Getting in Shape!...Day 15!

This is a short video clip of me talking about "Trey's Trek" that will begin on September 5th, (Labor Day), 2011 from Dearborn, Michigan to Mackinaw, Michigan to help us secure resources for the construction of  our new facility for Dearborn Assembly of God.

Today I woke Paul up about 5:45 AM because he said that he wanted to go walk with me this morning. He arrived home last night from Field Training at Camp Buckner near West Point where he has been living for the last month.  Today, I am still looking forward to breaking my previous record of walking18 miles at one time and thus push on toward 20!

So this morning Becky took us over to the University of Michigan Dearborn by the Interpretive Center and let us off to start our trek there instead of beginning at our house.  I wanted to see how far I could go up Hines Drive today to see what the trail was like up past the 18 mile mark that I previously walked.  I wanted to do this for the expressed reason of being able to get acquainted with the trail before we actually walked it together as a group on September 5th when we do the first leg of "Trey's Trek!"

So we started off quickly and briskly and before I knew it I blew out a shoe!  It was smoking and everything.  I even had to pull out the fire extinguisher to put the 'thang' out!  The new Asphalt track on Hines Drive gets really hot and it just mangled my shoe!!! LOL

I thought that the photo of the shoe was funny!  That is not really my new ASICS shoe and there really was no fire but it was a funny thought! 

Blown Trekking Shoe!



It was a good day to walk!  Paul and I talked about the Field Training and how Jesus kept him from stepping on a rattle snake!  Cool story! 

Although I wanted to reach the 20 mile mark today, we only went 16! 

When I woke Paul this morning, his eyes were almost swollen shut!  It looked like he had been in a fight!  So after Becky dropped us off to begin the walk she called the Doctor to get Paul in to see him.  He had something all over him and we wanted to find out what it was.  Well about 2 hours before I actually stopped for the day, Becky called and said that Paul had to be at the Doctor at 11:45 so she came and picked him and took him to the Doctor back in Dearborn and I continued on toward Northville!  So when they came back to pick me up after seeing the Doctor, I was not as far as I wanted to be but we needed to go home because Becky had an appointment and thus I would have no ride back!  I can tell at that point, walking back home was out of the question for me today! I ain't no sissy but my feet were ready to give out!  The 20 mile goal will have to wait!  But I will get 'cha' sooner or later!

So todate, "Map My Walk" says that I have racked up 152 miles in getting ready for "Trey's Trek"!  This coming Monday there will be roughly 5 weeks out from the September 5th start date and the  perparation that is needed in getting in shape are coming along just fine! 

I may be old but I remember working out in the hot sun for my Daddy in Alabama,  practicing football in August and wrestling in what felt like a sauna!  It is all a  part of my character and quiting is 'anathama!'  "Big Jim" said so!  He would rip my lips off if I quit now! 

I hope that those who are planning on walking with me, are themselves walking to get in shape to be able to walk at least as far as the leg(s) they are planning on walking with me.  They will need the confidence of knowing  that they can, for sure make at least that length of the leg they are going to walk with me and survive!  The Lord bless your steps!

With my feet on the ground "smoking!"

Simply Trey

Getting in Shape!...Day 14!

This morning I awoke at 5:00AM.  Had a cup of coffee and a bowl of cereal.  Took care of business... loaded up my back pack with two Camelbak water bladders.  I repaired the small boots on my walking
sticks with new bike inner tubes and some duct tape and headed out!

This morning I headed up Hines Drive again (that is such a nice walk!) and covered 10 miles today!  It was very hot again but I was feeling strong with relatively few pains that morning!

But Becky this morning took me to the Office and I began my practice trekking from there!  I would like to share some photos with you of some of leg #1 for Trey's Trek that will begin on September 5th 2011... at our office on Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI

Oh, before I do that... Let me show you something that is amazing!  My friend Chris gave this to me!  It is like a small deodorant stick but it has an ingredient that you apply to places on your feet where blisters can occur or are occurring.  It is good stuff!  It really works!  It is called "Friction Block!" Check it out!



OK, Now for the photos of the trail that go to Hines Drive that begins on the property of University of Michigan Dearborn and Henry Ford Estate...

Trail near Henry Ford's House

Trail behind U of M Dearborn

Trail leading around the Garden at U of M Dearborn

Trail as it enters the woods going to the River Rouge Bridge

Trail going over the River Rouge Bridge

Trail leading to Hines Park Drive Past the Rouge River Bridge

This is where you come out of the woods  and the trail joins the Hines Park Drive!  

