Here are the top ten stories and quirks from our first full week of running in the States:

- We met a terrific couple from Washington, D.C., Debra and Peter, along US-1 in Big Sur. They were really interested in what we’re doing, and showed their support by cheering Lansing across the Bixby Bridge and helping us hand out stickers to people in Big Sur. We hope to see them again when we pass through D.C. Peter might even close his office so they all can join us for a run!

- We often take ice baths after our runs to ease our swollen muscles and aid recovery. I took my favorite ice bath yet last week in the Pacific’s cool waters along the Big Sur coast. Looking out at the mystical beauty of Big Sur beats the view of bathroom tile any day!

- At our exchange point in Santa Monica, one fan brought a Tupperware container of homemade chocolate chip cookies for us to enjoy. We were so happy to have a treat that we sampled them from the stage. Yum!

- The word got out in Las Vegas, our team made two live TV appearances (Sean and I were on CBS and Simon and Dot were on NBC), and also participated in numerous radio and newspaper interviews. Now, if only we could somehow get a cut of the casinos’ profits!

- My run out of Las Vegas finished at a bar & grill that screamed “Vegas,” complete with the requisite flashing sign and girls hanging out of a truck outside. While I was running, Lansing got the people in the bar so excited about Blue Planet Run, that I arrived to a cheering crowd. As if that wasn’t enough, I later found out that the owner of the bar had given us two bottles of wine and a $1,000 donation!

- We switched from the 9am-3pm to the 3pm-9pm shift, meaning that we now run into sunsets and are rewarded with Dill’s famous barbeque at the end of the shift. Dill is the kind-hearted, “dad-to-all” leader of Ignition, the company running BPR logistics. At the end of each day, Dill barbeques burgers for the team that runs the evening shift. Wow, we’ve come a long way from the days of beer and mayo for dinner!

- Along the highway between Las Vegas and Escalante, Utah, a local pulled over to see what Blue Planet Run was all about. Toby, a middle-aged reformed hippie type with tanned skin and a warm smile was so excited about the run and the cause that he took notes as we told him about our journey, made a donation, and took home a t-shirt for his wife.

- To help battle the Mojave Desert heat, we’ve started drenching our teammates with ice-cold sponges at miles 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10. The cool water is a shock to our systems, but an easy way to keep our body temperatures down. Plus, I think Lansing likes getting a sponge bath from
his teammates!

- We finished one of our Utah runs a few miles out of Escalante, a small town known as one of the best launching pads to Utah’s gorgeous outdoor playground. The manager of our hotel in Escalante was so excited about the Blue Planet Run that she called everyone she knew and invited them to come to watch the runner pass by at 9:30pm. A huge crowd turned out to cheer on Heiko, pumped up by music, dancing, pizza and beer. Sometimes the small towns create the strongest memories.

- The running in Utah has been gorgeous. We constantly feel like we’re running into a movie set, as wide views of red rocks, glistening plateaus, deep canyons, and bright blue skies await at every turn.