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.

Distance today = 51.89 km; Total distance = 7217.50 km; Location = Redfield (10 km east of) – 44 52.739′ N, 98 22.928′ W; Start time = 0851, Finish time = 1655

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/185326610

Biting flies, birds flying decoy, and crop dusters – it was all happening in the air today. For the first time on the entire run I was bitten by insects, and while I was running too. They were only flies, but they were vicious.

Many birds in this area have young in nests by the side of the road. As I run by, they swoop close to me, making lots of noise to try to distract me and lead me away from their nests. There are several species doing the same thing. Once they deem I’m safely past, they return to their nests. I’m just glad they don’t actually attack you and draw blood, like magpies do in Australia – another reason I want to be finished this run before October next year.

I saw three different crop dusting planes in the air this morning. The pilots are real acrobats, dropping to within a few metres of the ground before letting go of their “dust”. It certainly looked dangerous to me. I wonder how many “come a cropper”?

It was a very hot one again today; 32C, but I am pleased with how I’m handling it. The roads were generally very quiet again, at least during the first half. At 20 km I reached a very nice lake that I ran along the shore of for about 4 km. It reminded me a lot of rural Sweden, north of Uppsala, including the red barns. Carmel very patiently provided me with drinks at appropriate spots along the road for three hours this morning, culminating in a nice late morning snack by the lake.

Today marked a new record for me – one I knew I’ d smash this year. I passed my previous highest yearly mileage, which I set just last year in preparing for this run. I will more than double that personal best this year.

Distance today = 51.97 km; Total distance = 7269.47 km; Location = Clark  – 44 52.679′ N, 97 44.436′ W; Start time = 0821, Finish time = 1624

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/185682690

It was another hot one, and even now, at 5:15 pm, it’s over 30C. Remember too, whatever the official temperature is in the shade, I’m experiencing it quite a bit hotter on the road in the direct sunshine.

I think it got to me, as my legs had nothing by the end of the day. The busy road with no shoulder (yes, I was back on one of these today) did nothing to improve the day. The forecast is for the next week to be above 30C, and tomorrow will be on the same road as today, so I’d better steel myself for another tough day.