Until my run around the world, injuries were not a mystery to me. Not that I had too many, but when I did, I knew why they occurred. During and since the world run, however, I’ve had ailments which I can’t really explain. The most mysterious are those that occur when I ease off the running. They’re usually not debilitating, but they have on occasions stopped me from doing very much running. In the past two years there have only been two injuries – a partially torn Achilles in 2014 and a torn calf earlier this year, which were very obvious as to why they occurred. All the other niggles seem to have appeared when I toned down my running, such as the lower leg strain I have at the moment. As I say, it’s a real mystery. Unfortunately, once they occur, increasing my running volume doesn’t seem to cure them.

This photo was taken at a motel in Watsonville, California. I’m pointing to where I was at the time on a globe, with the motel manager, Ana, looking on. I remember that morning, as it was the place where I had to take eight stitches out of my face – no time to go to a doctor. I had to run to the town of Carmel that day, through Monterrey and Pebble Beach.

On This Day

Oct 8, 2012

Distance today = 54.94 km; Total distance = 12,846.49 km; Location = Horseheads, NY – 42 09.690′ N, 76 57.920′ W; Start time = 0853, Finish time = 1752

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/231533898

It was a long day, finishing in the village of Horseheads – seriously, that’s the name of the town. It’s got to be where the Kiama Horseheads come from.

It was even colder this morning, and I put on my gloves for the first time in months. Much of the morning was near Lake Seneca, as I made my way toward Watkins Glen. This region reminded me a lot of Launceston, complete with wineries and the lake doubling as the Tamar River.

After lunch I found an old rail trail, and ran along it for several miles. The leaves were so thick, it was impossible to see the trail at times. It was a gradual climb after that, finishing at the high point of the day, both literally and figuratively – how could it be otherwise in a town called Horseheads?

PS I have added in 950 metres to the Garmin data, to make up for what was missed when I forgot to restart the device after a stop.