I am back people - now it's your turn to start running

"Basically Run". No really RUN.  I have been given the go ahead to chase you - although for me to actually catch you you will need to run as fast as a snail and only for 2 mins at a time.



On Wednesday I went to the Orthopaedic surgeon and he has told me that my x-rays didn't show anything, but heck, they didn't last time when my knee was a size of a melon.  However, given the fact I have been a very good girl (and no I didn't sleep with him!) I can start running again.


So on Wednesday I went for my first "official" run in 8 weeks.  I had run before, but as I mentioned to the nice intern who was admiring my "Invisible Shoes" Huaraches with neon lemon laces, it was only in emergency situations; a.k.a Chasing and saving a 6 year old from immanent death. I hadn't run more than a handful of steps in any real direction for pretty much 2 months.


So as instructed I went onto the indoor level track.  No trails just yet.  I took off my shoes and ran in my threadbare socks.  As a note I would have run barefoot, but I have been cautioned about running barefoot by the city staff too many times. It's a no-no here in Canada.  Obviously the shoe industry has players on the city council.


So I ran - and walked, but I ran.  I put on some of my favourite songs and I danced, sang and generally did the most kick-arse air-drums for the slowest mile ever recorded by something that didn't carry a shell on it's back.  I hadn't forgotten but I was still overwhelmed about why I love to run.


It isn't about the numbers - I ran a mile on a flat track in about 25 mins.  It wasn't about the need to wear lycra and the funky Garmin watches.  It was just the joy of feeling the ground underneath my feet and the air passing through my hair.  I may have only been going quicker than walking distance by definition, but I felt like I was flying.

Despite the fact it was only a mile, I did take photo's.  I made jokes with the two pensioners walking the track.  I sprinted and then giggled like a school kid because I knew I shouldn't. 


I was reminded that this is why I run.  This is what I have been looking forward to it.  Although my mind has been up-beat about my absence, I am SO glad to be back.


Next stop (aside from NYC), a informal running clinic with some other Mum's from school.  Fall Classic 10K here I come! How sweet life can be!

Something New

For someone who complained terribly all summer long about not getting to go running, I turned into a bored runner too quickly.

I suppose it is about time this happened. I have been running the same basic route into town and back for over a year now. This is partly because we live along a river . There is one bridge into town. As a result, the first 1/2 miles of any run going into town will always be the same. The houses never change, the trees haven't changed (yet), and it is the same ol' streets.

Now, I will give a big thanks to the Run Smiley Collective (and my blog) for this morning's run. Oh, I would have run regardless but I might not have enjoyed it as well as I did. I reached back into my collective memory for ways to run smiley. I considered admiring the homes and buildings in town that I so happily bragged about and included pictures in earlier posts. I wanted to discover something to extol in a photograph.


**POOF**


A landmark popped into my head. It is famous, sort of, and I never run past it. Oh, I still had to cover the same 1/2 mile going into town, but, after the bridge, I would run on untested asphalt. My goal end point would deliver a unique and historic point of view.


Suddenly, the run became fun again.


Meet the Gemini Giant along Route 66. One of the last remaining "Muffler Man" of the 1960's. It is funny that it took me this long to take a picture and post it since this is the most photographed landmark in the area courtesy of tourists travelling the historic Route 66.



This is not trick photography. He is bigger than that house.

By the way, the asphalt was scabrous. I took the sidewalks home. I stepped on a few too many rocks but what can you do? Sometimes the destination makes the journey.


A Rose By Any Other Name

~Stormy Weather...~ (you have to sing it in your head!)

With the temperatures hovering in the low 70's during my usual running time, I've been chomping at the bit to get some rainy runs in.   Puddles have become my favorite thing recently, and I've made wet roads my bitch (pardon my french) since the unfortunate blister incident back in January, so with the warm weather came the desire to get out and get wet.  I had tried to catch rain storms a few times over the last few weeks, to little success.  Since my house is in a relatively heavily wooded lot, the water dripping from the trees frequently make me think it's raining and some mornings I have been all excited until I get out on the road and realize that there isn't any actual rain.  One recent run had some light sprinkles for about a mile but it stopped and then it was just hot and humid out, which isn't the most pleasant running environment.

