"FREEDOM!!!"

I went to Kobe for my medical exam this morning. No breakfast allowed, only water from 2200 last night and nothing after 0700 this morning. Honestly, I was happy to drink the barium just to have something to wet my lips! I was somewhat surprised when they took my blood sample. The nurse put the needle in but no blood came out, so she had to put the needle in the other arm instead. There was blood in that one, thankfully. So, where has all the blood gone in my right arm, that's what I'd like to know?

One good thing about the medical exam; you get a free breakfast in a coffee shop afterwards - two stool samples, a urine sample and a blood sample is a small price to pay for two slices of toast, one boiled egg, salad and a cup of tea. Good swap.

When I got home I decided to pull out all the stops with a 20 km run in the 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature. Two hours thirty three minutes and three bottles of sports water later, I finished. I don't need a medical exam to tell me I'm fit.

On the way back from my run I saw this windsurfer; it captures the sense of freedom that I feel when I run.