The first day of the Dane to Davenport is going to be hectic. With my speech at DreamBank at the end of the day but not particularly late in the evening, I am going to have to complete all 50+ miles then race back to Madison to talk. However, my second day should be more relaxed with my talk coming in the middle of the day as I run pass Freeport, Illinois.
When I discussed the possibility of this adventure almost a year ago, I so happened to be talking with some runners who lived along the route. They proposed to not only run along with me for portions of the run but thought that a school they had connections with would be a perfect venue for my second day speech. So, as things just sometimes happen, the next thing I know I was scheduled to speak at an elementary school in Freeport, IL.
I love talking to kids. Somewhere around in our mid 20s we hear things that can be inspiring but instead make us think of the things we have not completed that we wanted to do. While many are still driven to then achieve their own dreams, others need to buttress their own perceived failures by tearing down the accomplishments of others. Children, on the other hand, hear about amazing things and it simply fuels their fire to do what they want to do, regardless of any connection the amazing thing they heard has to the amazing thing they wish to do.
As I leave the Jane Addams Trail just a few miles north of Freeport, I will be about halfway done with my journey. But I hope talking to these kids will be the first step for their own adventure planning.