"...and I start to complain when there's no rain..."  -No Rain, Blind Melon

I would finally get my wish on July 28th.  I had planned on running maybe 4-6 miles that morning, and was up at 4:30AM to give myself plenty of time to get up and around and hit the road before work.  The rumble of thunder could be heard as I walked downstairs and I was a little sad, as I tend to chicken out when there's lightning about (hey that rhymes!).  I spent my usual 15-20 minutes checking email, the weather map (which showed plenty of rain cloud) and the local news and realized i hadn't heard any thunder since coming down.  It was time.

I could hear the rain in the trees and it seemed like a good pour, so I quickly grabbed my running gear.  I don't particularly like running in wet shirts, so after a short debate with myself I decided to go sans-shirt.  This is something i wouldn't have even considered in years past, as a big fat guy who was sensitive about how disgusting I looked.  I'm still relatively heavy, but after all the weight I dropped last year the idea of going outside, running no less, without a shirt was a semi-comfortable option.  It was still slightly nerve wracking, but it was about 5:00AM and still nice and dark so that gave the extra push I needed to head out in just my shorts and calf sleeves.

Anyway, I threw my phone in an arm band to track my run (I am participating in a study ad need to know how far I am running) and headed out into the....  surprisingly NOT rainy weather?  Damn.  Apparently the trees fooled me again and I silently promised to chop each one down with a rusty hack saw for their treachery.

I headed out on the roads nonetheless, and while it was pretty humid it was a pleasant run.  I was once again sad that the rain had apparently stopped before I got out there, but it was a nice comfortable pace so it eased the pain.  After about a mile things would change.

The drips started in an area where I assumed they were just coming from the trees.  I cursed the trees there too, for having the audacity to tease me so.  As i ran though, I noticed it was starting to get a little misty.  Getting better!  After a few minutes I found myself in a gentle sprinkle, which brought my spirits up a lot, but again it felt like a tease.  Then I heard it coming.

Getting up near the businesses at the junction of Parkview Avenue and Oakland Drive I heard this weird roaring sound from the trees to the west, and then it got louder and I realized it was coming from the roofs of the buildings across the street.  "Here it comes!" I quietly gushed as I ran.

And then it hit.  The weather went from gentle sprinkle to full-on downpour in about 5 seconds.  The rain was nice and cool on my skin, which had gotten a little clammy from the heat and humidity.  I felt a huge smile spread across my face as I let my cares go by and live in the feeling of the rain coming down on me.  I was so glad I had decided to leave without a shirt.  I could feel every drop as it hit me and it felt like a tiny cold massage.  In a shirt you can tell you're getting rained on, but all you get is a wet, heavy shirt.  Without the shirt I could feel so much more and it reminded me of the first time i had run without shoes: there was so much more of the world to experience by removing one of our protective layers and it was an incredibly freeing experience.

I must have looked like a compete lunatic to the cars that drove by.  Here's this guy running in a rainstorm wearing only some shorts and what look like socks with the feet cut off (I remember being a non-runner and not getting the idea of calf sleeves) and he's got this crazy grin on his face.  He must be off his nut!

It didn't take long before I realized a single problem with the joyous experience that was running in this storm: my arm band was certainly not waterproof, and if I ruined my phone because I was crazy enough to take it out in the rain I would be very sad (I essentially do everything on my phone).  so rather than make the full out and back (from where I realized this), which would have been about 4 miles, I decided to take a more direct route back home.

It was about a mile back to the house, and while the smile never left my face I was slightly worried that I would ruin my expensive piece of technology.  Cars continued to pass, their occupants no doubt wondering about my sanity (or lack thereof).  By the time I got home I was soaked to the bone and looked like I had just gone for a swim instead of a run, but the smile was bigger than ever.  My only regret was having to come in early.

Next time I won't bring my phone.

Won a local 12k!

