Distance today = 48.98 km; Total distance = 16,245.10 km; Location = El Barraco – 40 28.620′ N, 04 38.532′ W; Start time = 0904, Finish time = 1722

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/271404220

Today was by far the hilliest so far in Europe, with a mountain top finish to boot. And as is usually the case with mountain stages, it was quite picturesque.  But the heel didn’t appreciate it. It flared up a bit toward the end of the day, but it’s not too much of a problem just yet.

It was also a cold day, to the point that I wore my gloves – the ones Libby gave me for my birthday, almost a year ago in California. It was nice to be warm.

I also ran across a large dam wall. The view from the surrounding hills was quite stunning as I approached the dam. From there, it was all uphill to the finish at the town of El Barraco. That’s when the heel started to feel it. I haven’t run this far uphill since I ascended the Andes last November.

And I passed an interesting milestone today – I now have less than 10,000 km to run to complete my journey around the world. That means I’m now down to single figures.  Woo hoo!!!!

PS Once again, the tracker hasn’t updated fully throughout the day. At least it is only 12 km behind at the moment.