DaCrizzow

    Seven days (two travel, one recovery and four "adventure"). 686 miles (636 in the van traveling, 50+ on foot). This was my vacation...part of my vacation. This, along with exploring some caves, a lot of food, reading, and staring at the sky. The "numbers" come out more like, 52+ miles, 13,000(ish) accumulated elevation in about 23 hours total. Covering two summits, another "just below" summit and a run around and through a volcano crater. This was a week of living the new "American dream." Living in a van, down by the river. Even if after three nights of van living and hiking three mountains, the dream got interrupted with a night in a motel. A shower, pizza and some mindless TV can really rejuvenate a guy. That third morning getting out of my sleeping bag, a wave of stink made it's way up from what I assume was my crotch area that I can only describe as cheap, stale peanut butter gone bad. You "choosy" mothers know what

    I wasn't always a runner. I ran around as a kid and always played sports but I never really just ran for runnings sake. But I thought about it.     I was 14 years old and I was playing my last year of football. I didn't know it was my last year, it just ended up that way. This would be my fifth year playing football but my first year for my school. The other years were in the "jr. pro" league. Until now, I had been one of the bigger guys. not the biggest but i was a lineman. Now I was one of the smaller guys. Not the smallest but after I found out that I had made the team, it didn't take long to realize I was just one of the "tackling dummies" for the bigger guys. When I say "bigger," I could just as easily say older. They were way older. Ineligible, actually. We were in 7th and 8th grade, 12-14 years old. These guys were driving their own cars to school.     This coach would do some ridiculous stuff. like, he would have the starting guys