[Plenipotentiary and general admin monkey's Note: Firstly, trying out my new title - what do you think?  yep, I had to use "Google"too.  Thanks to Stephanie, a.k.a. 1972roses for the title]

Anyway, I had this post sent to me from Tracy.  The title may seem a little against what we would normally set out to be here at the collective, but when you realise that she lives and works in Nambia, then the post really works.  Her description of the race is fantastic.  Check out her blog here: 

http://revruns.blogspot.com/]

Well, well. Yay for me –

Last Thursday, we (Caprivi Hope for Life) rented the conference room at the Katima Youth Center to hold a training with our field promoters. While I was there, I met Ben, the Regional Coordinator for Sports in Caprivi Region. I met him because he was wearing quite a nice looking track suit which I was admiring and Clara, our Finance Officer knows Ben and introduced us. He then introduced me to the woman who is the Deputy in charge of Namibian Women in Sport Association (NAWISA), whose existence was a revelation to me. And then, somehow in the conversation, he mentioned that there was going to be a 12k race on Saturday, put on by some local school as a fundraiser. A race! How exciting. I hardly ever get to race. When was the last one? Oh yeah, the New Year’s Day 10K (also run in Vibrams) where I won my age group. Ben was a bit vague on details (at least for what I am used to), but he said it was going to start at 7am in town, near the market.

After our meeting, I saw Ben talking with Peggy, one of our promoters from Liselo. He called me over to tell me that Peggy was a great runner, one of the best women in the region. As we walked to town, I spoke with Peggy a bit and she said she would come Saturday morning for the race. Great! We promised to see each other there.

I didn’t expect an enormous crowd – the population of Katima is pretty small to begin with and I only knew of two other runners – one Chinese guy I’d see on the road in the evenings a few times and Janice, a Peace Corps friend who is down at Windhoek now for a conference. But I thought, oh maybe there’d be a hundred people or so.

Wanting to make sure I had time to find the start, get registered and not miss anything, I left the house at 6:30am. It was COLD. Cold enough that I jogged out to the road and kept moving so I wouldn’t freeze. I had on shorts and a long sleeve running shirt with a pair of light track pants and my Katima Mulilo Town Council track jacket. There was no one out on the road and only one truck went by going the other direction. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t get a ride. But soon enough a taxi came by, just when I thought my feet would go numb from the cold. When we got to town, we went by the market, but just saw a few people there setting up a brai (barbecue), so I didn’t think it was there. I asked the driver to take me to the Youth Center, but that was closed, so I said to take me back to the market and drop me there, figuring I would ask around. When we got back to the market, I saw Peggy and a couple of other people who looked like runners, plus a few children running around. By now, it was minutes before 7am and it was clear that things weren’t going to start right away. There was some commotion, though – one man was clearly in charge, I later heard he was the principal of the school – and there were two police there who were our safety escorts. Apparently the brai was part of the fundraiser and so parents of the school’s children were setting that up and then showing up with pastries and pancake batter and meat and sodas that they were going to sell. A few more people showed up, including Ben, and the women in charge of registration were organized, so around 8am we could pay our $20 and get our numbers. There were going to be two races, a 1-mile race for the younger children and a 12k race which I thought was only for adults, but when the gun went off, it was clear that it was also for the youth (12-18). We got our numbers and still had quite awhile to stand around. This gave us time to size up the competition and for random folks to wander by and enter the race (the guy who got 3^rd place was coming to open his shop, saw the race was happening and decided to run!). A bit of sun finally came up and we would huddle in the spots where it was shining to try and warm up.

I was wearing my Vibram Fivefingers (Bikila LS) which engendered quite a bit of interest. I considered running barefoot, but I didn’t know what the route was going to be (and therefore the conditions of the road/path) and 12k is about twice the distance I’d ever run barefoot and I knew it would wreck my feet. With a marathon in a month, that didn’t seem wise, so I opted for the VFFs. There was quite a variety of footwear among the runners. The shopkeeper had a pair of spikes (without the spikes in) that he wore. Quite a few people were in the Converse knock-offs that are quite popular around town, some had knock-off brands of “regular” running shoes. One guy showed up at the last minute wearing dress shoes, but  as he passed me (having gotten off to a bit of a late start) he was barefoot. Quite a few of the kids ran either barefoot or in their socks, including two boys carrying their shoes, which apparently did not work as well as they had hoped.

When we started, there were less than 20 adults, with Peggy and I the only two women, and another 15 or so youth. There was no starting line, but everyone pretty politely lined up next to each other and the principal said “go” and shot something or other and off we went. Since my toes were actually numb, I started slow and just decided to “run my own race”. Slow is relative, though, as my first mile split was 8:15—I just didn’t go like a bat out of hell like everyone else. About 10 of the girls pooped out after ½ a mile and started walking, but I have to give them credit because they did it—they ran the whole 12k race.

