5 hrs 24 mins. A lot tougher.

One of those grit your teeth and don't think about it days. I used to row and on a particularly bad day was told by the coach I had a 'head full of broken biscuits'. The boat just doesn't sit; nothing seems right. Hugh had a difficult morning getting focused and took 11 miles to get into it. A sobering thought for those of us who have to force ourselves out for an hour on a Sunday.

Pertinent then I think, to attempt an illustration of Hugh's day. After an early massage, medical strapping, and breakfast, he talks to BBC Radio Sussex (every weekday), checks us out of the hotel and it's off to the start of the day's marathon. At best this is from the hotel, but more often necessitates a drive, and my navigation is not infallible (staggering I know). There are then 10 minutes' warm up exercises in the car park, petrol station or wherever else convenient we can find. He fills his Camelback (drinks reservoir) with water and electrolytes; straps on his walkie talkie, phone, energy gels, wallet and Morris dancing cymbals (once a week) and only then sets off. This farting around he bears with equanimity. All before he's even started.

He runs on the equivalent of UK's B roads or busier; necessarily easy to follow as we cannot crawl along with him or always stop. Trucks, dogs, groupies - he has to deal with them all. We usually wait at difficult junctions or can talk him in but not always, meaning the occasional delay. He takes breaks in the car, not that comfortable, and eats what we've been able to buy en route - not always really what needs. At the end of the day he congratulates Team 50in50 for the day's work, handshakes all round, more stretching (necessary to keep him going) another drive to the next hotel, decants various supplements into suspicious clear plastic bags, then checks us in. He then uploads his Garmin route time, often does a video diary and leaves this to upload whilst having ice bath, another massage and then fits dinner in with the team generally no earlier than 10 pm. Bed midnight-ish, often waking up to check the progress of the You Tube upload; it has taken 15 hrs for 3 mins owing to local broadband 'speed' and I have seen him at 5am (twin room, thank you) trying to upload again owing to a failed connection.

Sounds tedious? It is. Very, and tiring. But here's the thing - he rarely has an off day. Today was an off morning, mentally, but we only know because he mentioned it, not because it looked that way. He had injury niggles in his shins and knee throughout the day which constantly gnawed at him but he got through it.

One is tempted to forget about the magnitude of this. We're in the grey 20s of a 50 marathon drive, but that's 22 marathons in 22 days. If I were superstitious I would dance a David Shepherd style jig tonight (cricket aficionados, please enlighten the others) to ward off the demons and I probably will. Hugh keeps on with the Holy water and he should. Samia conducts her ministrations, and I fret over a route. Incidentally, today we travelled from Villaviciosa to Comillas; from Asturria to Cantabria, on good and generally flat roads through a quite stunning area.

We're a funny but functioning trio out here but only Hugh can actually do this, prepared for battle each day by Samia. The comments you all send through matter - have no doubt that we check them daily. Keep 'em up and thanks, from us all.