I’ve developed a little niggle on the outside of my left Achilles. This time it’s a very standard issue and I’m not worried about it – nothing like the previous Achilles problem. A little rest should cure it, and I’ll be getting that as I taper next week ahead of the City to Surf.

If I had to hazard a guess at the cause of the niggle, I’d say it was due to new shoes. I changed last week and these new shoes are stiffer in the soles than what I’ve been running in for the past four years Funnily enough, this additional stiffness seems to have totally cleared up any lingering soreness with the old Achilles longitudinal tear and replaced it with a bog standard mini tear higher up the tendon. As I say, I’ve had many of these before and they heal pretty easily with the right attention.

Tomorrow I’ll attempt the 10 x 250 session again. Probably not ideal with a sore Achilles, but I think I can manage it.

On This Day

Jul 30, 2012

Distance today = 51.14 km; Total distance = 9964.07 km; Location = Farmington, Missouri – 37 47.273′ N, 90 25.243′ W; Start time = 0856 Finish time = 1705

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/204884238

It was a beautiful run today, through thick Missouri forests on quiet back roads. It was a pity it was 37C and extremely humid. This detracted from my enjoyment of the day.

Carmel and Hannah had to stay with me for much of the day to ensure I was adequately hydrated. I had not realised it could get so humid in the centre of the country, but the forests lining the Mississippi River seem to trap the moisture. I was completely soaked in sweat all day long.

I just saw an amazing statistic on the weather report. The average July temperature for St Louis this year has been 99.5F (37.5C). There have been more days above 100F than in any previous July in recorded history. It’s predicted to be 101F tomorrow.

My milestone for the day was that I reached 5,000 miles run in the US. I have a big milestone coming up tomorrow, in case you didn’t know. Unfortunately, I know it’s going to be very uncomfortable.

Jul 30, 2013

Distance for today = 53.25 km; Total distance = 23,992.97 km; Location = Yacka, SA – 33 37.128’ S, 138 26.824′ E; Start time = 0823, Finish time = 1653

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/350585623

Another solid day as I moved south in to the Clare Valley. I expect we’ll be enjoying a few nice reds in the days to come.

Earlier in the day I passed through the towns of Gladstone and Georgetown, both historic and quaint, with well documented plaques and photographs showing each in its heyday. The remainder of the day was through lovely green farming country.

We are still travelling with Bernie and Lesley, whose generosity we greatly appreciate. Last night we were also joined by Bob and Sue Quin, as well as Reefton Humblewood and Sarita.

Quinny is one of the legends of the Tour de Bois, and his witty plays on words are now universally known as Quinisms. Reefton, despite possessing one of the most lyrical and unique names in the world, is also known by many alternatives, including Rodney Holmes a’Coy and Yorso Veinenshort. We should all have a great time over the next few days.