Thanks to Bob (pictured below) and Wanda at the Archway Campground for letting us stay there for free last night. That was much appreciated. I've now lost track of the number of times we've had great hospitality or an unexpected friendly gesture. Given the current heatwave, the latest thing that happens regularly is for drivers to stop and hand out a bottle of water. It happened twice today at various times and really is appreciated. The support car is never too far away but it is lovely to have an icy cold bottle of water when you least expect it.
You know the drill by now - It was another red hot day as I started the run on route 40 at 7 am. Just like the previous few days, Mark and Dave took it in shifts to run with me.
I managed to find plenty of shade in Richmond and the odd garden sprinkler helped to cool things down. It was cold drinks and icy towels all day as I battled what some locals were saying were the hottest temperatures for 22 years. In actual fact, it seemed 1 or 2 degrees cooler than yesterday. Overall, I felt a lot more used to the heat today. I should do by now given that I've been running in it for many days recently.
The next breaks were at 23 and 34 miles for some porridge and pasta respectively. I could have skipped that last break as I was feeling very good at the 34 mile point. It is sometimes difficult to know what to do for the best. The strategy worked and energy levels were very good.
The remaining miles through Englewood were very painful. All of the toes on my left foot were in a lot of pain and felt very numb. I stopped a few times to change my socks and shoes and this helped a very small amount.
The final mile was ran on a dark bridge with a very narrow shoulder and no escape. Maximum concentration was needed to cross it safely and I was pleased to see the support car having run a very pleasing 40.3 miles.