It is amazing to me that this park splits the whole Metro area of Detroit in two!  When you are here you do not know that there are thousands of houses to your right or to your left!  It is a piece of peace in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Detroit Metro/City life!  I really enjoy it!  Thie park is over 20 miles in length!  Thank you Wayne County Parks for maintaining such a great piece of property for us who live here to enjoy!

Getting in Shape!...Day 13!

Today I felt that I was still recovering from the day before!  These last few days in Michigan as far as the weather is concerned has been very hot with the heat index rising past 100.  


So I just decided to make a quick brisk walk from my house to the office which is 3.6 mile.  


I started out from our house at 6:30AM and reached the Office on Michigan Ave at 7:30AM sharp!  It was already warm outside but not as hot as it would get during the day!  


So for me today it was a like a 'walking sprint' to the office!  


Still trekking, with my feet on the ground!


Simply Trey

Getting in Shape!...Day 12!

Today's Walk was on Monday the 18th.

This morning at 5:30 one team of people left our home and traveled back to Alabama.  It was to be an 11 hour trip for them. They blessed our socks off with their attitudes and actions in working on our church! They came on the heels of another team of folks from Burlington, NC who was with us for a whole week!  Thanks Ya'll for your sacrifice and especially to you Pastor Rob!   Ya'll  please come back!

So after they left, I readied my self to push farther up the road than I did before.  I was thinking "peace to you..". and greeting folks who were walking at 6:00 in the morning...! There are some Regulars that I meet who make walking an exercise that they do consistently!

I was asking the LORD Jesus to Strengthen my legs and feet.  The 18 mile mark that I was able to reach last week was still lingering on in my mind!  I am not sure if it's my age or just not ever doing this much walking before.  But  this day was hot!!!  I had put on a t-shirt and a hooded sweat shirt and doubled my water capacity by adding another Camelbak water bladder to the back pack that I carrying.  I was carry about 15 pounds of water!  I was not aware of it but by the end of this day I would consume over 4 liters of water!  After getting home, I weighed myself again and to my amazement I weighed the same thing after 6.5 hours of walking as I did when I woke up this morning!  I was as wet as if I had jumped into the Rouge River that runs through Hines Park.

It was hot!  95 degrees hot.  For Michigan that is rough heat! It felt alike a sauna outside!  The heat index was up over 100.  In some ways it reminds me of the 'scorcher hot days' in South Alabama, especially on the practice field down at Auburn as we would go out and practice football! But in reality,  I love Michigan Summers.  This kind of weather does not last long here and is tolerable!  My system is made for the cooler climates!  After almost a quarter century of living here that is a fact!

This morning I would pass Mc Donalds on Ford Road just East of Fordson High School.  Nature seemed to be calling again so I stopped there for a bit.  Then I got on my way again... the same thing happened just about the time I got to WalMart a mile down the road!  It was like I was being potty trained!  But I dare not... not pay attention!  I took care of business and headed out again!  Then about half mile up the road on Hines Drive, nature was yelling at me again!  'What in the world!!!  I couldn't figure it out!  So we took care of business again!  Then it was like putting my steps it into overdrive!  I took off!  But I was not moving as swift as I had felt  I was or should have been!  But plotted along with a resolve that I was going to reach 20 miles today...!

I was noticing that from the shadows that were being cast on the ground from the rising sun against the trees that were behind me that my shadow looked like my Daddy walking! Yep, Sonny Hancock!  That shadow walked just like him!  Wow!  What a lesson in life!  Being like my Daddy!  There is a lesson in that somewhere, in fact everywhere!  We will come back to this one later!

Today because of the heat, the shade alone brought great relief!  Then there were the breezes that would blow from time to time. Now just being under a shade for a brief period of time while walking brought great encouragement and relief from the scorching Sun but when the wind would blow as well and I was under the shade... man, was that ever encouraging, invigorating, rejuvenating, relaxing, refreshing...etc!!!  Then I got to thinking about it... There is a lesson there to!  "In the shadow of the All Mighty..!."  "In the wind of His Spirit!"
"Like a mighty wind...!"

Then there was this special treat just for me.  I heard the hum of four very distinct motors coming from behind me and to the right.  Not just regular reciprocating engines but radial engines that put out a unique sound!  I looked up in the air as the sound got stronger, you could actually feel the percussion of the blades beating the air.  I noticed the outline of a B-17 Flying Fortress!  It's vertical stabilizer (tail) was painted bright red!   It was an awesome sight at about 3,000 AGL (off the deck!)!  I really like air planes and that one was something special!  Maybe one day I will get to fly one of those things!

