Sunday, November 4th * Day 67
Miles/day :49,7 miles (80 km) TOTAL : 2894,3 miles (4657 km)
Daily running time : 9 H 30 min / Daily average speed : 5,2 m / h
Towns seen: Torinnha / Santa Maria de Serra / Sao Pedro / Piracacaba
Next stage: Campinas
Region : North of Sao Paulo ( last region)
A SUNDAY UNDER THE RAIN
This Sunday morning, Serge is meeting up with the lashing, cold, rain. Our man is used to it.
In his Normandy , the rain was often there while he was training, training which was often hard work, but in a week exactly he will be able to finally relish to the prize of the work accomplished, but for the time being he appreciates the last miles to cover, surrounded by his close friends and family.
He knows he will get there by the North of Rio, that’s about it. He just knows the route like any tourist visiting the place, for having once come here a year ago.
Now, in a week’s time to the day, he will know the emotion felt by a long distance runner, emotion of the one who will remember his race with his moments of doubts, fear, but above all pleasure. Serge often makes use of formulas. Here is an example of one of them, that seems to me particularly relevant to current events…
"In every attempt one never fails but only gives up", I leave you to meditate on it. Anyway there’s one running week left. According to Serge, time will fly. We can understand him. Before celebrating the 3107,5 miles in the week, today he sets up a new record. His body has never gone so far in the effort and in the duration: 2894,3 miles. The 2873,2 miles of the U.S.A are a thing of the past. Eight days before the arrival Serge savoures and doesn’t hide his happiness. We can tell he feels really cool. From now on, his physical problems are in the background. The pain isn’t as bad, everything seems to be in order. His only obsession at the moment is to see the first road-sign indicating the exact distance to Rio. Numbers…always numbers…believe me there are loads and loads of them on the sides of the road. Here the distances are big, like the country. One of our drivers said that one day, with friends, they decided to go for a walk on a paradisiac beach not far from Bahia. It only took them two days by car to get there !!! When passion is here there is no counting. As for Serge he never stops. Running, counting, thinking are like one to him. That’s not bad at all…, don’t you think?
