I received the call yesterday at 4:46pm from Mayo Clinic.

On Sunday, I told Yash as we were walking towards Gainseville that I was thinking to cancel the MRI because I could make it. When one of the dogs came at us on the road, Yash inadvertently stepped on my right shoe and the misstep caused an explosion of pain in my right shin so that i needed to stop and get on my knees. Yash was adamant I get the MRI and I did.

At 4:46pm I am 100% certain that i will hear from the doc that I have a shin splint and will be able to work through it. In slow motion it all changes when i hear the words, “Grade 3 stress fracture….”. I simply could not believe it.

Alex called his father in Brazil who is an ortho specializing in legs and who is doc for Brazilian national volley ball team. When Alex was 4 years old and lived with me in the United States, his father would come stay with us to visit Alex and we would work out together. When i developed compartmental syndrome in my calf in 2012 after the Brazil 135, he helped me work through a dangerous situation; I trust him completely because he is a great doctor, knows the athlete I am and we share Alex. He called us back around 9pm EST as he works late hours and while Alex displayed the disk w MRI images over SKYPE for hundreds of images, he would tell Alex when to fast forward and when to stop to review the film. He found the right slides and confirmed the diagnosis. I asked him what he recommended and he told me, “no meds will heal this, only weightless rest, you heal well and i think in 3 weeks minimum you might be able to build on something where you start easy and add 10% per day.” I asked is that starting at 5 miles or 20 miles?!? He told me that is the decision i have to make and that if I’m wrong it will hurt and be a set back that will take longer.

Always a reason for things…Gabe is home and his birthday is April 23rd. He is bringing his girlfriend, Shelby, home to meet us for the first time. Monica misses me. I miss her. RV needs help - awning gone, accidents have created issues. And now i have a stress fracture. Plan D! Alex and I will head home and i will get medical treatment at Mayo and address all of the above issues. Push pause -

May 1st push play! Assuming clean MRI, Alex and I will go back to Gainseville and resume the journey - 410 miles complete and 3,090 mile to go.

I’m feeling great - other than a bum shin - and hungrier than ever to pursue this quest.

We rendezvoused with Jacqueline and Yash as they headed home after anniversary and had a final meal.

Tonight I am with longtime friend Rich Lenihan who flew in to spend his 62nd birthday with me. We are staying in an RV park in Dahlonega and then heading home Friday. Rich will not get the road experience but he is perfect for the RV lifestyle intro. Meeting Cheryl who doesn’t drink but enjoys looking at the pictures of a knife magazine kicks off the night! Looking forward to getting home - assuming nothing strange happens and with Rich around, things always happen…like when he and I flew to Rio in 1991 and we met a girl from Rio de Janeiro named Monica…

Keep the Faith.

Thank you all for your ongoing support.

More to come.

David.