This day I was planning on pushing past the 18 mile mark in my practice walk but the heat was draining me today!  I only reached to 17 miles and asked Becky to come and pick me up!  It was a beautiful site seeing here pull up!  When I got into the car it felt like an ice box inside!   I could feel my feet sizzling from walking on that 8' wide asphalt track that runs the length of Hines Park!  I sat down in that right front seat of our Taurus and thought.... 'Thank you Jesus! ...Becky, you brought me some Gator Aide and a couple of energy bars!  I think she likes me, she sure is "purdy!"  Oh My!!!'

With my feet on the ground!

Simply Trey

Getting in Shape!...Day 11!

I have to tell you that in my life time I have never paid a $100.00 for a pair of running shoes.  But Becky came home with a pair of ASICS that were just that!  But she had some sort of discount coupon and some other items that she used and was able to purchase these fine shoes for half price!  I knew that I would need a 'good' pair so I did not fuss too much but here they are!  Thank you Jesus for providing for my feet!

For the next two days, I did not walk.  I was nursing two different blisters and getting my strength back.

So on the 14th I rose early and determined that I was going to push farther this day and maybe, possibly reach the goal of 20 miles.  I did not know it at the time but it was the longest day yet for any walk that I had taken!

I started out this day right at 6:00AM and headed straight West out Tireman.  Then when I got to Schaefer, I had fully intended to go all the way over to Greenfield and cut down to Ford Road and take my usual bathroom break at WalMart!  God bless WalMart.  But when I reached Schaefer, I sensed that Jesus said to me 'turn left here...', so I did and wound my way from there over to Warren Avenue and then down Greenfield.  When I reached Paul Street which separates Dearborn from Detroit, I cut over toward WalMart because nature was calling and calling really loud!  I took about 10 minutes and headed out again Westward on Ford across Southfield to Hines Drive.

I have to say right here that when you start up Hines Drive it is really a nice view!  For me it changes my whole attitude about walking and in some ways I can relax and get into a smooth gate with my stride and just GO!  This day I was in a groove and seemed to make good time.  I consumed a bunch of water but was able to encourage myself and keep up a stiff pace.

Eventuallly I was able to pass my last place to stop at Nankin Mills.  At this point I was tired but excited that I  made it back here and still had enough stamina to push on!  Nankin Mills for me at that point was just a bit over 15 miles and I wanted to push on to 20 but I was not sure... but I kept trekking!

This day it was over 6 and a half hours from start to finish and after I got home and checked the map I have pushed to just over 18 miles!  When I left Nankin Mills I called a close friend who works in Plymouth at a sign shop called Upper Level Graphics and asked him if he wanted to get lunch.  So he came and picked me up on the side of the road on Hines Park.  20 miles today would not be had but I was really glad to see Matt!
We went and got a sub sandwich and went back to his shop and ate lunch.  Air conditioning is so nice!  I called Becky and she came and got me.

This is the the ceiling on what I have done with my walking in my life!  18 miles is a long way but I am looking forward to pushing past that mark and reaching 20.  I thought that by the end of the week I would have reached that goal but not yet!

I am mentally working at actually walking 300 miles in practice before I actually walk the 300 miles for "Trey's Trek" in September.  At this point we are a wee bit more than 6 weeks out from the start of the event so I think that I can do it!

Still walking, with my feet on the ground!

Simply Trey

Getting in Shape!...Day 10!

This was a whirl wind of a week for me.  Our home has been a lodge for two teams of 6 to 8 guests from North Carolina and Alabama and they were there 'back to back'.  It has been wonderful hearing the Southern accents again. It is like music!  LOL!

This particular morning I started out from the house with the song,...   "Lord, I'm amazed by you..."!  As I walked along... those little irritants that I call 'traveling painers' went from my ankle up to my knee to my hip and seemed to move over into the other leg and sometimes my shoulder.  I know better than to give in to it, by just stopping and giving it too much attention.  So I just 'walk it off!'  Like the football coach used to say when you felt those little pains during practice.  You just pushed through it!  Then there was the heat and uncomfortableness of your feet pounding the ground hour after hour, mile after mile.   It seems that blisters just want to be a part of everything you do!  I can tell you, I pay more close attention to these blisters than I do the other things.  Without my feet... 'I ain't goin' no where!'  They are probably the most important parts of this whole  'shindig' for me!  So physically and spiritually, "Feet" are where it's at!  So if feet are the happening thing, then walking is the mode of transition for me in this event.  Without my feet it would be really hard to do any walking.  So I pay attention to them.

