Distance today = 49.90 km; Total distance = 20,968.32 km; Location = Kumburgaz – 41 01.507′ N, 28 27.969′ E; Start time = 0910, Finish time = 1712

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/313095988

I saw and smelled the ocean today for the first time in four months. I had run about 13 km when I crested a hill, and there before me was the Sea of Marmaras. It’s not very big on a world scale, but it still counts as a sea. In fact, you can’t see the other side, so it looks just like the Pacific or any other large ocean.

The second half of the day was spent running close to the sea or, in some cases, right alongside it. The Turks obviously value the real estate along the sea shore, as it is a non-stop strip of shops and residential buildings.

Barry ran the last 15 km with me today, which bring him up to 86 km in total. Will he manage 14 km tomorrow, on my final leg into Istanbul?

Happy birthday to Libby when she awakes in a few hours in Sydney. Last year we celebrated her birthday in Nebraska. Wow, it really doesn’t seem a whole year ago.

PS The Garmin was somehow turned off today, and missed 5.12 km of the run, calculated via Google Earth. I have added this missing distance back into the stats, giving a total of 49.90 km for the day.

PPS Now, this is what a world run is all about. I am here on the seventh floor of our hotel, enjoying an Efes beer, while watching the sun set over the Sea of Marmaras and listening to the exotic sound of a wailer calling the local people to prayer from the minaret of a nearby mosque.