Distance today = 50.92 km; Total distance = 14,771.38 km; Location = Justo Daract (26 km east of) – 33 54.277′ S, 64 54.673′ W; Start time = 0910, Finish time = 1710

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/245821024

It was another day of long, straight, flat roads, but the weather was ideal and I felt pretty good all day long.

There weren’t too many moments that stood out, except for two incidents that occurred within fifteen minutes of each other. Firstly, I passed from the state of San Luis into the state of Cordoba. For some reason, this demands a border check in Argentina. I was questioned for several minutes, although I have no idea what I was being asked. I think they were telling me that the shoulder on the road was non-existent for a while, and that I should be very careful of the traffic. In the end I was waved away, and I continued on my way.

Soon after, while running on a grassy shoulder, I felt an intense pain in my left foot. Something sharp had pierced right through the shoe and into my forefoot. I sat down and tried to pull the object out, but it was stuck. I then tried to take my shoe off, but the spike was pinning my foot to my shoe. It was then I realised the only solution was to use maximum force and pull it out through the shoe. So I tried again, this time pulling much more strongly, despite the terrible pain. This time the spike came out – a 3 cm long tip of a wooden skewer (at least, that’s what it looks like). Luckily, the pain subsided quickly, and I was able to run on quite comfortably. It’s much sorer now, though, when I walk barefooted. I’m hoping it won’t be a problem tomorrow.

Otherwise, everything is going well, and I’m making good progress across South America.