The day started with the now almost daily chore of packing up a base camp. Base camp 6? I'm losing count. Burnley Keith (who I now call "Jeeves") did most of the packing again.The 30 minute drive to Inverkeithing was followed by me "putting on" the Borat outfit and running as fast as my tired legs would take me over the Forth Bridge. My workmates had made a playlist especially for this occasion and I
minced over the bridge to the tune of "I'm too sexy", "Do ya think I'm sexy" and "Sex bomb". There were a few others but I'm sure you get the idea.The music was full blast as I imagined I was somewhere else and completely fully clothed. Out of the corner of my eyes I could just about see people staring. It seemed to take ages to get to South Queensferry and once there I ordered Burnley Keith to take a quick photo. We got the photo over and I legged it into the toilets to get changed. But not before a local rep asked me if I was interested in a cruise!
Burnley Keith was in hysterics when, after me, arrived a construction worker at the toilets. All we needed now he thought was an Indian Chief, a US sailor and a biker! It was such a relief to get back to normal and I went on my way through Dalmeny and then on the main road to Edinburgh.
I got quite close to the centre of Edinburgh and avoided the main street by taking a detour here and there. It wasn't long before I was on the A7 out of the city. What a shame. I'd ran all that way and yet again I had hardly seen any landmarks or attractions.
At the 15 mile point I experienced some excruciating pain in my left shin. I'd had this pain briefly on either shin at certain other points of the run and it had never lasted. This time, however, it seemed here to stay. As a result I found it difficult to get any pace going at all and I was in complete agony for the final 9 miles of the day. I perhaps should have taken some pain killers. My foot and blister pain is getting slightly better so I have been putting off taking any
tablets. If this pain persists, then I face a long old battle ahead (as if there wasn't one already). There's absolutely no question of giving up. If I can just get through tomorrow and Thursday then I'm based at home for 4 nights and the opportunity for some intensive treatment will be present.We arrived at base camp 7 in Melrose in the early evening and Jeeves spent the next few hours fetching and carrying for me. Even if my shin pain goes I won't be telling Jeeves as I'm getting quite used to being waited on. "Will that be all for the evening Sir" was his final comment as I tucked into bangers and mash in the Kings Arms Hotel in Melrose. Very nice it was too.
