Distance today = 50.29 km; Total distance = 9656.34 km; Location = Blackland – 39 46.523′ N, 89 06.233′ W; Start time = 0843 Finish time = 1707

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/202784934

I awoke this morning and sat on the side of the bed – the region where my hamstring attached to my buttock was extremely sore. I was concerned. Not only for my hamstring and ankle, but also because of the 105F (41C) temperature that was predicted.

However, as long as I kept my pace to a gentle eight minutes per kilometre, I found that neither the hamstring nor the ankle gave me any real trouble.

The heat, however, was a little harder to manage, although I am finding I’m handling it better now than I was a few weeks ago – such are the benefits of acclimatisation. It reached 53C (127F) in the sun this afternoon at 3 pm, yet I wasn’t too seriously stressed. Carmel was giving me drinks each two or three kilometres, though.

Just before the end of the day, I passed the original homestead site of Abraham Lincoln’s first home in Illinois. It’s kind of surreal to stand on the exact ground where Lincoln lived and walked around on in 1830, well before he became famous.

And then, just two kilometres later, I passed another big milestone – 6,000 miles for the journey, which means I’m now well over one-third of the way around the world. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I passed the one-quarter mark.

PS Thanks to all those who expressed concern about my injuries yesterday. Based on today’s experience, it’s looking better than expected.

Distance today = 50.24 km; Total distance = 9706.58 km; Location = Palmer – 39 27.078′ N, 89 24.971′ W; Start time = 0854 Finish time = 1705

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/203110747

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/203110722

I am going to have to mention the heat again. I have just watched the weather report, and the temperature in St Louis (the closest city to me) reached an all-time record today of 107F (42C). There have been 24 deaths attributed to the heat in that city alone.

The thermometer at lunch time, where I was sitting in the sun, read 140F (60C). Have a look at the photos on the Home page. This is outrageously hot, and I would not recommend running in it.

I think I’m a bit like a frog in a saucepan of water as it heats up. As the temperature rises incrementally during the day, I fail to really notice it. It’s all relative in the end. However, after sitting for a few minutes in the air-conditioned car, I can’t believe it when I get out to start running again. It really feels like a furnace. Thankfully, the temperature is predicted to be lower tomorrow – but still mid 30s C.

Over the past day, I have run past the city of Springfield, Illinois. As many are aware, The Simpsons live in Springfield, however, there is some debate as to which of the several Springfields in the US is supposed to be the home of Homer. Given that there is a nuclear power plant within easy commuting distance from the city, this makes the Illinois Springfield a likely candidate. But I think the harder evidence is the fact that, not far away, is the town of Shelbyville, the arch-rival of Springfield – my run today bisected the route between the two towns. And there’s even a Moe’s Bar in town. I should have run by and checked to see if Homer was there.

Distance today = 50.61 km; Total distance = 9757.19 km; Location = Litchfield – 39 10.547′ N, 89 40.307′ W; Start time = 0823 Finish time = 1622

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/203412376

Ahhhh, it was a such a pleasure to run in cooler temperatures. It was still in the low 30s Celsius, but that counts as comfortable these days. Factoring in the cloud cover and breeze, it was so much better than yesterday.

I began on some very quiet back roads, which helped even more. Once again, I was running between crops of corn and soy beans. The corn is really suffering, and much of it around here will be next to useless when harvest time comes around.

The back roads continued into the afternoon. These roads are important, as they afford me a much more stable surface, where I don’t have to continually jump off the road as I do on the busier thoroughfares. My ankle is much better because of it.

Just a quick explanation about the temperatures I’ve been quoting of late. Most weather reports use “in the shade” temps, which is the logical thing to do – these are more stable and less susceptible to the effects of adjacent materials. However, I’m not running in the shade, so I feel it is more logical in my  case to measure the temperature “in the sun”. The problem here is that the result can depend strongly on where you place the thermometer. Placing it on metal, for example, will give a very inflated reading. I make sure the thermometer is in the same basic location as I am, and not near thermal conductors like metals. This was how the 140F result was obtained yesterday. It is worth adding, if this temperature had been recorded in the shade (which it wasn’t), it would have been the highest temperature ever recorded on Earth.

Just finally, I am actually feeling much stronger the past couple of days. I am not feeling the injuries at all most of the time. The main concern now is the heat, but it looks like I will have some respite from it for a few days. Small mercies!