The past few Thursdays I’ve run a timed 1 km at a fast pace. I didn’t want to get stuck in too much of routine, so yesterday I decided to do a bit of a different speed session. I ran 13 km, with the last 100 metres of each kilometre at a much faster pace. With my Garmin watch telling me my average pace, I could see the average time per kilometre coming down after each fast section. It was a new way of doing speed work for me, providing something novel to keep me interested.

Just a quick reminder about my fund raising page for the Big Red Run. There’s a minimum I must raise before I’m allowed to compete in the event, so please consider making a small donation to help research into juvenile diabetes. You can do so via the following link:

https://bigredrun2017.everydayhero.com/au/tom-s-next-step

This is a bleak photo. It was taken near Prescott, Arizona on my world run. I wasn’t prepared for the sudden snow storm, spending much of the day feeling freezing cold. You can probably imagine how it feels to be out in this sort of weather all day long with wet and frozen feet.

On This Day

May 12, 2013

Distance today = 51.93 km; Total distance = 20,822.22 km; Location = Kuleli, Turkey – 41 30.119′ N, 26 57.260′ E; Start time = 0852, Finish time = 1740

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/311647492

Another day closer to Istanbul, and the end of my European leg – only four days to go now.

The roads here in Turkey have so far been excellent for running – the best I have encountered anywhere in the world. The one I’m running on at the moment has a fantastically smooth surface, with a wide shoulder. It is also relatively quiet for such a good road. I couldn’t ask for more.

Early on I passed through the city of Edirne, which has one of Turkey’s largest mosques. It is very impressive, with several minarets and lots of adornments. There seemed to be lots of Turkish tourists in the town, but not many westerners.

A little later, I was passed by four cyclists, who I caught up with soon after at a petrol station. They were from France, and were heading to various parts of the world. It was good to stop and have a chat for a while.

It got quite hot during the afternoon, until a breeze hit – which was greatly appreciated. Barry again ran the final 12 km of the day with me. His total is now up to 64 km.