RunAcrossTheUSA.com

[Brandon]

There's nothing better than being pampered--good meals, a nice hotel room, laundry service--the list goes on and on. That, in addition to friendly conversation and a reminder of home, is exactly what Matt's parents are providing us with. This time with them has been great.

Right now we're chilling in our hotel room at the Signature Inn in Muncie, Indiana. I'm doing this post via the wireless internet provided by the hotel.

We may not have as many good stories in from today or yesterday, but it has been a welcome break and a time to regroup. We got our 35 miles in today even though we didn't start until almost noon. We probably did more running today than any other day and could feel the extra strain as we were both limping tonight. Matt's other leg was bothering him a lot near the end, but thankfully (in a weird way) it doesn't slow him down, but is still just as painful as his other injury.

Not much happened today because we didn't have much time to spare for stopping and the day passed by very quickly. I was attacked by a dog for the first time. It didn't just bark and growl--it snuck up on me and jumped on my leg as I was running by and then tried to bite me. But the dog was no match for my superior intellect, fearless courage, and proven technique. I put my hands in the air and turned into an 8 foot tall giant (as opposed to a 6'4" giant) and let out a few growls of my own. Needless to say the dog cowered in fear and I ran away in triumph, once again asserting man's place as crown and steward of creation.

Even though we are not depending on strangers for our livelyhood we are still meeting people. Tonight at I-Hop Matt and I were trying to take as much advantage of his parents as we could so we both ordered way more food than a normal human could handle. The meal started off with special chocolate strawberry-banana milkshakes custom made by our waitress, Ashley. She was really interested in our run, being a long distance runner herself, and was glad to hear that our appetites came from long hours of calorie burning and not a tapeworm. She now has the distinction of being the only one in Muncie with a Matt and Brandon shirt. I barely made it through my meal, but I was proud when I finished because it was quite a substantial amount of food. I am definitely full now. One things I can say about I-Hop is that it makes a better dinner than squished bread and oatmeal.

Well, it's 12:30 on my biological clock and I'm pretty tired. Stay tuned in coming days and weeks for special edition posts that may include topics such as our methods for finding and obtaining a place to stay, our routine for making stops and going shopping, and, my favorite, "10 things I hate about Matt." I think letting other people see the things about Matt that I find annoying is a therapuetic way to deal with my aggression and frustrations. It won't be anything huge--just the little things he does that rub me the wrong way. All of these things will be approved by him before I post them so we don't end up really hating each other. It should be fun.

So that's what you have to look forward to in the future. Keep checking and thanks once again for all the support.

Brandon

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