Day 6 - Not nearly there

Today I've had a long afternoon of physio followed by hours of faffing with two laptops trying to get my runs uploaded to Garmin Connect and therefore Strava. Then after doing bottles and tea, I had a rare relaxing hour or two chatting in the bar.

As a result it's now after 11pm back in the Shackleton common room, so I'll try to be a little more succinct tonight.

Today has been a tough day for lots of us. Despite being over half way with "only" four marathons to go now, niggles, injuries and the cumulative build up of miles and emotions are taking their toll.

Some of us have had to dig really deep to overcome the distance and sheer amount of time on feet. We're entering the real business end of this challenge and bodily fatigue is kicking in.

Many of us, myself included, felt physically and mentally drained after today's efforts. It was another warm, sunny day where time just seemed to drag.

And when you're faced with the prospect of between two and four hours of intensive physio straight after you cross the line, you're essentially in some kind of physical discomfort (or much worse) for up to nine hours a day.

To put in into perspective, one of my fellow runners was told yesterday that if he'd presented at a therapy clinic with his current injuries, he'd be told to rest for six weeks. Yet here he's worked on, taped up, and will be back on the start line in the morning. Simply incredible!

Still, we once again had 20 out and 20 in today. Those who are suffering the most are at least feeling stronger mentally and are surrounded by support. So we'll carry on regardless.

And to finish on a lighter note, there was some horrendous traffic leading into Ambleside today. It was quite amusing running past miles of queuing cars. But when I reached the finish line the dibber wasn't there as the support crew themselves were stuck in the jam!