Distance today = 68.87 km; Total distance = 2920.05 km; Location = Palm Springs – 33 48.400′ N, 116 32.761′ W; Start time = 0846, Finish time = 1846

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/154619526

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/154621304

It was a day of milestones. Not only was it the furthest I've run in a day on this round-the-world journey, it was also the furthest I've ever run as part of a multi-day run (eclipsing the 66 km from Lockart to Wagga Wagga on my Melbourne to Sydney run). It was also the latest finish I've had so far, concluding in the dark at 6:46 pm.

Ahhh, but there's more! I also crossed two major meridians in one day – the 34 N latitude and the 117 W longitude. And I also reached my highest altitude in the US so far, with 806 metres above sea level (2,644 feet). I will go much higher in the weeks to come.

And, I also passed 1000 km in the US, but more importantly, I passed the 10% mark for the whole journey. I now only need to do it all another nine times.

At nearly 69 km, it was a long run, but was made all the harder by a strong headwind for most of the day. I also had a couple of bum steers, where the road I was on petered out into a dirt track. But that just makes the day more interesting. Check out the video (it may take a day or so to get it on to the web site). You'll see what I mean.

And, as you'll see in the photos, I was wearing red and green today. This was in honour of the South Sydney Rabbitohs, who will be starting their season this weekend with a match against the evil Roosters. Let's all wish them luck.

The day after tomorrow I reach the real desert. We got a glimpse of what's to come today, with stunning clear blue skies and an amazing, almost rainbow-like sunset projected on to the mountains. I think I'm going to like the desert, which is a good thing, as I'll be running through it for the next couple of months.

PS I knew I had a long day in front of me, so I was prepared with a well charged spare Garmin. The watch battery was running low, so I stopped it at 57.50 km and activated the spare, chalking up another 11.37 km. Therefore, there are two Garmin records for today. However, for some reason the spare doesn't result in graphs on the Garmin site.