Just finished a nice run in the country town of Holbrook. It was very foggy, which added ‘atmosphere’ to the occasion. And, as always, it was a pleasure to be running somewhere different. It almost felt like being back on the road during the world run.

My latest article for Azumio  has now been published and you can read it by clicking on http://www.azumio.com/blog/fitness/running-your-first-marathon.

And here’s a creative photo from Carmel, taken while I was running in the prairies in South Dakota during the world run. She was always looking for a different ‘angle’.

On This Day

Jul 9, 2012

Distance today = 50.01 km; Total distance = 9001.77 km; Location = Kaukauna, Wisconsin – 44 17.196′ N, 88 16.166′ W; Start time = 0908 Finish time = 1748

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/197607692

Although it was 34 C today, the much lower humidity made it a very comfortable day for running. I ran for a short time along the shore of Lake Winnebago, which is quite a large and pretty lake.

At the end of the day I passed 9,000 km for the run so far. I now have a little more than 17,000 km to go. Mmmmm, perhaps I shouldn’t look at it that way.

I get a lot of questions along the lines of “how do you manage to get up each day and do it all again?” I thought I’d attempt an answer here:

I have to admit that sometimes it’s not easy. The hardest time of the day is during the early hours of the morning, particularly if I get up to go to the toilet. My legs are stiff, and I’m usually hobbling at this time of the night. And when I wake, it often hits me like a sledgehammer – that I have more than of year of “getting up and doing it all again”. That can be very demoralising when you’re sleepy and feeling vulnerable.

However, once I wake up fully later in the morning, I quickly feel much more positive. I have no trouble getting on the road, particularly as everything I’m seeing is new to me.

So that’s how it’s done. It’s a matter of balance. I have to make sure I’m enjoying myself enough to maintain the schedule. Pushing too hard would make it less enjoyable and, therefore, unbearable. Doing too little would mean adding extra months. I think I’ve got it just about right at around 50 km per day.