After yesterday's abbreviated day we're keen to get moving
again. Ray and I set off from where we left off yesterday and have 50kms in the
bank before lunch. It's a smooth and steady run on the shoulder of a large
highway.
Virtually all of the journey so far has been on road,
something neither Ray or I anticipated but that's the way its turned out. Until
this trip I would have defined myself exclusively as a trail runner, having
never run more 30km continuously on hard surface but this expedition is
changing all that.
As the trip progresses I have been gradually increasing my
mileage as my injuries permit. After lunch I join Ray for an additional 5km for
a grand-total of 55km on the day. My hope is that by the end of the expedition
I'll be able to push out some big days with Ray, injury free (or at least not
any more injured) Ray is joined by Bob for the final leg and they rally for an
additional 20km for a very respectable 75km by day's end.
Dr Greg Wells has been studying the physiological aspects of
this run but one particular element fascinates me the most: how is the body
able to recover from an injury while still being put under intense stress? The
mantra for injury rehabilitation is always plenty of rest but rest is not
really an option on an expedition like this. The thought of running upwards of
55km/day on an injured plantar fascia, an irritated achilles tendon and with a
pulled abductor muscle would seem unlikely enough but the fact that the
injuries are actually improving is truly fascinating. What's happening to allow
this and why does it seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom?
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