Day 58

I'm a few days behind due to a weak internet signal.  Just to keep you right, day 58 was Thursday 12th December.

A typical morning for me starts at 04:55 to make the porridge. This gives Mark a little more time to rest before getting up and preparing for the day ahead. Running usually starts around 06:00 which allows for at least 45 minutes for Mark to receive the necessary treatment to his feet. This morning I needed to ensure that I was extra cautious in handling them. It was very clear that Mark was in considerable pain to the point of it reducing him to tears. There is no 'quick fix' cure for Mark's feet, the only treatment that will help is rest. At this stage of the run this is simply not possible. The best that we can do is to continue to soak them each night, apply medication overnight, strap up in the morning and supply Mark with (a safe amount) of painkillers throughout the day.

Mark was quiet for most of the morning. The mobile signal had become weaker but also this road section was particulary busy with no hard shoulder and required 100% attention. Mark reported that the blister treated on his left foot had been a great success and wasn't causing any issues. Not so good news with the right foot…

"Last night's treatment on my left foot had been a raging success. No pain at all now meaning a better sleep and no issues while running."

"My right foot, however, is a different story. I stopped running after 7 miles of pain this morning. I just couldn't take any more pain."

At 7 miles Mark was ready for a break. The pain in his right foot had become unbearable and he needed to take the weight off it. This time also allowed Mark to have a much needed 2 hour sleep and more padding to be added to his right foot in attempt to alleviate some of the pressure forced by the harsh road conditions.

By 17:30 Mark had managed to reach 24 miles, this would mean at least another 4.5 hours of running to keep on track.

"I resumed running just after noon. I've been treading on pointy stones all afternoon on the roadside. There is nowhere else for me to run."

"I've since managed a further painful 17 miles to reach the 24 mile point. I've got another 4.5 hours to run."

"This day has got to be rescued. It'll be the latest finish of the tour so far. If this was a boxing match, the ref would have stopped it."

"I'll have an hour or so to eat 1200 calories eaten, shower and get my feet cleaned and dressed. That'll leave 5 hours of sleep time."

Just as Mark was reflecting on the stats remaining to get him to Bondi he was stopped by the a farmer at the roadside who asked “are you that runner”. The farmer, Tony, had read Mark's story in the local paper (day 56 interview). Tony was off out on an errand but had promised to return with a bottle of wine. Here is what followed...

"Just been stopped by a farmer asking if I'm. "That runner?". He's off on an errand, returning with a bottle of wine. Happy days!!"

"So a gift is in the way and all of a sudden #ifeeltheneed #theneedforspeed. I don't have enough water left for pace but what the heck."

"Thank you Tony Gorman for the 2 large glasses of champagne. #tipsy"

"Had to turn down the offer of dinner on a houseboat by a local farmer. Gutted! Fascinating chap. Thanks for the fizz Tony."

"I feel a very warm glow all of a sudden. Difficult to run in a straight line. Can't feel the pain in my right foot. #champagneistheanswer"

**Warning - this includes a naughty word**

"Can't stop smiling. I think I might have found the answer to my problems. Can't even focus on that road sign. I think the RV is 22 km away."

"Nope it's 2km. That's a relief. @Donna__Houghton I'll be with you presently pet. Hic! xx"

As you can tell this certainly put a spring in Mark's step, although it was short lived when the searing pain returned to his right foot. Day 58 ended on 32.75 miles, giving a total of 1901 miles ran to date. This means that day 59 would start with 567 miles left until Bondi Beach, Sydney.

Here's an 'accurately measured picture' from @jasonstobbs to demonstrate #stobbsytales :

We applied the usual treatment to Mark's feet, first by soaking them and then applying an overnight dressing. The skin on his right foot was still very raw. Hopefully with a few days of soaking and treating this will start to heal, it certainly needs to be closley monitored.