Random Thoughts While Running

Stinky Shoes

2009-12-04T00:32:00.002-05:00

Ashland Dave talked about stinky shoes in his podcast of 26 September 2009 -- it was somewhere in the first 15 minutes of the podcast:

Running in the Center of the Universe

Stinky shoes are a real problem for me. I am a profuse sweater, so my shoes are always pretty soggy when I finish a run. They are relegated to a place on the porch when I finish running. They do all right until...

...until I run in the rain. For some reason, that seems to push them over the edge. Even though I take out the insoles and stuff the shoes with newspaper to get them to dry, getting them soaked that way seems to bring out the smell and make it permanent. I can wash them and, while it helps, they still stink. I've tried to spray them with Fabreeze and that works until I run again.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Until I find a solution, though, Shoes, you stay outside!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Runner-Friendly or Unfriendly?

2009-12-03T14:03:00.001-05:00

While I'm sure there's more to the story than this particular take on it, Portsmouth, NH doesn't sound like a runner-friendly place to run RW Daily: Portsmouth to Runner: Drop Dead!

As I read the story, I was reminded of how fortunate I was to have lived in the Far West End of Richmond, VA for 4.5 years. Not only are there a lot of friendly runners there, it's definitely a runner-friendly place -- wide streets and courteous drivers. I only recall two aggressive drivers and they had probably just had a bad day. I did have to dodge a couple of school buses. Nothing like Portsmouth, NH.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Exercise Prepares Our Bodies for Stressful Situations, Study Indicates - Mind Hacks - Lifehacker

2009-11-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

Interesting. We runners knew this, naturally. After a long run, we're so stress-free that nothing fazes us except having to move out of the recliner.

Of course, one logical conclusion from this study would be that running only makes you calmer when you get dunked in cold water -- if, that is, you're a running rat.

Exercise Prepares Our Bodies for Stressful Situations, Study Indicates - Mind Hacks - Lifehacker

I'm taking a few days off from running -- 8-10 days. I have some fairly minor aches and pains and just don't have the want to that I've had. This will be the first planned break in 6.5 years.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Key Factors in My Running

2009-11-21T08:51:00.002-05:00

I took off this morning intending to do 5.5+ miles. For some reason, I just couldn't do it and ended up cutting it short a bit. Lately, more often than not, my runs have just been hard. I think I have to face the facts.

OK, yes, I'm running at altitude (5500'+) and every run is hilly (there's just no flat run here). But, I'm also running more slowly than I did at sea level -- 8:00-8:30 at sea level, 8:30-9:05 at altitude -- so I shouldn't feel completely wiped out. Also, I'm bored with my routes -- without driving somewhere else in town (which I'm loathe to do), my options are limited. I'm used to the 300+ routes/variations I had access to in Richmond.

But, I think there are two factors that are probably more important than those -- weight and base mileage. Basically, I'm 12 pounds +/- heavier than when I was running my best. So, I just need to get rid of it. Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, my mileage has slipped. Rather than running 30-35 miles per week (or even more when getting ready for a race), I'm running 15-20 miles per week. That means a 5 mile run is 25-33% of my weekly mileage now but was only 14-17% 6-12 months ago.

So, I think I have some work to do.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

RW Daily: One Gift You Don't Want to Unwrap

2009-11-19T13:08:00.000-05:00

For all of you runners who have wondered what to give your family and friends for Christmas, check out this Runner's World article. Somehow, I don't think my family or friends would have much appreciation for my race picture on a mug.

RW Daily: One Gift You Don't Want to Unwrap

I did 5.6 miles in the mud this morning at a slow pace of 8:54 mpm. One water puddle covered the whole road! And these are paved roads (in Nairobi)!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

For the West End (Richmond) Runners

2009-11-15T08:04:00.005-05:00

This post is dedicated to my friends and running pals who ran the Suntrust Richmond Marathon and the McDonalds Half Marathon yesterday. You are my heroes -- I saw some good times in the results. Maybe these thoughts from Meb will resonate with you:

(Stolen from Half Fast who stole it from Running is Funny who stole it from ...?)

The words for the week are: rest, recover, refuel. Then enjoy running.

