Distance today = 56.38 km; Total distance = 4632.19 km; Location = Counselor (6 km east of) – 36 11.677′ N, 107 23.613′ W; Start time = 0846, Finish time = 1648

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/165394350

Had a surprisingly good day, despite a long stretch of nondescript vegetation and town-less rolling hills that could be construed as bordering on boring. However, I felt fine and didn’t get bored at all.

Ran above 2,000 metres all day again, reaching a maximum of 2,232 metres. Not many people do such prolonged altitude training. Too bad I don’t have any races to participate in – only joking, as I am sure I’d get injured if I ran much faster than I’m now used to.

Have to race off now for a shower, and then it’s down the road to a great little place that’s offering Happy Hour on margaritas – woo hoo!!!

Distance today = 47.02 km; Total distance = 4679.21 km; Location = Cuba – 36 01.514′ N, 106 57.629′ W; Start time = 0903, Finish time = 1558

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/165724885

Today I crossed the North American Continental Divide. This is the ridge-line through the Rocky Mountains that divides the directions in which the rivers flow. Any rain that falls on the eastern side of the Divide will flow into the Atlantic Ocean, and that which falls on the western side will flow into the Pacific. This means I’m now on the eastern side of the Rockies.

It was another nice but uneventful run, although a little disturbing to see the number of roadside memorials along this stretch. Usually taking the form of a cross with flowers, there appears to be one on average every mile or so. A particularly distressing case was a large cross with four slightly smaller crosses, two either side. There were no names, but I assume it was dedicated to a parent and four children. Very sad.

I arrived into the town of Cuba today under bright April sunshine – true story. This could only mean one thing, so watch the video (it should be posted soon after this blog). Obviously the sound quality is dubious in the open air, and the singing exhibits clear signs of having just run 47 km without using my voice. But, anyway, I hope you enjoy this excerpt from a 1970s Australian/NZ hit song.

I got the tracker to update when I arrived, via the hotel wireless system. At least you can see where I am currently situated, even if there were no updates during the run.

Distance today = 52.88 km; Total distance = 4732.09 km; Location = San Ysidro (13 km west of) – 35 35.574′ N, 106 53.329′ W; Start time = 0841, Finish time = 1628

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/166136661

No great drama, but today was not one of my best. I just didn’t have a lot of energy and did it a bit tough during the third quarter, but I picked up as the day drew to a close.

A local Albuquerque news crew did some filming on the road just near the end, which helped to pass the time. We’ll try to get that footage posted within the next few days.

We’ve found a new way for the girls to support me during the days when there are no shops or service stations along the way. I decide on certain mile markers, and the support crew drive ahead and leave drinks and food at these pre-arranged locations for me to pick up as I pass by. This allows the girls to go ahead and arrange the accommodation for the day, without having to sit out on the road all day waiting for me. I have even worked out a way to “carry my empties”, as I won’t discard any rubbish while on the road. Apparently many others don’t think similarly, as the sides of the roads are veritable pig sties, with rubbish strewn everywhere. I refuse to follow suit, and arrive in town with empty drink bottles tied to my running belt.

Once again, I had no tracker reception, so it is showing me in the same place as yesterday. Tomorrow will be different, as I know my destination has reception, but until then, refer to the Garmin link for my exact location.

On a lighter note, the girls made me wear Easter Bunny ears for the last little bit of today’s run. You can see how this looks in the photos.

And I was very surprised to hear that yesterday the Sunday Telegraph newspaper in Sydney featured a crossword puzzle in which I was one of the clues. This was definitely a first. Oh well, once again I am simply part of the question, and not the answer.

Distance today = 50.61 km; Total distance = 4782.70 km; Location = Bernalillo – 35 19.185′ N, 106 32.751′ W; Start time = 0920, Finish time = 1655

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/166555858

As you will see from the new video at the top of the page, the Albuquerque TV station, KOB 4, aired a story on my run on last night’s news. I like the way the footage focuses on the actual running. You can see how slowly I make my way during this adventure.

This led to innumerable waves and horn beeps today as I made my way slowly towards the city. At one point a guy called Travis stopped and offered me some water, telling me how he saw me on the news last night. Thanks Travis – it’s nice to have this sort of acknowledgement along the way.

You might also have noticed how the menu bar on this web site is out of whack. This is my fault. I was trying to add a map showing my route so far. All I succeeded in doing was ruining the menu bar. I am going to have to call on my extremely competent sponsors, Next Digital, to clean up my mess. Hopefully it won’t take too long.

To finish, I thought I’d comment on something slightly obtuse – the smell of skunks. I have gotten used to this aroma in recent months, as I reckon there have been at least ten dead skunks I have passed at close quarters. I don’t know how much stronger the smell gets when they are alive and emit the scent from their glands in your presence – perhaps it’s much worse. While I’ve found the skunk scent to be quite uninviting, I reckon it’s still a distant second to the stench of rotting road kill (I should add that the skunks have not been dead long enough for the road kill component to be a factor). All the same, I wouldn’t want to get skunk “juice” on my clothes – they’d be going straight into the garbage bin. No wonder the cat with the painted tail was so intent on escaping from Pepe le Pew.