As things shook out, I could see Peggy ahead of me—far enough that I couldn’t reach her, yet within sight. I think we were probably going about the same pace, because she always seemed to be about the same distance. Around 3 miles, I started passing people. First the two boys carrying their shoes and running in their socks, one of whom had music playing from his phone—they would run, walk, run, so we placed leap frog for about a mile, but then they couldn’t keep it up. I caught up with two girls and a boy who were plugging along pretty well, but started to lose steam. One of the girls ran with me for awhile, but then faded. Then I caught a boy who had been running with Peggy, and we went through the turnaround checkpoint together where we had to pick up a “wooly” – a colored piece of yarn that would prove we made it to the checkpoint and was necessary to qualify for prizes. The nice thing about the out and back course was that I could cheer on folks who were way ahead of me. After the turnaround, the boy I was with kept having trouble with his shoelaces. They were quite long and didn’t stay tied, so he dropped back. I think caught up with the first girl, who was so far ahead of the others that even though she faded near the end, she won handily. Then, suddenly, Peggy was reachable and seemed to be slowing down, while I just kept clipping along (my splits for the race were 8:15-8:30 per mile, with the last mile a bit faster at 8:08). We passed an area which had shops, a bunch of people (including a boy who shouted at each of us “how much did you pay?” which seemed an odd question) and little piglets crossing the road!

By the time we got to the intermediate water stop (without about 2 miles to go), I caught up with Peggy. With me there for a bit of competition, she rallied and we ended up running side by side, alternating fading a bit and rallying.

At the beginning of the race, a police bakkie (pickup) had escorted us out and along the route (though it was quickly too far from me to be considered an escort). It came by at least one more time and another time a police car came by, both with sirens blaring. However, by the time we reached that intermediate water stop, there were a LOT more cars on the road and they were rude and somewhat aggressive. We had been running with the traffic, but Peggy and I decided to cross over. I was hoping that if they saw us with numbers on our shirts, they would understand we were racing and not run us off the road. We could see two of the guys up ahead of us.

When we turned onto the road going back into town, it was quite a zoo. Now we not only had cars, but also people walking or standing, bicycles, etc. to deal with and we had to cross the road to get back to the start. Finally, at one point, there was a break in the traffic and I looked back and was glad to see Peggy was right behind me. I signaled to her and we crossed over and then I picked it up as we were about a block from the finish. I thought she’d come after me and probably catch me. The main intersection in town, 200 meters from the parking lot of the market and our finish, was crazy. There was a huge truck trying to turn and a bunch of taxis honking, so I hopped up onto the sidewalk in front of the bank and cut diagonally across, whipping my head from side to side to check for traffic—no use getting killed when I’m this close to the finish! Peggy didn’t catch me, which meant I won! In fact, she was at least a full minute behind me. I hadn’t realized how close to exhaustion she was. My time was around 1:01:00 (according to my Garmin—there was no clock for the race).

The post-race waiting period was even longer than the pre-race wait. First, we sat around for quite awhile – cooled off, swapped stories, and found out that the two lead men had missed the turnaround checkpoint because they were literally following the police bakkie and turned when it turned, never seeing the water stop and not picking their woolies. So they were disqualified. Then there were two guys who ran very well (they may have been 3^rd & 4^th) who never registered, so they were also disqualified. I took off my VFFs which gave many folks a chance to pick them up and give them a good look. By this time, we were getting antsy but learned that we had to wait for the last finisher of the 12k to come in. Finally 3 of the girls who had pooped out right at the beginning came running in followed by a police car and we were hoping they would do our award ceremony. By now it was 11am and all the shops in town close at 1pm, so people wanted to get on with the day. However, we were told that the children had not yet run their race (on the roads now very crowded with Saturday morning shopping traffic). As they lined up to run their mile, I decided to go to the market, since I clearly had at least 30 minutes before the awards ceremony.

