I’ve just completed my final 3 km time trial ahead of the City to Surf on Sunday. Once again, I was feeling sluggish and knew I wouldn’t set any records. This was particularly confirmed a few hundred metres into the trial – I just didn’t have it. That said, I did manage to run it in 10:15 (3:26, 3:28, 3:21), which was seven seconds slower than a month ago.

So, it seems I’ve gotten slower since the Sutherland to Surf; at least that’s the case with both the 3 km and Centennial Park runs. The same thing happened last year. However, I suspect it’s the residual fatigue caused by that race which is the real culprit. And, to add to it, I’ve run 215 km in the 14 days since the Sutherland to Surf. That’s why I was suggesting in the last blog post that I am suffering from a bout of overtraining.

So, the rest starts now. I have six days until the City to Surf and I will be taking it very easily during that time. That should be enough time to freshen up – and ‘fresh’ is a feeling that’s somewhat foreign to me these days.

I thought I’d post a photo today of the Mile High Stadium in Denver Colorado. This is the home ground of the Denver Broncos. When I ran past it in late April of 2012 it was deserted. That’s not the case on game day during the gridiron season.

On This Day

Aug 3, 2012

Distance today = 51.13 km; Total distance = 10,172.11 km; Location = Kennett, Missouri – 36 14.241′ N, 90 01.902′ W; Start time = 0908 Finish time = 1726

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/206246027

Today was tough. I’m not sure why – I just woke up with little energy. But I struggled through the day and eventually got there. The last 30 km on a busy road didn’t help my enjoyment of the day, nor did the high heat and humidity (what a surprise!)

The girls stayed with me most of the day. There were next to no opportunities to obtain my own drinks, so I really needed them there. It’s not like the early days of this run, when I could virtually get through a whole day without the support crew. Now I need them constantly, so intense is the heat.

One surprise awaiting me on arriving into Kennett, my destination for the day, was to find that it is the hometown of Sheryl Crow. And I thought she grew up on Santa Monica Boulevard in LA. Having earlier run through Bob Dylan’s hometown of Duluth, I will also be passing through Elvis’ hometown in a few days.

Stop press – I just discovered a tick on my right butt cheek when I had a shower. That’s probably what was making me feel  low today.

Aug 3, 2013

Distance today = 47.34 km; Total distance = 24,192.71 km; Location = Adelaide, SA – 34 55.940’ S, 138 35.957′ E; Start time = 0828, Finish time = 1551

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/352443112

Another day of bad weather failed to prevent me from making it to Adelaide. As I’ve said many times, running through the suburbs of major cities is less than inspiring, particularly when it’s wet, windy, and cold. Today was no different.

I ran along main roads, through Gawler, Elizabeth, Salisbury, and Enfield, before passing the Adelaide Oval, and on into the city. Adelaide is a very pretty city, and the Adelaide Oval is one of the world’s most picturesque cricket grounds. There are some major new grandstands being constructed there at the moment. I hope that doesn’t take away from the beauty of the ground.

Tomorrow I head east, towards Melbourne. I’m hoping the weather improves.

PS As has happened before, the Garmin had trouble picking up the satellites when I was amongst the tall buildings in the city. I noticed it was not updating at all for a period. I had to remeasure part of the course, and have added the missing 1.42 km to the official data.