Day 11 – Still in Pennsylvania

15 May Day 11 – Still in Pennsylvania

I like Pennsylvania, but I just want to be out of here now!  The hills have taken their toll, I am over it!

Knees

My right knee was very stiff today and to try and deal with it I just zoned out completely and tried to forget about everything. The problem with this is that I don’t keep a tab on my pace. For every minute my pace drops per mile is an extra 40 minutes in the day. 15 min/miles is 10 hours walking, 16 m/m is 10.40 17 m/m is 11.20 and so on and so on. So I need to keep on top of it

Route 66

There is another Route 66 in the US. and there I was getting all excited! Anyway still about 500 miles from Chicago and the official start of Route 66.

Maths

So I worked out today that either my maths is rubbish, or I have routed my walk to the wrong airport in Chicago. Either way I am going to be 30 miles short of where Nigel has to leave and the others arrive. So I am now going to have to scrap one of my days off and do extra miles to try and make up for this. Not an ideal situation but we need to make sure I am not wasting days and whenever I can I need to get an extra mile in here or there!

Emotions

Sometimes, especially towards the end of the day when my body is giving up and I am just trying to get through the last 4 to 5 miles, I might get a call from one of my parents or just a tweet from someone and honestly that can really send me over the edge. I remember someone saying how unmanly Ben Fogle was for crying in the documentary ‘On Thin Ice’ but honestly when you are out there for such a long time your mind plays tricks on you,  you are exhausted and it can just take hearing a voice or a piece of music and then you break down! It is pretty tough trying to battle this but you can’t stop you have to keep going, so I have accepted that when it happens it happens and I  just keep walking! Also signs like this always brighten up the last few miles, I am sure I have been called this a few times!