Distance today = 50.61 km; Total distance = 9757.19 km; Location = Litchfield – 39 10.547′ N, 89 40.307′ W; Start time = 0823 Finish time = 1622

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/203412376

Ahhhh, it was a such a pleasure to run in cooler temperatures. It was still in the low 30s Celsius, but that counts as comfortable these days. Factoring in the cloud cover and breeze, it was so much better than yesterday.

I began on some very quiet back roads, which helped even more. Once again, I was running between crops of corn and soy beans. The corn is really suffering, and much of it around here will be next to useless when harvest time comes around.

The back roads continued into the afternoon. These roads are important, as they afford me a much more stable surface, where I don’t have to continually jump off the road as I do on the busier thoroughfares. My ankle is much better because of it.

Just a quick explanation about the temperatures I’ve been quoting of late. Most weather reports use “in the shade” temps, which is the logical thing to do – these are more stable and less susceptible to the effects of adjacent materials. However, I’m not running in the shade, so I feel it is more logical in my  case to measure the temperature “in the sun”. The problem here is that the result can depend strongly on where you place the thermometer. Placing it on metal, for example, will give a very inflated reading. I make sure the thermometer is in the same basic location as I am, and not near thermal conductors like metals. This was how the 140F result was obtained yesterday. It is worth adding, if this temperature had been recorded in the shade (which it wasn’t), it would have been the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Just finally, I am actually feeling much stronger the past couple of days. I am not feeling the injuries at all most of the time. The main concern now is the heat, but it looks like I will have some respite from it for a few days. Small mercies!