Wednesday 14th March MARATHON 55

14th March -Day 61. Hotel restaurant was very nice, mixed salad followed by chicken leg and potatoes and for Postres, desert, mixed fruits. All very good. Dad was again quiet and nodded off at the table, the days are tough for me but it also takes it out of dad, all that mountain air and sunbathing! My legs hurt everywhere, my right hip area causes me the most discomfort when I am not running so back to the room, ice and volterole applied and in bed before 11pm.

Up with alarm at 6:15 after a restless night. I struggled to get comfortable my right hip muscles ached and I could not find a way to lay that eased it for any length of time, still, my fault for running 30 miles a day! Left achilles area and right calf are still my running worries, the hills give them no rest. Ablutions complete I set off at 7am for the first run of the day. On the drive into town, the area did not look much but it turns out to be very nice. We are on the beach, centre of the bay. The beach area is a bit like Luz Bay for those who know it, but much smaller and North facing instead of south. I look forward to a few runs along Luz in the summer, 2 miles at most though! I ran along a beach level promenade with a marked path for walkers and runners, this followed past the beach and left, south, down the river for a mile or so. Very nice run, everything warmed up and completed 6.35k in 49"03. Very enjoyable through the town, always past a cafe and bakers and finished at the hotel back on the beach. Marvellous! Up showered and down for breakfast by 8:20, earliest for a while. We went to the restaurant where we had our meal last night and were told breakfast was not here it is in the breakfast room downstairs! We went down to a large room, the basement, no windows and very oppressive! Why do they do that? They have a great restaurant with views over the beach that will never be used at the same time! What a waste and loss 10/10 on our score card! Good breakfast though and again got my porridge cooked. Back to the room, did a quick phone interview with Dan Fox of Watford's Heart FM, this will be aired tomorrow at 7:55 I am told! He wants to do a regular thing which would be good. Anyway on with the day, massaging calf's and stretching! Great stop in Deba, you could not get a better position hotel and so cheap! All packed and ready to go, dad and I fell out over 2 small bottles of water we had from the mini bar! I said they would not notice and dad said they would, I said they were 5 euro's each dad said don't tell them! We did tell them and the total cost was 3 euro's! Beautiful day, quick video and I set off at 11:30, through the town for 500m then out and up on the coast road N634. A 240m total climb over 5k! That sorted the calf's out! The road started coastal then went south inland. Fantastic scenery, quite a narrow road but not too much traffic. The road levelled out after the descent following the initial climb. It returned to the most stunning coastal road just past Zumaia. Again cut into the mountain cliff face, sometimes going through it on the peninsulas. The sea was very calm but I had a head wind for most of this section, through S.Prudentzio, and Gretaria to Zarautz. The sky was clear blue and the sun hot, out of the head wind past Zarauntz it was getting a touch unbearable. The road weaved its way round the mountains with only minor climb's and descent's until the 26k point. Not the biggest hill but big enough to find out that my left achilles area was not going to play ball anymore today! I ran flat footed up the hill for nearly 3k, lifting my legs using my thighs and hip flexes, if that's the right terminology, only! I reached a plato at 29k and was relieved to see the road slowly drop away in front of me. Most of the N634 from Orio to the completion just past Usurbil was industrial and had heavy traffic, however mercifully flat! I felt worse today but due to the course I completed the marathon in 4'01"34, with both calf's in bits! Dad stopped in a great spot at the end of an industrial estate slip road. Sounds terrible but it was also on the edge of open farmland running into the foot of a huge mountain, alot of lorry's though! Had my orange, pain subsiding with the ice and felt great, dad and I sat for a while amazed that another marathon is over and wondering how we are going to get through 39 more days doing at least 30 miles a day! Back in the van and headed for Donestia-San Sebastian, we passed a little cafe on the road side, in the sun but decided on getting to the beach in the bay. As we entered the City and headed for the front, the sun started to be obscured by a mist! By the time we reached the front, parked and ordered coffee and Tortia, you could not see 20ft ahead! It was 19 degrees when we parked, it dropped to 9! We loaded on the clothes and refused to go inside. Still very enjoyable and cheap! We left to find accommodation and for the first time places were full! We eventually booked into a new hotel that is surrounded by roads miles away from the sea front! All good though we have just ordered telepizza takeaway! Pizza and Pasta, not the best, but should do the job! Calf's very tight and left achilles still number 1 problem! More ice required! Another day in the mountains tomorrow finishing in France! I have just looked at the next map and it looks like it might be just over a marathon to Biarritz!

Mange tout!