On the advice of his doctor, Steve's decided
to spend the day resting his Achilles tendon.
"I don't want to give up yet, but I'm
considering some alternative plans if I can't run again tomorrow," said Steve. "My
team is still moving forward today on their cycles, and there is a chance I can
finish this out on a bike as well. I also know a few marathon runners who could
each pick day to run. But I'm trying to focus my energy on running tomorrow
rather than what will happen if I don't."
Regardless of whether he runs, rides or
drives, Steve will continue along his planned route leading up to Earth Day. "The
run was to bring attention to organics, and I'm committed to that mission. The
run doesn't really matter as much as meeting people and getting the message out
there."
We couldn't agree more, Steve. One of Steve's
supporters and chef on the trip is Derek Roler of Iowa City - pictured here with his organic
bok choy.
Since Steve's mission is about spreading
the organic message, here are a few statistics to chew on during lunch:
~ The term organic can only be
applied to products grown and/or produced without chemicals and pesticides. The
USDA Organic Seal is your assurance they've passed the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's rigorous testing. No similar definition exists for the term
natural and can in fact mean just about anything. As Steve says, natural can
include organic, but not all natural products are organic.
~ In Iowa where Steve's running, only 100,000
acres of farmland are certified organic - 1% of the available farmland.
~ Iowa ranks number 4 in the U.S. for organic farmers.
Steve has a massage planned for later today,
more ice for his heel and some yummy organic food from Derek to replenish his
resources. If you want to show Steve you're behind him and his mission, leave a
comment or email me (editor@nomadik.com) I'll post your letters here to let Steve know
that not only is failure not an option, it's not even possible.
Julia Rosien,
Nomadik Editor