Day Six of Seven

Temperatures:
High: 85 & Sunny, Low: 57

Livin' easy, lovin' free, season ticket on a one-way ride
Askin' nothin', leave me be, takin' everythin' in my stride
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme
Ain't nothing that I'd rather do
Goin' down, party time, my friends are gonna be there too
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to Hell
I'm on the highway to hell
No stop signs, speed limit, nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel, gonna spin it, nobody's gonna mess me around
Hey Satan, payin' my dues, playin' in a rockin' band
Hey Mumma, look at me, I'm on my way to the promised land...

(AC/DC, Highway to Hell, 1979)

One of the greatest hard rock songs from one of the best rock bands ever, AC/DC kept me moving today. Nothing will stop me now. I have my stride (more of a wobble). There are no speed limits or stop signs at the Lake of the Woods trails. Join me tomorrow for one more day of fun...on the trail to the promised land with my friends.

I had some serious shin and ankle swelling today. The top part of my left foot/ankle is red, hot, and swollen (those could be the opening lines of a romance novel). Could be shin splints? Maybe a stress fracture? My wife insisted that I take the middle part of the day off--almost a full 8 hours to elevate the leg and ice the shin area. I'm hoping it's just some soft tissue damage that will heal soon after this is over. If not, I'll visit the local sports medicine clinic. For now, I'm icing the area every few miles. It's going to be a long Saturday (or short if things get worse).

Stage Six Winner: Connie (41 miles)
Overall Leader: Chris (277 miles)
Runner of the Day: The Shadow Runner (This guy has been following me for days. Always just a step behind or ahead of me. Managed to snap a picture early this morning. Look at the long legs on this fella! And people say I have long legs. Funny, he never stops at the shaded aid station.)

Six days done. One day to go!

Don't forget that the race has its own web site. Look for information about next year's event...exciting changes to come in 2009 (like maybe not doing this crazy thing!).