Day 124 September 7, 2011 Swift Current to Gull Lake 61km

Before starting to run this morning Mike and I found ourselves at the local radio station where I did three radio interviews starting at around 6am. I really enjoy going to these radio stations to do interviews, I just wish that they weren’t always so early in the morning. Then again that’s when most people are in their cars on their way to work so it’s probably the best time to be doing them.

The fire department escorted us through Swift Current, blocking traffic from behind with lights flashing. I love having fire truck escorts. One of these days I want to get in them when their lights are flashing.

We stopped on the outskirts of town for a short water break and a reporter from the local newspaper showed up to do an interview. He then leapfrogged me for a couple of km taking pictures from side streets and over passes.

It was hot again today, with the standard Saskatchewan headwind. Jean and Ian took it easy today because they are both going to try and set personal bests for distance tomorrow. By taking it easy Jean still ran 15km and Ian 25km.

For some reason I took a lot of breaks today and found myself behind early. It was so hot in the afternoon and so brutal without A/C and no shade anywhere in sight that it was hard to cool down. I’ve resorted to using the outdoor shower to soak my hat and shirt every time I stop for water. As such I only made it to 61km, my goal having been 70km. This combined with the short day I had before the ‘Riders game has me about 30km behind schedule.

We drove a short distance to a nearby campground, and the owner had heard us on the radio this morning and offered to let us stay for free and gave us a donation. We met a group of guys in the campground who work on an oil field nearby who had also heard us on the radio and wanted to come by and chat. They too made a donation and yet another gentleman stopped by, again having heard us on the radio and who wanted to make a donation. These radio interviews are great, and I promise not to complain about having to get up early to do them anymore!

Tomorrow Ian’s going to try and run a marathon