So a while ago, I'd say maybe in May, I decided with a bunch of friends to compete in a half-marathon in Peru for the 4th of July and hence started my rigorous training schedule. Thanks to runnersworld.com I found a great 8 week half-marathon training schedule and i'd be lying if i said i stuck to it like glue; I'd rate myself a "mas o menos" or a 6 out of 10 on following the workout plan. Sometimes its hard to run 8 miles while dodging cars, inhaling city bus fumes, running through large packs of inattentive school children. Brief recap of races and "fun times" while training:
MAY 1st: Start half-marathon training
MAY 2nd: Actual first workout for half-marathon completed; yesterday's workout was postponed due to hangover.
MAY 15th: 10k Race over the bridges of Guayaquil. Ok so one bridge may have been an overpass but hey 2 out 3 is pretty good. Ran the race with an ecuadorian male friend and I left him in the dust at kilometer 6. Granted he hadn't been training and I convinced him to participate for the "fun of it". I had a lot of fun beating him however he wasn't the most thrilled about it.
...continue training like normal...started making friends with local security guards in my neighborhood. One had a tendency to run with me for a block. the first time it was cute, not so much the following 298304 times that he continued to do it. Running route has since been changed.
JUNE 13th: Almost eaten alive by a giant vicious german shepherd. I didn't even see the dog coming, i just merely sensed the presence of death behind me. Had I turned around a half second later I would be writing this story with one foot less. I felt the dogs presence, glanced over my shoulder to see his lips pulled back and some of the most gnarly teeth I have witnessed in Ecuador (thats saying a lot). Out of absolute, down to the bone fear, i threw my hands up in the air, screamed AUXILLO, SENORA, AUXILLO (attempting to get the dog owners help) as tears instantly began spurting from my eyes and was jolted into panic mode. Now I am pretty confident when it comes to running and avoiding dogs. In the country the dogs are much worse and more aggressive than these primped city dogs. In the country the most common technique used to shoo away a dog is to bend down and pretend like you're going to throw a rock at it (most of the time i don't pretend but thats because i know with my aim, try as i might, my rock will never hit intended destination). Anyways back to almost being eaten alive, after screaming to no result, i took a deep breath and remembered what I learned from my ancestors, "GET A ROCK" i thought. I bend down, keeping my eyes locked on the dog and grope the ground for a rock, anything i could pick up. DAMN YOU CITY OF CONCRETE AND ASPHALT. "don't worry" i thought "just pretend to throw something. surely the dog will get scared and run off". Despite numerous arm flailings and attempted imaginary rock launchings, the dog doesn't flinch. This is when real panic set in. so much that i seemed to have blacked out what happened next and actually have no idea how i came to free myself from this flesh-loving dog still intact (outside at least). The next event I remember is me sitting on a bench trembling and holding my knees to my chest. TRUE STORY. Running route has since been changed.
JULY 3rd: Time for Half-marathon in PERU!! woohoo! but i ended up not going to Peru to run my half-marathon. Why should I pay an absurd amount to travel to peru to participate in a painful two hours when I could do it right here in my home town? Thus, thats what I did. Along with 4 other volunteers.
We also participated with a local celebrity who is solely referred to as "la flaca". She is a talk show host on channel 2 and has become famous because she's a runner and just so fit that she's more famously known as "the skinny" than her actual given name. No, that is not resentment that you hear in my voice. Anyways she only ran the 10k (granted she was recently hit by a car about 2 months ago while on a jog and said she's still "recuperating) and we all did the 21k. After the race we got a quick photo with her which the instant i got home i upload to my facebook wall (famous by association, yes please) and looked up her results from the 10k. Her time beat my PR for a 10k by 4 minutes; and she's not even "fully recuperated". Yes, now we are hearing resentment. At least I've got a new goal to work towards...to beat la flaca!!
Fellow PCV Deanna, La Flaca and the Hunchback of Guayaquil
JULY 10th: Half-marathon # 2! This race was a little less formal, so informal that we used my garmin watch to track the distance of the race. With my rounding abilities hey really shouldn't leave me responsible for tracking the distance as I cut this race about a half mile short since I was too tired to go on. Close enough right?
This race is part of a fundraising project to support Parque Yasuni which is in the Amazon and being destroyed by oil companies. The project is touring the 24 provinces of Ecuador and running a 21k in each province. Its got a great atmosphere as everyone is out to support nature and healthy habits and there to have a good time. I'll leave you all the link to their webpage and even though its in spanish they have lots of pictures from the race (especially of Deanna and me). Check them out: Reto 21 x 24
UP NEXT:
August 14th: next half-marathon with the previously mentioned organization is in Esmeraldas, a province in the north of Ecuador, famous for its delicious coconut-infused foods and beaches. Yes please.
September 4th: 30k here in Guayaquil
October 9th: FULL MARATHON in BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. Still looking for a racing partner. Please email me for applications.
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