100 MILES STRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got another surprise call from our hero Danno just around 1:00am EST. He was moments away from arriving at 100 miles. I'm honored that he shared that milestone with me. And boy did he sound fine! I half expected to hear a series of random mumbles that somewhat resembled speech patterns. Oh, but no. Danno's the real deal, and he sounded stronger than ever(certainly more articulate than I feel at this hour) And Amelia was still by his side! Somebody put that girl to bed, ha! Wonderful wonderful work, darling!

My notes from the call are terrible, as I was mostly interested in hearing how he's feeling mentally and physically. I'm happy to report that both mind and body are receiving high marks! He's tired and sore, of course, but according to him...the last 50 miles were easier than the first!!!!!!

Sorry, I had to reread that last sentence. It IS what he said, but it still makes no sense to me. He breaks it down like this: The first 20 miles were crazy. Apparently there's only one way to fully appreciate how hilly the state of Massachusetts is and that is to run it. It's always nice to start off incredibly hard and grueling, yikes! Also, it's important to reiterate that this is NOT a runner's course. We all knew that, but until you run it, you don't really "get" the difference. Dan often has very little room on the road to run, and the 18 wheelers cruising by like dinosaurs on crack doesn't help keep ones focus.

He was definitely glad he ran the extra ten miles this morning, cuz there's NO way he'd be able to do them at the end.

Without a doubt, the toughest part so far has been the mid-day run (basically between miles 40 and 55 or so). With no cloud cover at all, and with the heat bouncing off the asphalt, he was basically getting cooked from both sides. Imagine trying to run in a crock pot filled with magma. How did he survive it? The medicine of Rock!

I've been wondering all day what was the most uplifting song on his iPod shuffle that brought him out of the fire pits. Well it was Chumbawumba's "Tub Thumping" of course. I've always secretly known that that song would save someone's life. It's THAT good! It was also the first that came on.

So now Dan's in "night mode" He won't be moving fast, but he won't be stopping. He'll probably put a couple of billion calories of real food in his gullet, and drink some Red Bulls to give him the a little bit of a boost to stay awake all night. He'll enjoy running on the canal, and will be looking forward to the sun coming out. Not only will it kick his energy into high gear, but it will also mark the beginning of Cape Cod, where the roads will be significant flatter. But don't feel bad for him being by himself all night! This is what he trained for.

As he said it best himself, "It's what I do."

Godspeed Champion and have a successful night.
-CStan