When Aprylle Gilbert was last in Fairhaven, she was busy carb loading and anxiously preparing for the final days of her cross-country run across the United States. On Friday, ten days after she completed her run from Long Beach, California, to Provincetown, she was more subdued, sipping beer and thinking about her next destination.

“I just took a big, long tour of the back roads of America,” said Gilbert.

For the past four months, Gilbert has been running across the country via U.S. Route 6. She hoped to use her 3,652-mile trek as a means to raise money for Washington United Youth Center, an organization that provides support to disadvantaged children in her hometown of San Jose, California.

For her efforts, Sept. 15 was declared Aprylle Gilbert Day in Provincetown by the Provincetown Board of Selectmen. She was also awarded with the President’s Volunteer Service Award.

The award came with a gold medal and a letter signed by President Barack Obama. The letter thanks Gilbert for “helping to address the most pressing needs” in her community.

“They spoiled us completely rotten in Provincetown. We were treated like royalty,” she said.

Shortly after entering Massachusetts on Sept. 12, she was concerned that running more than 30 miles every day since May 11 had caused plantar fasciitis to flare up in her left foot. She said her trip from Fairhaven to Provincetown wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Not only did she contend with an injury, her shoes were wearing thin from overuse.

“I could start to feel every rock,” she said. “My foot hurt, and I was starving.”

Things began to improve during the final stretch. Gilbert had journeyed across America with José Reyes, who acted as a support driver, ensuring Gilbert’s safety as she ran along Route 6. During the final five miles of the trip, the two ran together.

“It was so beautiful,” said Gilbert. “I was so happy because we were running along the Cape, and it was gorgeous. There’s all these beautiful beach shacks and inns. You could see the ocean.”

Gilbert initially had estimated that she raised about $10,000 for the youth center. But soon after completing her journey, she found out that she fell short of that goal. Currently, she’s raised $6,605.

“To me, it doesn’t seem like that much. I wish I could give them ten grand,” she said. “It’s not over yet.”

Gilbert said that, after she returns to California, she hopes to hold a fundraising event, possibly auctioning off some of the mementos and photographs she collected during the cross-country run.

Reyes and Gilbert will be making their way home via car. While they plan to choose the most direct path back to California, they intend to stop at various places along Route 6 to catch up with those they met along the way.

“I’ve been writing notes on my iPhone, writing all my thoughts and feelings as we’re going back and remembering things. I might tell this story in reverse order,” said Gilbert.

“In the meantime, I feel like a deflated balloon. But, that’s okay. It’s part of the deal.”

Donations to the Washington United Youth Center can be made through Gilbert’s Crowdrise site here: www.crowdrise.com/coasttocoastforkids