Oaxaca Running Tips

Here's a few tips for runners visiting the city of Oaxaca. I was leading running tours in the hills around the city of Oaxaca for a few years, but for family reasons had to head back to the states (at least for now), so I want to leave a few pointers here.

We'll look at choices for running in the center of town, at a park near the airport, and best of all, above the city on the Libramiento road just north of Colonia San Felipe del Agua. Finally, we'll open the door to the Pueblos Mancomundados, mountain villages where you can indulge in endless trail running.

Parque Llano

The easiest run in the Oaxaca City Centro is to do laps around the lovely urban Parque Llano, between Calle Benito Juarez and Piño Suarez. It's about 650 meters per lap. Just don't go on Friday, market day. Keep an eye out for kids, dogs, bikes and vendors, but in truth it's a well-used, much loved locale for local runners. Sometimes Parque Llano is called El Llano, or Parque Juarez.

Click on map to see it larger

There are often races starting in Parque Llano on Sunday mornings, typically at 8:00 a.m. The starting line in usually on the Calle Benito Juarez side of the park.

No one will bother you if you run bandit. You always have to sign up in advance, so many people simply show up and run without a number. Lots of families are in the park on Sunday, so it's maybe not the best time to run laps in the actual park, but if there's a race, get there early and join the Oaxacan running community for a jaunt around town.

Expect a chaotic scene at the start. You'll find chubby abuelas smiling on the front line, standing in front of the local Kenyan contingent (who will run 10k under 30:00 even at mile high altitude) . Just be patient, as the Kenyans are, and take your time with the start.

 The starting line of a local 5K race on Calle Garcia Vigil in Oaxaca. I bet you can pick me out in the lineup pretty easily! Photo by Jeff Charles.

A few blocks east of Parque Llano there is a new track/sports complex that is open to the public. There is a running path there as well as the track. It's on the other side of the Periferico from Llano. It's a few blocks south of Calle Niños Heroes de Chapultepec.

Parque Tequio

Near the airport is Parque Tequio, with a 5k-ish flat trail. You can take a cab out there for about 120 pesos. Tell the cabbie your destination and ask for a price before entering the cab. It's good for women runners to have a companion, of course, but many local runners are there mornings. Sometimes there are races there too.

The Libramiento Road, Closed to Cars

You can also grab a cab to the Colonia San Felipe Del Agua, 3 miles north of the Centro, or take the San Felipe/Hospital bus from Parque Llano. Ask to go to the bus turnaround square (end of the bus line). It's about a kilometer past the Iglesia San Felipe. From there, the Libramiento road starts. Ask the driver to show you the start of the Libramiento road from the bus turnaround square. It's on the west side of the square.

The Libramiento is 99% traffic free, running on the hillside above the city.  The local running and biking community is up there mornings getting in a workout. If you do an out-and-back run from the bus turnaround, go out about 3.5 miles and you can get to the ridge between the Oaxaca and Etla valleys and see both sides. Beautiful!

One note, some of the buses will not stop at the bus turnaround area north of San Felipe del Agua, they will proceed to drive the Libramiento for about a half mile then take a left down a steep road. You will know they are on the Libramiento as things get rural in a hurry.

You can also run to the Libramiento from Parque Colosio in San Felipe del Agua, here's my cheesy video about it. There is no bus to Parque Colosio, but you can take a cab there. Ask the cabbie if he knows where Parque Colosio is. They don't all know. Or course, they'll never admit it!

Parque Colosio a great place to start a run from. Standing at the park entrance, head left our of the park on the road for about 100 meters, then take the dirt road to the left. It will take you about 3/4 of a mile up to the Libramiento road. You can go left to run up to the ridge between the valleys. Or go right, and in about a mile you'll connect with the bus turnaround at the top of San Felipe del Agua.

It took me years to discover and explore the trails on the wooded hills/mountains above the Libramiento. I was in heaven running up there. If you can get used to hills, it's a runners paradise. I also got really fit running up there! In truth, it's best to have a local guide to show you the trails. Once I befriended some local runners, they showed me the ropes.

My favorite trail route is called the Carniveros by locals, while other gringos called it the Meatgrinder. Basically, you run from just about 5000 feet up to about 6000 on the gorgeous wooded mountainside, and the come back. It's a wooded trail above the Libramiento road.

I designed routes for myself combining the Libramiento road and Carniveros trail running from 6 to 12 miles. If I ran with my friend Richard Stoutner, ultra-runner and coach, we might go as far as 15. Transcendental fun, in my book!

Here's my post on running the Carniveros.

When I led running tours in Oaxaca, I had a few hard core clients who were tough and strong enough to run up the mountains with me, lots of fun! Some of them really raked me over the coals!

A word of caution, don't try to take the wooded trail from the Libramiento that is close to the bus turnaround, as it's closed. There are guards there anyway, so you get the picture.

Pueblos Mancomundados

There are a series of high altitude villages and wilderness areas within an hour or two of Oaxaca, at altitude of 7 - 8000 feet and up. You can book hiking tours at these Pueblos Mancomundados, and chances are you could find a sporting tour guide who would be willing to take you running up there. I have hiked up there, but not run. But I recommend it for the hard core ultra or trail runners out there!

Reserve a cabaña and stay for a night or three, it's inexpensive. For a day hike, you can hire a guide. If you stay overnight, you'd have the opportunity to explore more than one trail, and run to the next village even! Adventure beckons. You can eat hearty, fresh delicious local foods it a local comedor (dining room) for crazy low prices.

