Day 4 – Around the Horn

Being a Michigander, I’m pretty pleased to see Kirsten has made it around Lake Michigan today (via the southern route!) – makes me feel like she’s a little closer to home. I’m sure she’s just thinking – get in, get receipt, picture, odometer, and get out again! When we talked last night, she was pretty tired, but after a good long rest, it appears her batteries are recharged. Five more states today and counting.

In other good news, if you’ve been watching the IBR dailies, you’ll see our friend Roger Sinclair (farkle king of Kirsten’s bike) is back in the 48 states after making the trip up to Hyder, Alaska at the beginning of this trip. I seriously thought he was crazy – but he’s beatin’ feet back across the states to make it to New York tomorrow.

The end of this first leg is near Buffalo, NY. Riders must be at the checkpoint by 8:00 p.m. tomorrow (Friday). Kirsten’s hoping to get there a little sooner, hug friends that are working the checkpoint, get scored and get to sleep. IBR mantra – if you’re not riding or routing, you should be sleeping.

I think she's doing great, making smart decisions. She said she’s stretching at gas stops and rest breaks, and eating all the protein and carbs she packed. Nutrition is key to keeping up your energy and endurance. We learned this especially while training for a half marathon last year. She planned ahead and brought what she needed and has plans to restock at the checkpoints. As our trainer said, “proteins burn in a carbohydrate flame.” You need both to keep moving.

Tally (17 of 48): Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.