When Inspiration Knocks, Jump On It

I was out the door this morning for a 7 mile plus (12 K) run on the Libramiento road on the mountainside north of the city of Oaxaca. I'm 11 days away from competing in a 10 kilometer race in Huatulco on the Oaxaca coast, which is being run the same day as the Huatulco Marathon.

Today's plan: Warm up for a couple miles, then run at race tempo as long as I could stand it. Yes, this workout is meant as a dress rehearsal for the race, a real test of fitness. Let's see if I am race ready.

Problem is, I'm flat as a pancake out the door. So I start slow, figuring that after 5 or ten minutes I'll hit my stride and hit the gas. Sorry! Two miles in and I'm still crawling. I settle into a slow pace, accept that this is not the day. Maybe I can do the monster workout later in the week.

Actually, I'm loose by the halfway point, but thoughts of a hard run are gone. I take the turn on the out-and-back course when something funny happens. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall slender man sprint up to the ridge road I'm on from a side trail. I recognize him as one of the local contingent of Kenyan runners who live and train in Oaxaca.

I've seen this guy race. He is graceful, the type of runner who makes a fast pace look effortless. He won a local 10K race I ran about a year ago. I'm not sure of his name, indeed I wonder if some of the Kenyans in Oaxaca race under assumed names to avoid paying the notorious double taxes back home, as the winner of the race in question had a Mexican name!

As I run by, I say, "Mucho trabajo!" to him, he replies in English with a smile, "Yes, hard work!" A contingent of Mexican runners are hard on his heels, sharing the workout with him, if not his fluid stride.

Of a moment, I find myself clicking into a strong rhythm as I head back towards town. I wind up and down the hairpin turns of the Libramiento road and enjoy spectacular views of Oaxaca city and the three valleys that converge there, gradually increasing my pace. The final 3 miles of my run give me exactly what I'm looking for, a simulated race level effort, a confirmation of fitness.

Today I seized the moment of inspiration as I saw this talented runner float like a butterfly up a steep hill. I want to offer another bit of inspiration to readers who enjoy international travel, as follows:

I've become a member of Go! Running Tours, the international group of Running Tour providers. Over the next month, I'm going to put links to different members of the group here in my blog. Today I am linking to Go! Running Tours Budapest. Take a look at their site and consider taking a run with them if you're in their neck of the woods! Quite a deal at 25 Euros. As the whole running tour thing takes off, more and more cities are host to Go! Running Tour members.

Steve Lafler
"The Grumpy Runner"
Book a Running Tour in Oaxaca
Skype 503-213-3671 (US based Skype number)