 2018 alum.

That night we went to a Cubs game – the Cubs vs. the Reds. We got there a little late, but no matter it was still a great game. Growing up, as a little kid, I was a huge Cubs fan. I lost interest in them during the years they made stupid decisions and wouldn’t get rid of Carlos Marmol – but I was a fan for that night back in Chicago, I had to be. The Cubs won on a tenth inning walk off home run by Kyle Schwarber. When Schwarber came up to bat in the tenth, I said to my friend – “Schwarber is gonna hit a walk-off.” A few pitches later, he hit one out.

After our rest day in Chicago, we had a stretch of five days between Chicago and our next rest day in Cleveland. Leaving Chicago, we went from Illinois to Indiana and then crossed into Michigan. It was an eight mile day and we took a detour to the Indiana State Dunes.

This was another tough day for me personally, I think the emotions of leaving Chicago and seeing so many familiar places and faces had boiled over – I found myself staring at Lake Michigan with tears in my eyes that morning before even beginning our miles for the day. I was frustrated by the little things, but this was on me – I was struggling and I couldn’t admit it. Fortunately for me, that night my kids came to the rescue. Everything seemed to feel better when I got the chance to chat with some of my kiddos back in Mexico.

The following day, we made our way to Kalamazoo where we stayed at one of my favorite hosts on the trip so far. My experience in Kalamazoo was a great one. We arrived after a six mile day to a YMCA that welcomed us with open arms. They were very accommodating despite the fact that we were intruding on their afternoon dance and yoga classes. They also continually thanked us for being there, when we really should have been thanking them, and told us how much they loved having us. They welcomed us to use anything in their facilities, including their hot tub!

That day, I was truly reminded why I signed up to do 4K again – it was as if someone had known I was struggling and sent these people my way to give me a boost. Between the amazingly generous host we had that night and a woman we met in a local running store – this was why I did it again.

A few of my teammates and I decided to go check out a local running store that afternoon, where we got to chatting with one of the workers. The woman came over and asked what Ulman was and we explained that we were running across the country to raise money and awareness for cancer. The woman explained to us that she had lost her nephew to cancer when he was fifteen. We told her we would be honored to run for him the following day and tears began to form in her eyes. The following day we dedicated our six miles to Evan. This is why I did 4K again – to meet people like this, to help brighten someone’s day, but also because these people touch my life in more ways than they can even imagine.

Leaving Kalamazoo, I was partnered with Krystan. She was facing injury so I walked a few miles with her and then tagged in with another group to finish my miles. A pain in my left knee and hamstring popped up that day and I decided I needed to take it easy for a few days leading up to the rest day. While walking our miles that day, Krystan and I were jamming out to Hannah Montana and some other Disney Channel hits. We walked down the road singing and having an absolute blast! Morale was high for us, but I think my teammates just wanted us to shut up – HAHA.

“If we were a movie, you’d be the right guy and I’d be the best friend, that you’d fall in love with. In the end we’d be laughing, watching the sunset fade to black. Show the name, play that happy song.”

-Hannah Montana

The following day was yet another amazing day, another day that reminded me what 4K is all about. As we were working our way through our miles that day, we had a man approach us in his car. He invited us to his pond for a swim – when he drove away, we discussed as a team whether it was a good idea to risk our lives to potentially have some fun or if we should carry on with our miles. As we were discussing, he returned and this time in a bit more of a stern tone told us to follow him to his house. We decided we couldn’t turn down the offer as he would either kill us at his house or right there on the road, so we followed him. As we drove down the road, each of us texting our second van to track our live location and if they didn’t hear from us in an hour they should call the cops.

Boy were we wrong. When we pulled up to the house, we saw a decent sized pond, plenty of food and drink, bathrooms and a family reunion going on. The family was so nice and so welcoming – they let us stay and hang out in their pond to cool off and they fed us pasta and snacks for lunch. We stayed for a few hours and upon leaving got a text from them saying it was “as if I had fourteen more kids driving away.” After spending no more than two hours with him – he had taken us in like we were part of the family. We had an absolute blast and it was the morale booster we all needed that day.

That night was my haircut. For a few weeks now, I’ve been seriously considering just cutting my hair off. Before that I had always thought about it, but never had the guts. That night, after what was a more or less difficult day, I decided I was going to do it. My teammate Ally and I decided that we were going to donate our hair. My teammates put my hair in two ponytails and went to chopping. I told them I would wear it as a mess for the following day (not realizing I was host van) and go get it fixed the next evening.

