Bass Lake

Sunday, I'm going running where it all began. The first place I ever ran farther than a mile and the site of hundreds of training runs throughout high school and parts of college. The place where I got in trouble for waving at a TV camera during a race. The site of many other races, hill-workouts, mile repeats, long slow distance days, and everything in-between. The place where I (literally) ran into Newt Gingrich. The place my Dad and I go whenever I'm in Boone during the summer time. The first place I ever ran more than 8 miles at one time. The place where I fell in love with October. The one place where I learned more about myself than in any other spot on the planet.

I'm going to Bass Lake. The place where I see myself when I see myself running.

Because Races Here Are Too Damn Funny:

Here are some pics because you should know:

This is the area/time before start--many SERIOUS runners in matching outfits. One thing we've noticed about Ecuadorians--they half-ass NO athletic pursuit.

These are the pace balloons, supposedly carried by an actual pacer. Sure.

This guy was awesome. And inspiring. The third world is NO place for the disabled, yet here they are, and soooo excited for a race.

And we're off! If I could attach ordors, or make this scratch and sniff, you would smell Ben-gay.

"Hey Tim, maybe this one time it won't be handled bags of water..." No tamale.

Dog on a roof! And no barking. Actually, I think he may have been bewildered by it all.

Fritada break, anyone? No takers? Well that's shocking, I mean, it's already 7:30 am.

Oh, the llegada. Finally. Sheesh.

Now that we made it, it's time for group cool-down and stretches! Thanks, Parque Carolina aerobics instructors!

There's the monument back there. We had to beg and plead just to get this close. Check Tim's Ecuador Reporter article on how to deal with this sort of thing.

It's become a post-race tradition: share one of our horded "special" suitcase-imported beers.

And that concludes what a race looks like in Ecuador. Hope you'll consider a race in the third world sometime. It really is a blast, and I don't think I can say that about too many races in the States.

Taking Awhile

I was going to post some pictures of the 1/2 marathon. But our internet has not been happy for quite awhile now and I have no clue what its problem is. But it's annoying. And dumb.

So no pictures for you.

Sorry.

Maybe soon . . . .