| How to run across America |
|
|
|
| Skrivet av Rune Larsson | |
| 2006-10-22 | |
|
I ran across America, from San Diego, California, to Sandy Hook, New Jersey, in 2004. The distance was 4970 kilometres and it took 82 days. I have compiled the knowledge gained from this trip. Preparations:I was 48 years old, and had been running almost daily since I was a child. During many years I competed at the longest distances. My background as a runner was solid. However, I believe that it is possible to enjoy a run across a continent with much less miles accumulated in the training logs. The training should be geared towards building durability. Long slow distance running is very effective. Try to identify any weak muscle and strengthen them.Solo or supported?I do strongly recommend running without a support team. As a solo runner you will have more freedom, and you will not have to worry about supporters getting increasingly bored as the run goes on.EquipmentBring your food, water, and equipment in a babyjogger with 20 inch wheels! I replaced the existing tires with racing tires, which made the babyjogger roll very easily. Between Arizona and Missouri I had many punctures, but after having poured some kind of slime into the tires, I did only have two more punctures. Conclusion: Prepare the inner tubes (the spares too) before the run. Bring a light weight tent and a sleeping bag. That will give you the freedom to end your daily stages where it is convenient. I did not bring a sleeping bag at all, and had some very cold nights in Arizona. One observation I made was that you will sooner or later find whatever you need in the ditch. I started out with few warm clothes, but found a fleece-jacket and it came in handy a cold night.WeatherBe prepared for all kind of weather! In the deserts of California I had a day with 107 F. In the Rocky Mountains it was so cold that my water bottles froze. A gore-tex jacket, or similar, can save you from hypothermia on a cold rainy day.MedicalAnti-inflammatory medicine and a broad-spectrum penicillin can be useful. A gel to relieve the skin from chafing should also be brought along. Blisters are of course also an issue on such a long trip.Running with a babyjoggerThe technique I used when running with my babyjogger was to touch it as little as possible and to keep it as far from me as possible. I had a one meter long strap between the handle and my left wrist so the babyjogger would not roll away from me. Then I just gave it a push every now and then, about every second to every tenth step, depending on how the road was. It was very easy to run with a babyjogger, and I did not really feel it slowed me down if the road was flat and no headwind. Don’t leave home without that strap! A word of advice: Forget running with a backpack!Time of yearI started on April 21 and finished on July 11. That was a good choice.The routeRun west to east! That will give you a tailwind most of the time. The Prairie between Mississippi River and The Appalachian Mountains has a grid of small paved farm roads, running north – south, and west – east, with one mile between each road. That grid is perfect for running, because you are safe from the traffic and can enjoy the landscape much better than on a highway. You will meet very nice people out in the farmlands.My route
I started at La Jolla Beach, California, and ran to Julian – Brawley – Prescott (Arizona) – Flagstaff – Four Corners – Durango (Colorado) – Wolf Creek Pass (continental divide) – Walsenburg – La Junta – Dodge City (Kansas) – Salina - Topeka – Atchison – Saint Joseph (Missouri) – Kirksville – Keokuk (Iowa) – Lincoln (Illinois) – Lafayette (Indiana) – Bluffton – Napoleon (Ohio) – Toledo – Fremont – Brunswick – Hermitage (Pennsylvania) – Clarion – State College – Jim Thorpe – Belvidere (New Jersey) – Piscataway – Sandy Hook. I was very pleased with that route, and can highly recommend it because I found it to be very good. Contact the Department of Transportation in each state in order to alert the state troopers about your plans, and ask if there will be any legal problems with your running on the roads you have chosen. This can save you some problems.
MapsAAA-maps are useful. Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the local tourist offices! There you can get very good maps for free. There are bicycle maps covering some areas. They can advice you about scenic small roads, safe to run on.Where to sleepMotels will give you a better quality of rest than what your tent can provide. You will have a shower, a TV-set, and a comfortable bed in your room. A run across America takes such a long time that you will need all the comfort you can get. Most little towns have affordable motels. A room might cost 30 to 45 dollars per night. My technique to find the cheapest motels was to look for signs saying they had colour TV and phones. Those facilities were attractions 40 years ago, and indicated that the cost for a room might be accordingly.FoodYou will need to have more protein in your diet than usual. Grilled chicken and canned salmon were great food on the road.Nutritional supplementsI took 500 mg of magnesium and 50 mg of vitamin B6 every day. I also bought a pound of salt on the third day on the road. Every night I mixed a strong saltwater drink. You will lose a lot of sodium. I drank nine litres of water every day during the run and would have been depleted of sodium if I had not been adding salt to the system every day.TacticsYou will make it if you stay happy, healthy and injury free. I made sure to have as much fun as possible. Therefore I did not pressure myself by any schedule or attempt to break records. If I wanted to take a day of rest, I did so. If a muscle felt sore, I turned to walking instead of running. When ever in doubt of your health – REST! “Running across America” doesn’t necessary mean that you should run every step of the way. I walked the up hills. In Northern Arizona I got cramp in a hamstring. Then I walked the next few days, and the problem was gone.How much does it cost?My run across America did cost 8000 dollar, including travelling from Sweden and back again. I slept in motels most of the nights, and ate many meals at restaurants. It is quite possible to make it on a much lower budget, but then you will have to camp for free most nights. I believe it is possible to cross the continent for 5000 dollar.If you want to run across AmericaDo it! It will be an incredible adventure. You will see America in detail, and feel underneath your feet how great the continent is. Afterward you will be able to look at a globe or a map of the World, see where you have run and understand that the planet is your playground. You will meet lots of interesting people, see so many species of birds and wildlife, and observe so many details that you would have missed if you had been travelling by any faster means of transportation than running. When you hear words like “desert”, Rockies”, “Prairie”, “Appalachian Mountains”, “small town”, or “highway”, you will feel something rather special and personal if you have been running there. And you will never forget the feeling that came when you stood there and looked out over the ocean, knowing that you had ran out of America to run on in your direction of travelling.A run across the continent will be a priceless parenthesis in your life.Good luck!If you have any questions and want any kind of advice regarding your run, you are welcome to contact me on Den här e-postadressen är skyddad från spam bots, du måste ha Javascript aktiverat för att visa det |
| < Föregående | Nästa > |
|---|