I got in my longest run to date in Kenya -- headed out after our worship service for a slow (relative, I know) 6.38 miles in 58:21. With the altitude and the hills, I figure that ain't too bad.

Run well, y'all,
Bob A

Our "Home" City, 2005-2009

2009-11-08T10:26:00.005-05:00

This is a shout out to my homies in Richmond -- John Rolfe 10K Training Team, John Rolfe Patrick Henry Half Marathon Training Team, Posse running group -- many of whom are running either the Richmond Marathon, Half Marathon, or 8K next weekend. Good luck -- you all are so ready for this. (Don't worry -- that's the end of my attempts at urban language.)

From May 2008 until July 2009, we lived in Richmond, VA. While we would have preferred to have been overseas, Richmond was a good place to live and a great place to run. This video gives an overview of some of the reasons for that (we didn't do all that's rapped about in the video) -- and it's a fun look at the city.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

It's No Wonder...

2009-11-05T21:38:00.002-05:00

It's no wonder that weight has become such a problem in the US among most age groups -- 34% of US adults over age 20. (See state-by-state trends here.) Browse through this selection of tempting desserts offered at American restaurants. Who would think that one could consume such huge quantities of calories, fat, sugar, and sodium in a single serving of anything!

Slideshow: 15 Worst Desserts | Eat This, Not That

(Note: This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, an endorsement of Men's Health magazine.)

Note that the better recommendations in the slideshow are not particularly healthy, but they are less bad than the worst offenders.

Those of us who run or engage in other types of strenuous exercise must be very careful to avoid the fallacious thinking that because I run, I can eat whatever I want. If I'm maintaining my weight with my normal amount of eating and current level of running miles, it would take an additional half marathon -- actually 13.28 miles to counter the calories contained in Romano’s Macaroni Grill New York Cheesecake with Caramel Fudge Sauce (1660 calories -- more than 3 Big Macs -- and the saturated fat equivalent of 57 strips of bacon).

A huge part of who you are physically (pun intended) is what you eat.

Off to run 5 miles or so.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Kenyans in America and an American in Kenya

2009-11-05T01:18:00.002-05:00

I've swapped places with Kenyan runners, Robert Cheruiyot and James Kwambai. Well, OK, that's a bit of hyperbole but they were in the US for the NYC Marathon and I've returned to Kenya, though certainly not to run a marathon.

The following is an interesting article on the final week of preparation by Cheruiyot and Kwambai for the NYC Marathon:

How the Kenyans Take On New York

It's interesting from a runner's perspective but also because of some of the cultural tidbits like this:

Later, at a buffet breakfast at the hotel...both drank hot tea with milk, and Kwambai poured in packet after packet of sugar, as if building a sand castle in his cup.

Chai -- hot tea, usually cooked in half mile and half water and with lots of sugar, is the national drink of Kenya. Every Kenyan I know, except those who are battling diabetes, puts tons and tons of sugar in their chai. Yet, most Kenyans don't like desserts because they are too sweet. Go figure. Those kinds of anomalies always make me wonder what kind of quirks we Americans have in our culture -- I'm absolutely sure there are many.

Enjoy the article.

I'm back in Kenya after a couple of weeks in Richmond for meetings. I enjoyed the boost of going from high altitude to sea level but now am back at 5700' above sea level and having to readjust. It's tough for an old guy! :) Did 5.2 miles this morning in 46:51. Not too bad especially considering that I woke up at 1:30 after only 3 hours of sleep -- thanks to jetlag.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running Styles

2009-11-02T15:37:00.002-05:00

For the last 2+ years, before we moved back overseas, I ran regularly with a great group of runners in the far West End of Richmond, VA (Short Pump) -- we called ourselves The Posse. Our twice-a-week group runs -- early Wednesday morning and longer runs on Saturday -- provided some needed variety to my running.

An interesting outcome of all those miles together was that I got to where I could recognize people by the way they ran, even in the dark.

I came back to the US last week for a meeting. On my first Saturday back (24-Oct), I didn't get up in time to run with the group but still ran fairly early. Sure enough, even though I couldn't see their faces (we were on opposite sides of a 4-lane street and my glasses were sweat-covered), I recognized several folks I know just by the way they ran. I wondered at the time if my running style was distinctive enough to identify me -- Naw, probably not -- I just run "normal".

