Well in about 3 hours it will be my birthday and I am still out here running my 10 miles at least everyday. I have been very blessed to have been able to run everyday and contribute to the team my portion that I said I would. Our location for tonight is Jefferson city, Mo. The past week has been really hottttttt. People did not believe me when I said Kansas and Missouri can be as bad as the desert if not worse because of the humidity. You actually have the same temperature with about 80% humidity. I would rather take 10,000 ft altitude over 85 degrees and 80% humidity but in the big picture of things it is only for about 10 days total so I am sure we are all going to make it. Tonight I am planning on doing about 20 miles so that I get my long run in since I have two days to recover afterwards. I am really looking forward to the next two weeks because we are almost back to the east coast and this is where I know the most people. The first major city which I have visited numerous times is Chicago, IL. My parents live about 40 miles West of the city so I am sure they are going to come out and support the cause. Now that we have about 2 full weeks left it is interesting to see how everyone is starting to reflect on the best countries and moments of the trip. For me Mongolia sticks out the most. I really had no clue that the country was going to be that well developed. I had some of the best food there and it was by far the most educational week for me.

Song for the day- “Running On Empty” band- Jackson Browne