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to me!' But I'm paying it no heed: I will achieve this epic goal if I lis-
ten to my mind, not my body. Of course I'm hurting. Apart from the
remaining Arctic ailments, I have blisters and bruising and am experi-
encing stomach cramps.
Earlier today, I put my North Pole sled up for auction on the web-
site of my sponsor the SOC Exchange. Frostbitten fingers crossed that
it draws a good sum for the cause.
may 28
We've seen some awesome wilderness scenery: vast mountains and
pine forests dotted with the occasional cabin and teepee. The sky is a
light, clear, brilliant blue in the day, and the air is so very clean. Often,
in the late afternoons, a wind blows up and clouds move in, and the
temperature cools. Awesome, too, has been the power of the water and
lake systems up here: there are spectacular rapids in the rivers that I've
crossed and run alongside.
At the end of the day, Katie wrapped me in a warm jacket, because
the temperature was falling fast, and she gave me a good, deep stretch.
My calves were tight and sore. Apart from having run 85 kilometres,
one of the reasons for my soreness is the slope of the road. Because in
Canada it rains and snows a lot, the roads are built with a steep cam-
ber, so when I'm running, the foot closest to the centre of the road is
hitting ground 8 centimetres higher than the other foot. I can't swap
sides, because for safety I have to run on the same side of the road
as cars drive on—in Canada the right side—so as I run, my right calf
muscle is being stretched longer than my left. Being out of whack like
this causes all sorts of complications, leading to strain and pain in my
ankle, knee and hip joints and in the base of my back.
I take a combination of vitamins in the morning and afternoon
to try to counteract the effects of the stress on my body and mind,
the varying weather conditions and occasionally insufficient nutri-
ents in my diet. Antioxidants help muscles to recover and repair, and
magnesium stops cramping. Another important vitamin I take is glu-
cosamine, which helps to reduce swelling and inflammation in the
joints, because in this run I'll be taking approximately 20 million steps,
which will cause a hell of a lot of wear and tear.
Tonight, I met a friendly Inuit bear hunter, and he told me about
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