Well, Zac and I have made it to our next destination in sunny (actually cloudy but  sunny sounds better) Oceanside! Today, we took our run much easier as Zac and I are definitely feeling the toll that the open road takes on our bodies. We finished our second run over a marathon and have realized in just a short amount of time that if we are not running extremely conservatively, we are going to be paying for it by the evening. Our running style has shifted in the past 48 hours, as we realize that stopping every 4-5 miles to take a 10-15 minute stretch break actually has hurt us instead of helping us. We have decided to take a more linear approach as we will run 2-3 miles and walk 1. We hope that this approach will maximize our efficiency while still enabling for a good amount of time for recovery as we walk. I’m not sure, but we used this method today, so come tomorrow morning, we will know if it worked. We are also finding it extremely hard on our bodies to run on the slope of the road. This has been the biggest killer on our feet, and we are desperately seeking a way around this problem, whether this means running on sidewalks whenever we can, or even running on the other side of the road. Zac and I are especially utilizing these times of walking to not only recover, but allow ourselves to spend a great deal of our day praying. These “prayer runs” are becoming essential as we find each day extremely strenuous. But as our difficulties seem to rise, so does our trust in Jesus. We have become increasingly determinant on completing this run, not for our glory, nor to shine light on a tremendous feat, but instead to exemplify the work that Christ is doing in our lives and wants to do in every believer. Each day is an ever growing reminder that Zac and I cannot complete this run on our own. This is hard. At times impossible. But we see that this is the path that Jesus has called us to, and we are going the distance.

Hey guys, so Zac and I just did our first run and it was a beautiful day for a run. We quickly realized after leaving Mexico that San Diego is much harder to navigate than our hometown of Phoenix. We got lost a couple times, and after some close calls, finally made it to the beautiful La Jolla Beach reserve where we relaxed our tired legs in the Pacific ocean. We also had a little mishap with the person who we were supposed to be staying with tonight, I guess the person we were supposed to stay with either doesn’t exist, or is wondering when we are supposed to get to his house. Zac and I are definitely a little sore, but with a good nights sleep tonight and maybe a little Tylenol, we should be right back in the game and ready to crank out another 27 miles. Keep praying guys, we are being divinely protected! We’ll keep you guys posted!

Hey guys, we just finished getting the last of all we needed, and we are set to roll! Zac and I did a little 5 miler this evening and got some dinner at Luigis on Mission Blvd, gotta love carb loading. After some careful last minute downsizing, Zac and I had to reduce even further the amount of gear we would be carrying, so as not to overweigh the baby jogger. Please be praying, we are having to trust in God so much since we are running with literally, only the bare essentials, I’ll put a photo up to show you guys what we will be pushing! We are so excited to get started tomorrow morning, hopefully we can get some sleep tonight. Here is the website to see our exact location on any given day, https://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=1smq0CP17hO3xmyRUFpPGVSpPnCdhJaq7. The password is blessthecoast and we will be updating everyday after we finish our run. I’ll post the link on another page, stay in touch guys and keep praying for protection from injury!

All the miles for training have been logged, hundreds of gatorades have been drank, and many times have we had to convince people that we are not crazy for doing this run. We are ready, and on our way to San Diego in the morning. The following day (Thursday May 12) we will be heading down to Tijuana, Mexico early to start our first run, 28.5 miles.

Hundreds of people have been a part of this in many different ways. From providing shelter, financial support, prayer, and encouraging us as our start date draws near. You all know who you are and we thank you so much. You have truly blessed Paul and me. We wanted to thank Sole Sports in Tempe for partnering with and sponsoring us in this run. It takes a lot from a company to help us in this way and we really love you guys and gals over there at the running store. We highly recommend them for any of your running needs. Thanks also to 3TV Good Morning Arizona for letting us steal the show on mother’s day and get to talk about Jesus and our run. And Ashley and Daniel, your creativity that you have been blessed with has been so cool to have been a part of this run. Keep using it! Open Door Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ, you guys also have been such a huge part of this, help, and encouragement with all of the friendships that we have with you all, as you have caught the vision of what we are doing.

We will be updating the blog on this website as much as we can with stories, photos, videos, and some fun interactive polls for you to take part in. Also, there will be a link on “The Run” page with a updated route, showing where we are on that specific day! Also, on the “Mission” page, near the bottom there will be a link to sign up for a specific day to pray for us throughout the summer if you would like to sign up. Don’t forget to join the Facebook group where a weekly update will be sent out. But the website will ultimately have more updates and information. So keep in touch with us, be praying for us, and follow along our journey on Facebook and this website with us!

In my own words… “Hear from us, Zac Walberer and Paul Bell, about our summer run from May 14th through August 12th, Tijuana Mexico to Abottsford Canada. 1,755 miles under the Pacific sky for 3 months. It is an opportunity to support, pray for, contribute, and hang out with us while hearing more about what it is we are actually doing before we leave the following week.” It will be held at Open Door Fellowship Church (Click here for directions) on May 7th at 7:00pm. Come, bring others, and bless us before we leave. Plus it will be fun! Free high fives all night long!

Last weekend, February 27-28, Paul and I had the opportunity to be a part of one of the coolest races that takes place in the US. There are a few other states who host this event and Arizona is lucky enough to have their own as well. The race is a 12 man team relay that started in Prescott, AZ and ended the following day (Saturday) in Mesa, AZ. The entire race is 202.2 miles long and consists of the participants running three legs of the race out of the 36 total legs. I was runner number one for our team so I got to start off our team in Prescott and then run the thirteenth and twenty-fifth legs. The teams run all through the night and finish throughout the next day at a park. Out of the 233 teams that participated in the event our team finished third overall! We had so much fun and are looking forward to next year already. The relay is named Ragnar Relay Del Sol. More information can be found at www.ragnarrelay.com

Click photo for more

Zac and I started our base training last week, and things are going great! As we continue to rack up the miles, we are getting more and more excited about this summer. We realize full well that this journey is not one we can do, or should do alone. We thank God for your continued prayers and support, and we are so stoked to see the body of Christ starting to share the same excitement about this summer that Zac and I have! As we begin really increasing our miles this next week, I want you all to pray with us for protection from injury. As we are in the last few months before the run, it becomes increasingly important that we stay healthy and disciplined in our training. You all are awesome and we thank God for you!

Site is up and running! We officially launched our ministry and have been informing people about our purpose since Sunday night the 25th of January. So spread the news as well! Check out the rest of the site, and see the How you can help section on the Mission page for information on how you can be supporting us in an array of different ways (in particular shelter and lodging along the coast). Peace.

Yesterday Daniel Kim, Paul, and I went out to Papago Park and had a little photo sesh for the website. Daniel did such an amazing job with the pictures. I’m so impressed. While we were out there, Paul and I had to do a lot of the shots more than once which was actually kinda nice. We haven’t ran in a week now because of resting our legs before we start training for the summer, so it was nice doing some strides and getting our legs back into those movements. The photos should be up within the week on the photos page and we are still working on completing the site. Thanks for visiting the site.

Right now Paul and I have been training in Tempe, AZ for the Arizona Rock & Roll Half-Marathon. Although injuries and a cold have set me back in my training I am more looking forward to the training that will come for the summer after the Half Marathon is over. Take a look around at the site and spread the word about our cause and mission to transform the Pacific Coast this summer through the gifts God has blessed me and Paul with.