When I came back, it was hard to spot my compatriots among the market-goers, brai patrons and onlookers, but I found a couple who said they thought things would start soon. Sure enough, within minutes, the principal called for us to gather around. The prizes weren’t bad. For the 1-mile--$600 for first place, $300 for second place, $200 for third place girl and boy. For the 12k--$800 first place, $300 second place, $200 third place male and female in 3 categories: 12-17, 18-49, 50+. I was hoping they would use the standard definition of veteran (40+) as that would have put Peggy and I in different categories. Ben, being the only veteran, won his age group. I won the women, with Peggy second. The boy who won the 12-17 group was a 15 year old sprinter who was actually third overall (and actually, first not disqualified). When you convert $800 Namibian into USD it doesn’t sound like much money (~$120) but at nearly ¼ my monthly stipend, this was quite a great boon! To celebrate, I spent more than half of it on a Namibian Schools Sport Union track suit like the one I saw Ben wearing that Thursday. A fine souvenir, I think. Here I am sporting the jacket:

Announcing the Run Smiley Virtual Run...

An image of the Bib, the actual
run Bib can be downloaded below.

So it seems as if by some cosmic force, a lot of "The Collective" are going to be in New York City for the 2nd NYC Barefoot run.  The list is growing daily, but it seemed unfair that due to the location of the run, everyone who wanted to be part of the action, well... just couldn't.

So we came up with an idea (and yes I think wine was involved at some point).  We thought it would be great if we could all "Run Smiley" on that weekend regardless of where we were in the world.  Hence, the "Run Smiley Virtual Run".  The idea is simple.

On the weekend of the 24th-25th September, the weekend of the NYC Barefoot run, we all run; TOGETHER.  To give us some feeling of solidarity, Krista has designed a racing bib.  All you need to do is download the Bib, print it off, pin it to whatever you like to wear during your run and you .. well RUN.

There is no time, no distance, no limits.  You can run in a race, or you can just jog down the road. You just run and as you run you take photo's, do a race report, in fact do whatever you normally like to do for a race/run. But remember - SMILE and have fun.  Remember to have a photo taken of yourself wearing the bib and send it too us.  We will try and make all of the photo's into a collage.  Send us your race reports and we will print those too.

If you like to have a beer, then feel free to count the post-race drink part of the run too. ;)

The Actual BIB can be downloaded here.

evolution in (my) running

facing the fact that i've spent thousands of hours in pursuit of being something i'm not, in the name of being worthy, and it has gotten me nowhere but tired, frustrated and disappointed has been a long process. i examine finally being ready to let my running evolve into something personal, something smiley in my latest blog post. in a world where my favorite pastime of ultrarunning has become a way to push the envelope, and fit in with the out-crowd, the adventurous and pure spirit of the sport has been sacrificed in me and in it's place i find a pointless striving.
if you war with simply loving the sport of running AND being more than 'just a participant' - this post is for you, as i finally accept that i cannot marry the 2... and it's okay.
run happy.

The 5:00AM Edition

This morning (July 26) on my run I found a few things I thought I would share with everyone!  Things like this just reinforce the idea that early birds aren't always just about getting their workout in and over with, and that even weirdos like me who run at 5:00AM can still run smiley!

Today I found myself heading along Stadium Drive and the smell of Sweetwater's Donut Mill got me about a quarter mile before I actually reached the place.  It's so nice to have the heavenly stench of fresh donuts in your nose during a run, although it was certainly tempting to step in for a donut break mid-run!  I hadn't gone that route in probably two months, and I was so glad to have gone that way this morning.

A Kalamazoo Tradition, and man does it smell good!

Businesses lawn sprinklers were in full force as well and while I inwardly scolded them for not learning how to aim the nozzles to avoid wasting water (or for generally watering the sidewalk, which I don't believe requires watering), I had a great time running through  the streams!  Running through sprinklers, puddles and rainstorms has become one of my favorite things!

Drake Hill is one of those hills the local running community dreads (I know I did in my earlier days), but despite having not run it in almost two months, by the time I got there it was like seeing an old friend (I ran it a lot during my training).  There's something awesome about being the guy who says "Oh, that hill isn't so bad.  I run it all the time!" when people bring up how punishing it can be.

On my way back along Parkview Avenue I was beset by a field full of fireflies as well!  I'm used to seeing them in the evening, but I'm not used to seeing them as the sun is barely starting to brighten the eastern sky.  My only regret is not being able to get a decent picture of them.