This past Saturday, I did make the group run and really enjoyed catching up with family news on this group of friends. After I finished running, I was stretching and one of the ladies finished her run. We were chatting a bit and she mentioned that the previous Saturday, while she was running with some folks, she did a double-take when she saw me. Then the clincher: I recognized you by the way you ran -- you have a unique running style.

Well, there you have it. Now, I wonder, when Mary Beth said I have a unique running style, is that good-unique or strange-unique? I was so surprised by her comment that I didn't think to ask until later. I'm thinking, old-guy shuffle or you look like you're dying out there, about to keel over style of running. So, Mary Beth, if you're reading this, which is it? (Or, maybe I don't want to know! GRIN)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Can Climbing Steps Be Fun?

2009-11-02T15:04:00.002-05:00

This is certainly a good attempt to make climbing steps more fun and, thus, more appealing than using an escalator. Maybe this should be part of President Obama's health care initiative -- preventive care by enticing people to choose heart healthy alternatives.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Longest Run in a While

2009-10-31T10:39:00.002-04:00

On a misty, cloudy Halloween morning, I got to run with some of my Richmond running group. NICE! Turned out to be about 3 smaller groups -- one group running a quick 13 miles getting ready for a half marathon, another group running a slower 12 prepping for a marathon, and then a couple of us at my pace.

I seriously doubted my ability to do 12 miles -- I haven't run more than 6.5 miles since July. But I did end up doing 8.8 miles at an average pace of 8:32 mpm. It felt really good -- temperature was about 59° and it was misty, so the weather conditions were pretty pleasant.

I ate a banana about an hour before we ran and then a Gu (Chocolate Outrage -- my favourite) about 10 minutes before. I carried my 22 oz bottle with Gatorade and ate another Gu at about 6 miles. The fuel and hydration seemed to be just perfect. There was no point in the run when I felt like I needed to quit and it's possible that I could have done the full 12. A good start to a Saturday.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Where Did That Come From? :)

2009-10-30T20:35:00.002-04:00

I didn't sleep really well last night and knew that I had a full day of meetings ahead, so I felt like I really needed to run to get my adrenaline going. But, I wanted to cut back my miles a bit. My plan was to do about 4 miles but to push the pace a bit just to see. I've been running at high altitude (5500') for the past 6 weeks and have been back at sea level this week.

So, off I went at 5:15 AM. I hadn't mapped the route first so could only guess at the 4 miles. I really didn't feel like I was running particularly fast (for me -- yeah, I know I'm not an elite runner -- GRIN), so when I finished at 39:34.74 minutes, I figured I had ended up doing about 4.5 miles. Well, I mapped it and it was just under 5.1 miles -- a pace of 7:47. I haven't run that fast since mid-June when I ran 5.7 miles at 7:56. I'm pumped!

Tomorrow, I'm running with my old running group (well, old as in the group I used to run with -- all but one or two of them are 20+ year younger than I am). They're all prepping for a marathon and doing 12 miles. We'll see what happens -- it's been a long time since I tried that distance.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Observations at JKI Airport (Nairobi)

2009-10-23T03:41:00.002-04:00

I'm looking forward to getting in a couple of runs in Richmond with my old running group, the Posse. Having been at high altitude (1 mile+) for the last 6 weeks, sea level should be fun.

I started my trip last night and thought somebody might be interested in my observations.

Though I'm certainly not new to Kenya or Nairobi, since we have come back after a 4.5 year stint in the US I've made a conscious effort to pay attention to things. Having worked with new employees, trying to help them get ready to move overseas, we are much more aware of the things that new folks see and experience. So, here are some of them from last night.

Last night, it took only 45 minutes to get from Hampton House to the Jomo Kenyatta Int'l Airport -- traffic through Nairobi wasn't too bad at 7 pm. That trip can take 20 minutes at 4AM and 2-4 hours at 4:30PM. Consequently, I was there almost 30 minutes earlier than necessary. The good thing about that was the ability to check-in and get through immigrations in a relaxed, rather than frantic and push-shove manner.