Also the Bible has gotten my attention about 'walking' since that is the basic function of feet! You can use them for other things like kicking people but you don't get very far in life that way!   There are phrases that I like to meditate on... like "walk with the Lord"... .  These are phrases that older Christians used to employ to ask how you were doing with Jesus or just in life.  They would say... "how's your walk...?"  And you would respond that you were either 'on the straight and narrow' or 'on the path' or something like that.  But there was an understanding that 'feet' and 'walking' and traveling was a proper metaphor for how life was going.

That is one reason why this whole event for me is so intriguing!  It deals with real life, like 'on the ground' real life!  Like, life that people lived for thousands of years ago,  up until the advent of the Automobile and powered flight, which I thoroughly enjoy!   I think  for "Trey's Trek",  I am going to learn a whole bunch of lessons just because I know Jesus and I know that He loves teaching and helping me understand what His world is really all about and how it functions and how it should function as He is the King of Kings and the Lord of all Lords!

So for me to "walk with the Lord" is to interact with Him!  "He walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own... and the joy we share while we tarry there, none other, has ever known..."  That old song is right on target with this subject and event!

So this is the day that I reached a target distance of over 15 miles.  It was a personal mile stone for me since I pushed past 14 miles the day before yesterday, which I had never done before up until that time... during one walk.

But it was this day, that I got the news that my friend Johnny Cook passed away!  In fact a text from the night before had come through but I had not noticed it.  I actually got the message about Johnny after sitting down on a pick nick table at Nankin Mills when I reached my destination.  I was waiting on Becky to come and pick me up.  I had not noticed that my phone's red indication light was blinking when I picked up the phone .  Just two hours earlier Johnny has passed while I was making my way up Hines Drive.  It was my friend Rick from Opelika who called while he was with Johnny as he was slipping away.  It was his voice that delivered the news!

So I immediately called Rick back!  It was there at Mid day after Jonny had left this world.  It was a couple of hours earlier that I got the news on my Black Berry but missed it.  To say the least, I was stunned!  It was like being hit in the stomach!  It hurt!  One of my first thoughts was... who is going to fill the ranks?  Who is going to stand in his place and fill in the gap that was left at his passing!  Johnny was unique!  He was a former Football player at Sanford University in Birmingham, a former Auburn University Wrestler under legendary Coach "Swede" Umbach!  He was a former Army Ranger who served in Vietnam!  He was a linguist who was trained in Arabic by the US Army and understood the culture like no other white man I knew!  He lived in North Africa for several years and literally laid down his life so others could come to life and prosper!  He was one of the first coaches that One on One Wrestling here in Dearborn had access to  when we began competing back in the mid 1990's!  He knew Jesus and my heart cried because we need more people like Johnny among us, who are brave and willing to sacrifice their lives for The Kingdom!  Johnny took a back seat to no one but was a servant of all!  He will be greatly missed!  But my question still remains!  Who will fill the gap that he vacated?  Who has the guts to stand in his place and make up the ranks?

Rick did say that they turned Johnny up on his side right at the end because Johnny, himself being a wrestler, in general, don't like being on his back... especially at the end of a match!!!

I thought to myself as I sat there and waited on Becky to come as  my eyes were stinging from the salt and sweat...   'Johnny's Shadow!'  Man was it long!  Those that stood in his shadow and took their instruction from him about LIFE was a winner, in life,  no matter what they did!  This was the day of Johnny's home going!  He will be missed!  I miss him!  He was my brother!

I was tired!  Baked by the sun and my heart sad!  My feet hurt and my energy was drained!   But tomorrow would be another day to push on toward my next goal of walking 20 miles!  But for now, I must rest and regain my strength.  I will be back and I will push farther!  I will win!  Jesus is Lord!

With my feet on the Ground!

Simply Trey

Getting in Shape!...DAY 9

Today I was able to push past the 14 mile mark and walked 15 miles.  But I cannot report on it right now.  We have a very powerful storm passing through and will be back to report after it passes!

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The storm passed but not without mishap!  Many trees and huge limbs were ripped from the trunks of trees and littered the area.  Some streets and many yards were strewn with huge limbs.   Some the trees were just laid on their sides but others were still upright with twisted branches violently ripped off.

There was one car in the area that suffered damage that made the news.  A brand new (2 weeks old Benz) was crushed flat from a tree that was just laid over on it as it was parked in the driveway!  You gotta know that those folks are 'sick to death' over that...!

Tomorrow I will give you a report that will cover several days!
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Simply Trey