Day 67: I'm Tired.

No, I am not complaining, I am just stating a fact tonight. I am dead on my feet tired. I guess that comes with running 1,040 miles in 52 days. Oh well, I'll continue to put one foot in front of the other until I make it home to Spencer or until I pass out on the side of the road, whichever comes first, haha. I was very fortunate to have level ground most of the day today, not sure I could have even handled the slightest mound. Although I am physically exhausted, I am still very excited about tomorrow's run. At the end of the day tomorrow, I will officially be halfway home!! To re-quote my sister, who was quoting my father's quote, "there's nothing to it, all you have to do is run home now". Such a witty man is my father, haha. Kind of a smartass, which is obviously where I get it.
Tomorrow will be a major test of my olfactory sense, as I will be running by about 2 miles of nothing but cattle. I don't mean the occasional cow here and there, I mean hundreds of thousands of cattle, right along the roadside, just hangin' out, grazin' and, well, you know, processing the food. Now, along the way, my nose has been witness to some very lovely aromas, from diesel fuel, to propane gas dealerships, to the many, many, MANY dead animals rotting along the roadside. There is nothing quite like gasping for breath while exercising, and breathing in a nice big whiff of rotten coyote carcass that has been cooked to a medium-rare by the burning hot sun for a couple weeks. The good thing about the high winds out here is that they keep the smell from permeating my nostrils for long periods of time. Usually, I get to waft the scent of Eau de Antelope for a few minutes, and then it's gone. However, tomorrow will be a much more direct, and extended battering of my schnozz. 2 full miles, roughly 1 1/2 hours, of basking in the sweet, pungent aroma of cow. I imagine by the end of this trip, I'll be like a wine snob, only with disgusting smells. I'll have a very sophisticated palate for discerning between dead deer, and dead antelope, between black angus, and hereford cattle dung. Oh the joys of the outdoors. At least I won't have to worry about energy for about 2 miles. If I've got anything in the tank at all when I reach Cow Central, I may pull out my Usain Bolt impersonation once again and sprint through at blinding speed. I may even have Mom use a stopwatch for the 2 miles, in case I break any world records (assuming they aren't wind-aided).
Anyway, as you can all tell, my spirits are still very high, even though my energy levels haven't been for a few days. I'm not worried about the energy though. Some days are just gonna be like this. As long as I continue to get up each morning, and move forward 20 miles at a time, I will accomplish my goal. And there will be more good days than bad, I believe. Hopefully tomorrow will be a good one. Even with the wonderful smells of nature in my nose. Night.