First thing was to go through the first of 5 security checks -- yes, 5. So, as I handed my boarding pass to the guard at the door into the terminal, he noticed that I was traveling to the US. He asked me to greet Obama. :) Well, OK ... President Obama, if you become my friend on FB or you happen to see my blog (in which I'm sure you can find some sage advice on international relations or life or ... whatever) and see this note, Pokea salamu za huyo askari!

I don't meaning to be giving you TMI or WTMI, but when you're checked in for a flight 3 hours before takeoff, there are certain necessities that must be taken care of, so off I went. First thing ... who in the world designed these stalls?! It is impossible to get inside and close the door -- or open the door from the inside to come out -- without straddling the porcelain fixture. IMPOSSIBLE!

Graffiti artists, budding poets, and generally strange individuals seem to get some kind of kick out of writing on stall doors. A small selection of the available reading material:

• God is a life
• IMB Going (As best I could tell, it really said that. Why? How do I answer that?)
• Chris was hia (This one you have to read outloud with an African accent, which mean the "i" in "hia" is a long-e and the "a" is pronounced "ah".)

Earlier, I mentioned 5 security checks. I am flying BA, so it's true:

• X-ray bags and go through metal detector to enter the departure terminal
• Immediately have at least one bag searched by security personnel
• X-ray carry-ons and go through metal detector at the gate
• Immediately go through another identical security X-ray of carry-ons (they wanted me to take off my belt for this one) and go through another metal detector between the entry to the gate area and the actual waiting area
• Immediately have carry-ons hand searched by security personnel

Now that I've arrived at Heathrow (London), I had to go through yet another security check between the arrival and departure areas and I expect I'll have to go through yet another at the gate itself. Then, after immigrations and customs in Chicago, there'll be another. After all that, I'm probably not a security threat to myself -- I will have been checked 7-8 times!

Oh, the joys of international travel!

Run -- and travel -- well, y'all,
Bob

Extreme Motivation

2009-10-19T02:20:00.001-04:00

While not a recommended reaction, it's certainly understandable why University of Anchorage cross-country runner, Auston Ellis, ran a bit faster than normal a couple of weeks ago. UAA runner races a grizzly and gets lucky | Northwest News - The News Tribune (Seattle-Tacoma News)

Shared via AddThis

My run this morning was a bit more prosaic. It was rainy, cool, and messy-muddy but I slogged through 5.5 miles at a pace of 8:40 mpm. I think messy-muddy is going to define most of my runs for the next few months as we're supposed to be having El Nino rains. The last time that happened in Kenya (1997-98), we had 72" of rain from October to March and 116" of rain in the year, October to October.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Noisy Neighbours

2009-10-17T23:53:00.002-04:00

We are very fortunate in that we don't have noisy neighbours. In fact, the house next door to us is empty right now, so things are pretty quiet. However, we've lived in downstairs apartments and know what it's like to experience this: Things That Go Bump in the Night.

If you have -- or ever have had -- noisy neighbours, you'll appreciate that blog post. (I'm not responsible for any of the language in the comments.)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Defense Against Rude Drivers

2009-10-17T10:09:00.004-04:00

I'd say there's a fair chance that this is enhanced but it's still funny. Would this work for a rude driver who honks at you while you run? I have no idea and I take no responsibility if you choose to try this even though I'm not suggesting that you do. :)

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running on a Lavender Carpet

2009-10-16T03:08:00.004-04:00

Jacaranda trees are not native to Kenya -- they originated in South America -- but this time of year they bloom all over Nairobi and their blooming signals the start of the short rainy season. They have been planted all over Nairobi and are beautiful. One of the unique things about the Jacarandas is that they flowers fall while still lavender-blue and gives the impression of a lavender carpet on roads and walkways. So, the last few days, my runs have been on lavender carpets. Cool!

