“We choose to go…not because [it is] easy, but because [it is] hard, because that goal will serve to measure and organize the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.” ~John F. Kennedy
People ask me occasionally about the random things I do.
“Why would you run a marathon if you really hate running?” was pretty frequent in November of last year.
But, today, I got on a Jamis Aurora Elite touring bike, loaded with almost 60 pounds of equipment, clothes, food, water, etc, and began pedaling.
I left the Loveless Cafe parking lot around 11am and I made it to the Shady Grove stop on the Natchez Trace parkway. Only a little over 35 miles for the first day. Considering the hills and the heat, not too bad. I’m a bit out of shape, too.
For the next 8 days, I plan to cover 444 miles from this sign (above) to the one at Mile Zero in Natchez, Mississippi.
There is no race. No benefactors. No charity ride. Nothing to urge me on… except myself. Catastrophic equipment failure or significant injuries notwithstanding, I’ll do it. Just because.
Stay tuned…
-Noah D.
