I’m starting to get my old energy levels back now, more than a week after finishing the Big Red Run. I rode over a few mountains on Saturday, totalling more than 4000 feet of ascent, with much of it at around a 10% gradient. That took it out of me a bit and I could feel some residual fatigue from the BRR. It should be fine in two weeks, though, when I start cycling over the Alps in Europe. I certainly hope I’m OK by then, or I’ll be in a bit of trouble.

As for running, my only real issue continues to be the foot that I injured on the first day of the BRR. I’m not sure if it’s just a deep bruise, or perhaps there’s a small crack in one of the bones? I normally much prefer hard surfaces like the road, but for the first time ever, running on grass feels much better – or less painful at least. And it’s causing my Achilles to do abnormal work, resulting in soreness there too. The good thing is, I’ll soon be concentrating on cycling for a month, which should give both issues in my right foot time to heal.

Today’s photo from my world run was taken on the coast road from Ventura to Malibu in California. The shoulder was extremely wide, and the traffic was very light – lighter than it appears in this photo. It was quite an easy day of running (I finished the day at Malibu). The terrain doesn’t vary too much, so it was a touch boring.

On This Day

Jul 10, 2012

Distance today = 50.29 km; Total distance = 9052.06 km; Location = Whitelaw, Wisconsin – 44 08.568′ N, 87 50.211′ W; Start time = 0900 Finish time = 1736

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/197944714

It’s amazing how a week of super hot weather can acclimatize you to running in normal heat. The past few days have been in the low to mid 30s Celsius, and I’ve felt perfectly comfortable all day.

Today I headed toward Lake Michigan. I really wanted to visit Green Bay and Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers. This football team really punches above its weight – it has won some memorable Superbowls, even though it’s easily the smallest city to have an NFL team. However, I’ve found myself about two days short of getting there based on my schedule. So it will have to wait till next time.

The day was very pleasant as I ran through green pastures of corn and alfalfa and golden fields of wheat. The region is still obviously a bastion of previous Scandinavian and German settlers, as attested by the headstones in the cemeteries.

Following on from yesterday’s “question” theme, I thought I’d answer one that has been asked often of late – “how’s your ankle?”: I’m managing it quite well with some strapping (simple duct tape), which simulates the role of the sore tendon, relieving it from hyper-extension. Some days it’s great, and some days it’s not. However, it’s never more than an annoyance, and does seem to be getting better over time. I’ll be having a rest day in about a week, which should help as well.