I'm still getting used to the altitude and hills of Nairobi -- it's getting better. It was raining pretty hard this morning so I didn't run. Yesterday, though, I ran 5.2 miles at a pace of about 8:44 mpm.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running the Mountain (Krugersdorp, So. Africa)

2009-10-06T15:52:00.004-04:00

Tuesday morning's run included a hill that went from 5261' to 5537' above sea level in just shy of 0.7 miles, all uphill -- lungs were burning! That was some more hill! Total run of 2.53 miles at a pace of 9:28 mpm. Slow, but good considering the hills and elevation.

I'm staying at Achterbergh Conf. Center, near Krugersdorp, South Africa. You can see it on Google Earth at coordinates 26°03'59.19"S, 27°46'47.15"E. It is a beautiful place -- we're in the valley.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

We Love You Like Fried Chicken (ing'okho) (Edited)

2009-09-27T08:24:00.008-04:00

(Picture from Public Domain Image)

[Bear with me -- once I got started, this turned out longer than I anticipated.] Great cultural tidbit this morning in church. When they sang to those having birthdays this week, one phrase was "Tunawapenda kama ing'okho." The pastor explained that ing'okho (I suspect it's a Kikuyu word. EDIT: Wrong! It turns out to be a Jaluo word.) are the free range chickens that run around in African city or town streets and you have to chase them down to catch and cook them, but when cooked they are oh so goooood! So, they were singing, "We love you like sweet-tasting chicken" -- somewhat akin to a Southerner (US) saying "I love you like fried chicken."

Language and how it's used provides so much insight into culture. Would Linda (my wife) appreciate me telling her I love her like fried chicken? I don't think so (wrong culture). Western cultures have romanticized love (not a bad thing at all, even if I have trouble verbalizing that). That's perhaps typified best by this:

SONNET #43, FROM THE PORTUGUESE
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints!---I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!---and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

But in a Kenyan context, saying "Tunawapenda kama ing'okho" made sense. Not that a Kenyan man would say that exact phrase to his wife nor would a person say that to a close friend, but the analogy was completely understood. For many urban and suburban Kenyans, meat protein is a rare thing -- it's just too expensive. Even in rural Kenya, many don't have the luxury of meat every day -- only on special occasions. So to get meat is a really good thing. Though it's changing with the under-40 generations, for many Kenyans, love is practical.

There's still a touch of that practicality in our culture. Remember the joke?

Wife: You never tell me you love me.
Husband: I told you once. If I change my mind, I'll let you know.

One of my favourite scenes in Fiddler on the Roof involves love as a practical thing.

(Tevye)
"Golde, I have decided to give Perchik permission to become engaged to our daughter, Hodel."

(Golde)
"What??? He's poor! He has nothing, absolutely nothing!"

(Tevye)
"He's a good man, Golde. I like him. And what's more important, Hodel likes him. Hodel loves him. So what can we do? It's a new world... A new world. Love. Golde..."

Do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I what?

(Tevye)
Do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love you?
With our daughters getting married
And this trouble in the town
You're upset, you're worn out
Go inside, go lie down!
Maybe it's indigestion

(Tevye)
"Golde I'm asking you a question..."
Do you love me?

(Golde)
You're a fool

(Tevye)
"I know..."
But do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love you?
For twenty-five years I've washed your clothes
Cooked your meals, cleaned your house
Given you children, milked the cow
After twenty-five years, why talk about love right now?

(Tevye)
Golde, The first time I met you
Was on our wedding day
I was scared

(Golde)
I was shy

(Tevye)
I was nervous

(Golde)
So was I

(Tevye)
But my father and my mother
Said we'd learn to love each other
And now I'm asking, Golde
Do you love me?

(Golde)
I'm your wife

(Tevye)
"I know..."
But do you love me?

(Golde)
Do I love him?
For twenty-five years I've lived with him
Fought him, starved with him
Twenty-five years my bed is his
If that's not love, what is?

(Tevye)
Then you love me?

(Golde)
I suppose I do

(Tevye)
And I suppose I love you too

(Both)
It doesn't change a thing
But even so
After twenty-five years
It's nice to know

(Lyrics from St Lyrics)

So, is one better than the other? Is western culture superior to Kenyan culture in this respect? While there is much to be said for some romance in love, I don't think one is inherently better than the other (I may get in trouble for that comment) -- they're just different.

