Day 71 - The Road

First off, I'm feeling 90% better today. My stomach is still a bit sensitive, but all other symptoms have disappeared. I got a wonderful night of sleep. Also, new pics posted. Check them out. I'm super impressed with my shoulders.

So today I want to talk about the road from Gainesville, Florida to the Belize border. 2500 miles in 3.5 days. Intense, people. Instead of going through the trip step by step, which I think would be immensely boring, I'm going to touch on some highlights that are PCP related.

One, sitting in a car for 12-16 hours straight is pure torture after being so active for the past 2 months. At the end of Day One, my lower back was in some serious pain. It was so bad I thought I might have trouble sleeping. The pain was partially from sitting ALL DAY, and I think partially from holding in my stinky egg farts. I mean, really, I didn't want to subject Pio to that kind of evil stench. The pain really never subsided; it was always there in the background and most acute after 3 hours of driving. As a passenger, I was able to move around a bit, readjust, take some pressure off, but as the driver, I was stuck in one position until we stopped. It sucked.

Two, there were times during the trip where my snacks and lunches were a bit delayed. This was bad news for my emotional state. Actually, it was a fascinating phenomenon. Pio could tell when I was getting hungry, because my mood swung from chipper, happy Jenny to mean, unfocused, grouchy Jenny. I found it considerably harder to control my temper when it was food time and food was not immediately forthcoming. It wasn't a gradual thing either, it was like a switch flipped. Body says, "FEED ME!!!"

Three, my newfound leg strength made squatting over dirty toilets for long pees so much easier!! I mean, I didn't get tired at all. I actually found myself prolonging my pees just to see how long I could hover over the toilet seat. Awesome new skill.

Four, Mexico has these great new convenience stores scattered all along the road now. OXXOs. OMG!! They were my savior. Ice! They had ice! My milk and yogurt lasted all the way till my last day in Belize because of this godsend. Even more exciting, they were open at 4 AM as we were getting on the road with freshly brewed coffee. Oh OXXO, how I love thee! I've considered writing a letter to the Mexican government and asking that they encourage more of these oases.

Five, I inspired my friend, Pio. As he watched me workout, he remembered his days of martial arts training in Colorado and was determined to get back into decent shape. He was most impressed that I'd done this of my own accord, without any workout buddies. I explained that I had you guys, my TEAM SEXAAAY, and that was the support network that made it possible. In many ways, that is the genius of this project. The accountability. Anyway, here's some pics he took of me working out in Aldama, Mexico. I remember distinctly during this workout the 5 60-second planks. I'm not sure how I completed the last one, but after it was over, I fell to the ground and laughed and cried all at once. I couldn't help it. I was completely overcome with emotion; it was an involuntary reaction.

And, following along this theme, I brought my halfway present, Shambhala, to read in the car. During the hardest part of the road, where we crept along at 35-40 mph because the two lane highway is so bad and there are so many tractor trailers, I pulled it out and began reading it out loud to calm Pio.

An example of the double tractor trailer, pass it or crawl.

What a perfect book for the occasion! It kept me from focusing on the road and feeling stressed by my lack of control over the car, and Pio claims it helped him focus. He also claims that it inspired him to get into public service in Belize. We shall see. :) I gave him the copy before we parted ways. Also, left a copy with Bruce. Bought a new one on Sunday.

Well, y'all, I think that's enough of the road. It's always a great bonding experience, but I was glad when we reached the border. My body was done with being in its boxy, Corolla prison.