They ended up chopping about fourteen inches in total. The following day, I wore a hat to hide how hideous the uneven layers looked. I got it cut properly that evening and cut off another two inches or so. I definitely look a bit like a soccer mom, but I actually think I like it! I’m still “coming to terms with it” so I am going to save more pictures until next weeks blog. You may be able to find a photo pop up on my Instagram this week so check that out here.

The week ended with my last host van day with Jack. We didn’t really have much to do that day so we just drove through to our next host site. Our next host was incredibly nice and very generous – they too welcomed us with open arms. I really enjoyed meeting him and talking to him for a bit. That night, we went to dinner at a teammates house. Her and her family were so generous to host us for a meal – we all had a blast, especially being able to eat something a little different than pizza.

What’s to come?

Each week seems to include more and more and my blogs seem to be getting longer and longer. This week coming up, we have a day off (service day) in Cleveland followed by two run days going through Pennsylvania and then heading to Buffalo, NY for another service day.

We have hit twelve states so far and have six more to go. The states we having coming up are Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Maine (unofficially) Vermont and Massachusetts. We are two weeks away from Boston and I couldn’t be more sad that we are about to finish this amazing journey! This team has been amazing, this experience has been wonderful and I am not ready for it to be over just yet.

Fundraising

Over the course of two years, together we have raised over $10,000. I couldn’t imagine a better place for that money to go than the Ulman Foundation. I fully support their mission and what they are doing – as we are noticing AYA cancer support is not largely available throughout the United States and Ulman is working to change that. Thank you to everyone that has donated to support them and their mission over the last two years!

From July 5 to 25, my teammates and I are in competition with the three other 4K teams to see who can raise the most money. If you have not done so, please consider donating to support the Ulman Foundation at my donation link. You can also support my team by making a donation to team Boston here. To see our incentive video, click the link! We’ve got three more days to try to beat our fellow 4K teams! Below is the most recent update on where we are at – we are not winning and the competitive person in me is not ok with that!

Sunday – July 7th

Monday – July 8th

Tuesday – July 9th

Day: 24

Activity: most of the team spent the day relaxing and blogging in order to rest and recover before a few longer mileage days.

Wednesday – July 10th

Day: 25

Route: Sioux Falls, SD to Sioux City, IA

Total miles: 103.1

Individual miles: 8.03

Partner: Regi (host van)

Dedication: Jamie

Thursday – July 11th

Friday – July 12th

Saturday – July 13th

Day: 28

Activity: another day to relax with my teammates at our host. Doing our best to recover from our 16 mile day.

---

Total Weekly Miles: 53.47

Total Team Miles: 666.8

---

Week four – wow. I can’t believe it’s come and gone. We’re passed our halfway point, passed the 200 mile mark (individually) and ready to tackle the second half of this beautiful country in the coming weeks. I am not ready for this experience to end yet, but I am looking forward to enjoying every last minute with my teammates.

The week began and ended with two of the most enjoyable yet shambly days I’ve experienced on 4K so far. The night before, I barely got any sleep. My lack of sleep had finally caught up to me, as the following day – I struggled. I struggled to finish my miles, for no other reason than the fact that I couldn’t stop laughing. I was overtired and I could feel it. My legs were sore, but that was hardly the reason for my struggle. The first leg went relatively smoothly, then the exhaustion hit hard. It was a twelve mile day and after that first leg of the day, everything we said was the funniest thing I’d ever heard. Whether that was true or not, I’m not sure, but in the moment it sure felt like it. Every few steps we keeled over laughing and had to stop running as our lack of energy hit us hard.

The following day was a quick six miler, which felt great. That night was 4K Prom night. The day before, one partner from each pair had to come up with a clever prom-posal and ask their running partner to 4K Prom. Our outfits for prom, which you can see pictured above, were brought to you by Goodwill. My partner asked me with a meat pun, which if you know me – that’s the true way to my heart. That night at 4K Prom, I had a blast! It was the first prom I’d ever been to and it did not disappoint!

Our rest day the next day was just a chill day. The entire team took the day to relax and run some errands or catch up on sleep. There wasn’t much else to do in Sioux Falls anyways.

The next day I was host van so my job was to get food donations for the team. Regi and I started the day by getting in our miles. We ran our miles along the 19 mile path that wraps around the city – doing four miles out and four miles back. The miles ticked by pretty quick and we enjoyed them, however on our way back the wind was in our faces making for a tough time. From there we made our way to Sioux City, IA to start our host van duties. We went to three different shops and everyone we encountered was so nice. In those three shops we got three donations! That evening, I was interviewed by two local news stations – you can see my five minutes of fame at the following links:

“Team Boston” arrives in Siouxland

Group running cross-country for charity stops in Siouxland

We spent that night sleeping in BEDS! Believe it or not – this is a rarity on 4K. It had been over a month since the last time I slept in an actual bed. It makes all the difference as far as sleep quality, so we really look forward to these hosts!