So, how would you complete the phrase, I love you like....?

Run -- and live -- well, y'all,
Bob

Racing Trucks

2009-09-26T07:01:00.004-04:00

I was up early this morning. Something woke me up at 4:00 -- I mean ain't-no-way-I'm-going-back-to-sleep awake. I stayed in bed for another half hour just to see and then got up, made a cup of chai, and read some e-mail. Figured I'd be too tired to run, but around 6:00 I wanted to hit the road.

Headed out my normal route for Nairobi (have I ever said how much I like running different routes each day?). There's one road where I run about half the length and turn around -- right at the top of a short but very nasty hill (it drops from 5767' to 5729' in 0.085 miles). This morning, though, I thought, Why not? Nothing better to do. If it kills me, I'll just run shorter. Down I went. What in the world was I thinking? I have to come back up this monster! Since there's little worse than turning around in the middle of a hill and running back up, I kept going.

After turning around and heading back (flat section), I misjudged the height of a small tree limb and it caught me right in the head. Owww! Is it bleeding? Wiped my forehead with my fingers and, Yes, it's bleeding. Rats! I'm a mile or so from home so nothing to do but keep going. I kept checking -- not bleeding badly and after a half mile, it quit. Sorry, I digress.

Anyway, I had to run back up that nasty hill. Just before I got to the bottom of the hill, a truck passed me -- a bit smaller than a dump truck but definitely bigger than a 1-ton pickup. Well, it hit the hill and I heard the driver downshift. He ended up practically crawling up the hill while I caught up to him and passed him. That was a good feeling. Seems like running all the hills in Short Pump (far westend, Richmond, VA) has done some good after all! Score a point for runners!

I ended up running just over 6 miles -- my longest so far at this altitude. It wasn't fast and I was tired at the end, but it was good. Very slight bruise on my forehead and a red dot of dried blood. Just another runner's trophy to go with my missing and black toenails.

Maymont X-Terra Half Marathon started just a few minutes ago. Here's a shout out to all my running partners in Richmond who are running the race -- Go get 'em, PHHM Training Team!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Urban Trail Running

2009-09-19T01:06:00.004-04:00

No, I haven't found any real trails in Nairobi, but while I was running this morning, it struck me how much running on Nairobi streets is like trail running. I get a lot of trail-like training here dodging potholes, uneven surfaces, loose rocks (not always gravel or stone-sized), jumping ditches. It's probably pretty good for the muscles that control stability in my ankles, knees, and hips. One stretch of road is so bad that I can run it faster than cars can be sensibly driven on it.

I'm slowly getting acclimated to the altitude and the hills.

This morning: 5.2 miles at a pace of 8:46 mpm.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Running in Nairobi 2009

2009-09-12T20:50:00.004-04:00

Running here is going to be very different than running in Richmond, VA. I was really spoiled by how easy that was. Several differences:

• Altitude is certainly one: going from 150' to 5700' above sea level is a huge difference. I'll reap the benefits later and this will actually become a Nairobi advantage but starting out is tough.

• Road conditions: Short Pump/Richmond has nice wide, smooth roads; Nairobi -- well, let's just say they leave something to be desired. They're not runner-friendly -- narrow, mostly in very poor condition for either running or driving, little or no verge, very dusty (even when tarmaced). Friday, one one stretch of road, I was running faster than drivers were able to navigate their cars over, around, through the potholes.

• Running time: Because the road surfaces are so irregular, I don't think I'll be able to run in the dark. That means waiting to head out until almost 6AM -- it's light at 6AM almost year-round. My normal Richmond starting time was 5:15-5:30AM. Factoring in cool-down, showering, breakfast, etc., an 8AM meeting is much more likely to interfere with running here.

• Runner-aware drivers: Richmond is a runner-friendly city. In 4 1/2 years of running there, I think I was run off the road only a couple of times. Here, because of the amount of traffic and the generally poor driving, drivers are not watching out for me. In a country that produces the greatest long-distance runners in the world, you would think that would generate some respect for runners. NOT! by drivers. When you're fighting the traffic in a 4+ million person city where good infrastructure is either non-existent or deteriorating, you're not paying attention to runners.

