Day 88 - August 8th: Splintered

Stivos to Sikia: 31.5 miles / 2,528 total

I forgot how brutal a 40-minute car ride can be after running all day. Yesterday’s drive from my finish point to our hotel in Stavros left me stiff and locked up. I could barely get out of the car.

My routine is clockwork now: shoes off outside, insoles out, shake out dust and rocks, then leave them to air overnight. Socks off before stepping inside. But last night, when I peeled off the left one, a bit of adhesive from an old bandage had fused to my big toe. When the sock came off, so did the skin. I saw stars. I limped to the shower, hoping it wasn’t as bad as it felt.

Lying in bed, I lifted my legs and when my left heel touched down, another flash of sharp pain. It felt like the wheels were coming off. I hobbled to a nearby restaurant, got down a simple meal, and turned in early at 8:30, hoping to reset the day.

This morning’s 50K stage dropped me from the plateau back to the Aegean Sea, where I’ll now follow the coast for the final days through Greece. No breakfast at the hotel, so I started with a protein shake, two smoothies, some bars, and nuts. The first refueling point was 16K away.

Those first kilometers were awful. Whether it was yesterday’s car ride, the poor fueling, fatigue, or just a bad day—I couldn’t find rhythm. I stumbled into Bonjour Café in Apollonia at 9am. The owners, a husband and wife, welcomed me with a double macchiato, an omelet, baklava, and a vanilla pastry. It helped, but I still felt flat.

I followed the E86 corridor, a road that traces the broad valley between two mountain ranges—ancient Mygdonia to the north and the Chortiatis range to the south. This was once part of a critical inland route connecting Thessaloniki where I had crossed the day before to the coast and eastern Thrace, overlapping with Roman and Byzantine supply lines. The descent toward Stavros echoed with that layered past: caravans, armies, traders—all once passed through these same gaps.

On the downhill there was a pullout where some vendors were selling cold drinks and trinkets. I stopped for a coke and water then noticed a monument. I was super impressed by the sculpture of the street dog and then realized it was real but his color blended perfectly!

Somewhere on the downhill I noticed my heel screaming. I stopped, pulled off the sock, and found a deep splinter—likely from yesterday’s trail. That explained the pain. I couldn’t take it out so just changed my gait to avoid stepping on my heal but between the heat, the limp and flat feeling it was a survival march for the final 10k.

At 4pm, Christina met me at the edge of town, got me off the E86, and we drove 17K back up into the mountains to an apartment. Today might have been the hardest yet.

But tomorrow is a new day.

Time for a beer and some food.

Thanks for the support.

Cheers,

David.

P.S. Dr. Tina was able to remove the splinter!