Distance today = 50.79 km; Total distance = 7165.61 km; Location = St Lawrence (30 km north of) – 44 45.911′ N, 98 54. 018′ W; Start time = 0831, Finish time = 1644

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/184823118

My favourite running terrain is probably mountain trails, followed by winding coastal roads, but a close third is the beautiful rural countryside like I ran through today. Lush fields of grain and young corn, peppered with rustic farm buildings and shady trees. make for a very tranquil running experience.

But wait, there’s more – throw in an ultra quiet backroad to the mix described above, and you have running heaven. I found such a road at the 20 km mark, and stayed on it for the rest of the day. Why would I leave? I was able to run in the middle of the road all day long which, being the flattest part of the road surface, is definitely my preference.

In the past week or so, I’ve been exposed to wild pheasants for the first time. These birds, which are far from the most gainly in flight, are constantly being startled by me running by their nests in the long grass by the road. They burst out from their cover, flying wildly in seemingly random directions. I don’t think they’re too smart, as many of them obviously fly straight into the path of oncoming traffic, judging by the amount of pheasant roadkill I’ve observed.

Speaking of roadkill, I saw my first chipmunk today. It had sadly met an untimely demise. I also saw what looked like a giant ferret, but have been informed it was a musk rat.

The past three days have all been amazingly similar in distance. While I have aimed to do a bit over 50 km in each instance, the closeness is simply a coincidence.

The tracker is still showing me in Miller, although I am now about 35 km to the north-east. It should update tomorrow when I reach the next major town.