On Thursday, an 11 mile day for the team, we encountered our first discouraging human of the trip. We had stopped on the side of the road, waiting for our runners to finish their leg, when a man drove up. We were well off the road and out of harms way as we waited. Thinking he was going to ask if we were ok, I smiled at him from the driver’s seat and got ready to tell him our story. He walked up and in a very angry voice asked what we were doing – giving us a lecture on how one of us could get hurt or we could cause a driver to drive off the road and hurt someone else. He yelled at us that those roads were not a track and that we shouldn’t be running on them. When I politely responded, trying to explain what we were doing and that we weren’t from the area, he stopped me mid sentence and told us to go back to where we came from and “run across the country there.” He continued to yell at us and finally threatened to report us for “child endangerment” before driving away in a huff.

A few days prior to this incident, my teammates and I sat in a circle explaining how our “whys” had changed over our first three weeks of 4K. As far as how my why has changed – it hasn’t, but it grows every day to include the nice people we meet on the side of the road or the people who host us for a night or treat us to a meal. The same was the case for most of my teammates. So it was funny to be stopped a few days later by such an angry and disheartening man. We do all this work to prepare and fundraise leading up to the trip, we push through pain and soreness to continue to run everyday with the hope of providing light in at least one person’s life. We meet so many amazing people along the way who restore our faith in humanity, so many generous people, so I guess it’s only fair that we meet a few people along the way to balance that out. This man probably had had a bad day and needed to get his anger out – I am ok so long as it helped him feel better.

That evening we spent the night in apartments at a beauty college in Fort Dodge. One step up from the beds we’d had the night before. Two nights in a row with beds – it was amazing and definitely a rare occurance! That evening we were treated to dinner at the cancer center in town, we also got a tour of the facility and spent some time chatting with the staff. I wasn’t feeling great that evening so I went to bed early.

A lot of my teammates and I got sick this week. On top of that, the mileage is catching up to a lot of us and we are feeling it. Despite all our issues, we ended our week with sixteen miles. It was not easy for anyone, but I am so proud of my entire team for their hard work. Running or injured, they are each leaving their mark on my life in a unique way – I am so proud to call them my friends.

Friday, our sixteen mile day, was another very enjoyable day. I was in the minivan that day and our small group really enjoyed ourselves. On our way to start our miles, we danced and let loose. We were pumped by the time we started for the day. When it was my turn to run, I got out of the van to realize that my body was not feeling great. I ran with Alexis that day and my legs were hurting – the first few steps of each leg were tough to get going and I was silent throughout each run. Normally I’m very talkative, but being silent felt like the only way I was going to make it through that day.

Eight miles into our day, I was frustrated and didn’t want to continue. We made a pit stop at the gas station. After thirty minutes, we went back to our miles. Mile eleven to fourteen, I was sure if I continued – I would pass out on the side of the road. I started to feel really strange, but not wanting to stop I decided that if my heart rate got into the 180s, I would walk for a bit. Luckily or unluckily for me, however you want to look at it, it never broke 179. The heat was really getting to me at this point. When we finished mile fourteen, we got back in the car to shuttle a bit. Finishing my leg, I felt better and started to perk up a bit when a few minutes into our drive, I lost my mind. I have no idea what happened in that moment to cause that, but I was #4KnotOK.

After another break, I got back out there and finished the sixteen. I have to give a huge shoutout to my teammates for helping me get through that day. It was not easy, it was a mental challenge for sure. Finishing every leg to my teammates going crazy and cheering me on made such a difference that day. In fact I’m sure it was the only reason I was able to finish those miles. My van mates cheering me on and encouraging me all day long, plus my 2018 teammates sending me messages of encouragement all day was exactly what I needed.

What’s to come?

When we begin running again on Sunday, we will pass into our ninth state – the state I was born in. That day and the following day will be run days before our next rest day. Early next week we will have a service day in Chicago and I will get to see my dad following the event, which I’m very excited for.

Now begins the test as I try to push through soreness to finish our trip. My body is feeling the effects of running 250 miles in four weeks and it does not like it. Seeing my dad will be a huge motivator to keep going, following Chicago I will get to see some of my 2018 teammates along our route, which I am very much looking forward to.

Fundraising

For the last two years, I have pushed and pushed about fundraising. I can assure everyone that I wouldn’t do so if I didn’t fully stand behind everything that the Ulman Foundation has to offer. From July 5 to 25, my teammates and I are in competition with the three other 4K teams to see who can raise the most money. If you have not done so, please consider donating to support the Ulman Foundation at my donation link.