Day 1

April 15, 2007
This was it. I left Mile One and didn't look back. Dorit had taken me the day before so I knew my route. It was a later start than originally planned so my goal was to make it to the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) and run until just before dark so I would have enough time to setup my tent for the night. I had arranged with Dorit to come meet me on the highway around 5:30pm.

Running along the streets of St. John's felt the same as running the streets back home. The wind was behind me so it didn't feel so bad. I stopped at one point to chat with a man walking his dog. He was quite intrigued with what I was doing and wished me luck.

I finally reached the TCH which was my first milestone. I continued down the highway for sometime. It was starting to get colder and the wind was picking up. Before I knew it conditions were overcast. I heard a horn behind me and it was Dorit. I was happy to see her. She had brought me a sub and juice. We sat in the car and chatted for a bit. I had gone about 30 km. But the time had come to look for a place I could setup my tent. We went up the road a short distance and found what looked to be the perfect spot. I gave Dorit a hug and knew it was time to say good-bye. Dorit didn't say it but I knew she felt awful about leaving me out there by myself. I could tell she was concerned and didn't want to go. I reassured her I was OK and that I would be fine. I wished her a safe trip home and would see her again in Ottawa. She made me promise to call every time I saw a phone. I watched her drive away.

Setting up my tent was challenging cause the wind had picked up and I was afraid my tent was going to blow away before I had a chance to secure it. But I managed to get the pegs in and tie both the tent and cover down. By this time I was getting cold. I got everything inside the tent and just sat there for a few minutes. I was out of the wind but it was blowing so hard I wasn't sure that the pegs would hold. I prayed to God that He would hold my tent together.

The first thing I had to do was get out of my wet cloths cause now I was chilled and shaking. So I started unpacking stuff. I put down my sleeping pad and got out my sleeping bag. I changed into my dry long pants and fleece shirt. I hung up the cloths I took off inside my tent. I got into my sleeping bag so that I could warm up. It took a few minutes before I stopped shaking. Now that I was warm I didn't want to get out of my sleeping bag.

Darkness was setting in and the wind was just howling and seemed to be getting worse. The air was cold and damp. I remember thinking to myself, this is really roughing it. So I said, Lord please just get me through the night.

The traffic from the highway was pretty loud. I didn't mind though cause in a strange way it was keeping me company. Later on there was fewer and fewer cars. I noticed the moisture building up on the outside of the cover of the tent. Everything was wet and I knew nothing was going to be dry in the morning. I had a second set of running clothes but it was still going to be a cold start even with dry clothes.

The night seemed long and I couldn't fall asleep. Now I had to go to the bathroom. There was no way I was going to beable to hold it for the night. That was the only time I got out of my sleeping bag and the tent. I tossed and turned all night. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep. I kept saying the weather will get better tomorrow and the further west I get. I'll get an early start and go as far as I can. There were many times when I thought to myself I must be out of my mind and what was I thinking. I prayed that God would get me through the night and everything would be better tomorrow.