As every runner knows, an injury can be very frustrating. It’s not too hard to bear when the injury is improving rapidly, but when it’s not …….

And improvement doesn’t always come steadily. Sometimes it occurs in fits and starts. Even during a run itself. For example, today my lower left calf and Achilles was hurting quite a bit during the first couple of kilometres. The second half of the run, however, I was running as if I had no injury at all. You just can’t pick it.

On This Day

Aug 31, 2012

Distance today = 54.91 km; Total distance = 10,882.31 km; Location = Portland, Tennessee – 36 35.404′ N, 86 35.812′ W; Start time = 0826, Finish time = 1705

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/217224361

Today was a bit of a slog. A late night watching live music on Nashvillle’s music street, Broadway, coupled with an extremely humid day, made it a little tough getting through 55 km. But get through it I did.

Running out of Nashville was, at times, like yesterday’s run in – on roads that were built with no consideration for pedestrians. Once out of the city, however, the shoulders widened. The rest of the day invovled much better road conditions.

I passed through the small town of Goodlettsville today. I don’t expect that any of the readers of this blog have ever heard of the place before. Amazingly, this little town recently achieved a monumental feat. It’s Little League baseball team, made up of 12 and 13 year olds, won the US Championships and went on to be runners up in the World Series (a real world championships, involving multiple countries) to a team from Japan. Quite impressive for such a small town.

Just before the end of the day a summer shower got me pretty wet, but it was nice to experience running in cooler weather. I wouldn’t mind a little more of that.

Aug 31, 2013

Distance today = 51.02 km; Total distance = 25,669.83 km; Location = Mangoplah, NSW (12 km north of) – 35 17.257’ S, 147 18.186′ E; Start time = 0842, Finish time = 1623

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/367854733

The Hud has done it again – he’s a machine. He ran the whole day with me, totalling another 51 km. That means he has run 111 km in the past two days, more than two marathons on consecutive days.

He has set all sorts of records. Besides yesterday’s 60 km being the largest one day total, today he passed Eric’s combined total for two consecutive days of 81 km, and Dave’s combined total for three days of 110 km – and he managed that in just two days. He is also the only person to have run the whole day with me on more than one occasion.

It was amazing to watch him in action – his voracious appetite for records, and his steely determination to achieve them, despite the toll it was taking on his body. I was only going to run 50 km today, but he made me do 51 km, so that he could capture Dave’s three day record too. The only record he doesn’t have now is Chook’s aggregate of 272 km (Hud is on 195 km). Chook must be quaking in his boots – lucky for him, The Hud and Sue go home tomorrow.

It was an absolutely beautiful day, running through fields of canola under cloudless skies and in windless air. We were visited on the road by Jo’s uncle and aunt, David and Carol. They’d driven out to say hello.

Sue and Carmel went on to Mangoplah, where they met Jenny, who drove down from Sydney today. Jenny was last part of the support crew in Phoenix, in March of last year. It’s good to have her back. Actually, Sue and The Hud were last part of the support crew in Hungary, in April of this year, so we now have several old hands on board.

Maxine, Damien, and the kids passed us too, on their way to the local rugby grand final. They also stopped in to see the girls in the Mangoplah pub.

Tomorrow I run through Wagga Wagga, which I have been looking forward to since last year. One reason is that is means I’m close to home, but it also allows me to catch up with my old mate from the mid 70s, Watto Watto from Wagga Wagga. Watto is Mr Simile, or is it The Simile King? More on that in tomorrow’s blog.