• Route variety: in Richmond I had a couple of hundred different routes mapped out. Some were only minor variations of others but I almost never ran the anywhere near the same route twice in a week. Here, I'm limited -- there are lots of dead end roads and I'm somewhat hemmed in by a major thoroughfare. So, without driving somewhere else to run (which I hate to do except infrequently), I suspect my routes will be much more repetitive.

• Climate: While I enjoyed the change in seasons in the US, I didn't enjoy running whenever the temperature was above 70° and the humidity was 90%+ -- that was most mornings between mid-May and mid-September. Here, early morning temperatures will rarely be above 62° and the humidity is closer to 50-60%. I'll miss the crispness of running in sub-freezing temperatures but overall the climate will be more conducive to running.

Friday, my first run here since getting back, the temperature was something like 55°. I was able to do just under 4 miles at a pace of approximately 8:30 mpm (if you want the exact figures, see my Running Log on the right (scroll down a bit). It's good to be home!

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Wright Socks: Running II -- Second and Third Runs

2009-09-12T20:22:00.004-04:00

I was really disappointed after my first run in the Wright Socks, Running II. However, after washing them a couple of times, I think they're going to be a regular part of my sock rotation. They're still a bit large and I don't know if they'll work for a long run, but they are comfortable.

Friday morning, I got in my first run since moving back to Nairobi, Kenya. Jet lag has really hit me hard and I haven't felt like running any of the other days (we arrived Tuesday night). But Friday, I wore the Running II socks for a 4-miler. Frankly, my feet felt as good on that run as on any in a long time and I think the Wright Socks were a part of that. Of course, it's also possible that I was distracted by the fact that breathing at 5700' above sea level was a little tough!

I would still buy the socks in a size L rather than XL, but I would now recommend the Wright Socks: Running II as a good choice.

Run well, y'all,
Bob

Kill Devil Hill -- Wright Brothers Memorials

2009-09-02T19:17:00.004-04:00

I'm spending the week on the No. Carolina coast (Kill Devil Hills, Outer Banks) with my wife, our 2 adult kids, and our daughter-in-law. It's been relaxing and a great chance for us to all be together before Linda and I head back overseas and Stephen and Anna head back to Boston for their 2nd year of graduate school -- our daughter will continue in her current job in Richmond.

The weather has been cool and the wind pretty strong for the last couple of days so we haven't spent a lot of time on the beach. Actually, the red flags were out today, warning people to stay out of the water. So, we went to the Wright Brothers Memorial -- the site of the first powered, manned, heavier-than-air, sustained airplane flight.

I was pretty impressed -- not so much by the exhibits, etc. but by how quickly air flight developed. Unpowered, manned glider flight was still fairly new in 1900 when the Wright brothers decided to give it a try. The technology was way underdeveloped, to the point that Wilbur and Orville were ready to call it quits after their first attempts -- it was too dangerous. But, something turned things around for them and over the next year, the Wright brothers actually developed much of the control technology that is still used in the modern aviation. Another year later, they had built their own, aluminum block engine and perfected their propellers and flew 4 successful flights within a period of about 2 hours on 17 December 1903. They would have flown more, but a strong gust of wind flipped the plane and basically broke it. From that point, technology developed at an almost inconceivable rate -- the first trans-continental flight (across the US) took place only 8 years later.

After the presentation, we wandered out onto the grounds. It was amazing to see the difference in the distances covered between the first 3 flights and the 4th flights:

1st flight -- about 120'
2nd flight -- about 175'
3rd flight -- about 200'
4th flight -- about 852'

Then we went up to the monument. Being the beach, the 90' high Kill Devil Hill gives one a pretty good panoramic view of the area. The picture is a stitched composite of 9 pictures that I took.

A fun afternoon!

Running here has been interesting. I don't really like running a perfectly flat course. While hills are not necessarily fun, they do provide some variety. Plus, the wind is interesting. The wind was the primary reason the Wright brothers chose Kill Devil Hill as their testing ground. The 10-25 mph winds do make it a challenge. If you're interested, here are my routes:

5.48 miles
6.11 miles
5.14 miles

Run well, y'all,
Bob