Distance today = 49.90 km; Total distance = 18,616.47 km; Location = Thannhausen – 48 17.336′ N, 10 27.935′ E; Start time = 0845, Finish time = 1735

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/289901893

Today was very good for the most part, but with an awful section thrown in the middle. The first 22 km was on cycle paths, and I was enjoying the best of running in Germany. This was after visiting the Oxfam shop in Ulm this morning, and meeting Sieglinde, Leander, and Thomas – a nice start to the day.

Around noon I made the mistake of obeying Google Maps when it led me down a trail. Before I knew it, I was on a snow-covered tractor path. Tractors destroy dirt roads, as they leave huge deep tread marks, roughly the size of my feet. It’s like running over freshly plowed ground, and when it’s covered with snow, it’s like running over a plowed field in the dark – I simply didn’t know what was underneath. I was slipping, sliding, tripping, and stumbling, rolling ankles, and twisting knees, as I plodded through the snow. My feet had been dry until then – now they were soaking wet, and my shoes muddy. I had to endure 5 km of these slow and painful conditions, and ended up with sore sore hips, knees, ankles, and leg muscles.

Thankfully, the rest of the day was much more like the beginning, except that it started raining. At least it wasn’t too cold.

I’ve actually learned to run with a different style in the snow (when I’m on the bitumen). I slide, like a cross-country skier, with no foot lift. At times, on the downhills, I reckon I can travel at close to sprinting pace, although it’s a bit scary at times – it doesn’t take much to lose control.

Now, to yesterday’s trivia question. There was only one correct answer, from Dave Dufour. Ulm is where Albert Einstein was born, and Princeton is where he died. I ran past Einstein’s home in Princeton, but his birth home in Ulm was destroyed by WWII bombs. However, that allowed me to run right over the top of where his place of birth used to stand, where there is now a memorial. Well done, Dave. I thought there’d be more people who knew that.