Here's a photo link from Lonely Planet on the Pueblos Mancomundados.

Getting High in Oaxaca

As you may know, Oaxaca is a mile high city, just enough altitude to feel it when you run. Stay hydrated and take it easy for the first couple days. Check out these altitude running tips from Runner's World, and don't be afraid to slow to a walk if you feel winded.

And final note on running in Oaxaca. Don't run in front of cars, if you value your legs (and your life).

I lived in Oakland, CA prior to Oaxaca, where pedestrians aggressively assert their legal right of way. By walking in front of cars at crosswalks. Smart, eh? The law is officially on the side of pedestrians in Oaxaca, but exercising your rights could lead to getting run over.

Didn't mean to scare you! Have fun. And if you are not used to mile high altitude, take it easy at first.

Feel free to email me with Q's on Oaxaca running! Happy trails.

Steve Lafler

I Hit the Wall

Whew, at age 59, a completely new experience in running! This was yesterday:

Headed out for a long run 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning with my friend Richard, the accomplished ultra trail runner, the plan was to cover the half-marathon distance, 21K, and throw in some climbing/altitude gain.

Setting out, I'm not feeling great, but I recall that last week we ran 10 miles and I lagged at the start, yet we went on to a vigorous, quick and very fun run. So I have faith that things will improve.

Our run starts in town at 5000 feet, and after running gradual inclines through the San Felipe del Agua neighborhood, we hit the Libramiento road that marks the shift to serious climbing. Up we go, mixing running with walking. I feel okay, but unsure about my ability of the day to keep going up.

Covering rocky trails, enjoying the cool rainy season morning and gorgeous vistas, the flora changes to pine trees and we approach the 7000 foot mark, and I'm done! I mention that I can't climb more, and should turn back. Richard, who works as a coach, implores me "Don't bail on me now". Silently, I continue up up up.

It's stunning up here, I'm seeing the local mountains from a thrilling new perspective. It's magical, tobala agave are everywhere, the prized wild agave variety that makes sublime mezcal when distilled. I'm in a world of near exhaustion, beyond what a tough race brings, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other. Stuck between determined and resigned.

We hit a wide trail, actually a dirt road, on a high ridge that runs up from the town/region of San Pablo Etla, which we've run into. We're at about 8200 feet in altitude! More than 2500 meters up, a gain in our run/hike of over 3000 feet.

Richard suggests running for a kilometer out and back on the ridge road. Sure, why not? We're here so let's go. My friend is in his element, this is his favorite mountain route and he's delighted to show it to me! This is ultra running nirvana, a wholly different world, but a mere 11 kilometers from Oaxaca City!

Ridge-top out and back loop complete, we return to the pitched trail and begin walking/running down as the terrain allows. I'm doing OK, sort of, and I'm happy to be heading back. But after about 20 minutes, I am aware of a tingling in my solar plexus, it extends slowly to my ears, my hands. Slow down, keep moving, I think.

Very quickly, my entire body humming, vibrating. I feel like I ate a load of magic mushrooms--a few moments of piercing clarity give way to exhaustion. Sit down now!

I breathe deeply and listen to my heart, it's pounding but sounds OK. I'm buzzing and humming, waiting for oxygen equilibrium. Richard comes back and observes I look a bit peaked! I visualize candy bars and feel very stupid for not having any fuel, a banana or apple?

Discussing the situation, he laughs and observes he probably can't carry me down. We agree that on a trek like this, we need to bring a few bites of appropriate food, and that I'm out of fuel as well as altitude sick. At least we had some water!

I've never run a marathon; I've always been curious about this idea of hitting the wall. Now that I've experienced it, I'll say I've learned something--actually a few things!

1. Running more that 2 hours? Bring fuel/food!
2. Trust yourself. If you think you should stop, slow down, or turn around, do it.
3. Don't feel good on a given day? Scale back your workout plan, or take the day off.

After a 10-minute sit, I get enough oxygen in my system and we begin walking down. We pass below 6500 feet, I'm able to resume running. Hitting San Felipe del Agua, we stop in a corner store and knock down a few sips of coke. Thus fueled, a bit of life returns to my legs and we cover the final 2 miles back to town.

What with the hiking, altitude gain (and sitting) thrown in, it's taken 3.5 hours to cover 22 kilometers. I've never run more that 2 hours 5 minutes before. A most interesting day on the run! I think I'll take today off.

Test Day!

My friend Richard coaches locally, competitive bikers and runners in Oaxaca. We run together roughly once a week, currently on Saturdays. An ultrarunner and marathoner, Richard has done well in some amazing races such as the infamous Caballo Blanco Ultra and the 100K Ultra Trail Mexico in estado de Hidalgo, where he finished 4th a couple years back. He's already entered in the event for 2016, for September.

We're running this Saturday morning and he suggests throwing a little mountain climb in the run, take it up near the 6000 ft. level (we start at 5000). Okay, well he's started quick today and I'm thinking I don't feel super, so at least we'll walk the climbing part!

It's a bear, but we get up there and start rocketing through trails undulating around precarious ravines. It's wooded up here, sparkling gorgeous from recent rains. Why not bomb through the woods as fast as we can stand it on muddy trails at altitude of a Saturday morning?

My friend gets a good few meters up on me and I put my head down and try to reel him in. I'm going fast, but can make headway only when he slows a bit. Rapidly we descend to more even ground and the run back to town.

Here's the beauty of running hard in the mountain woods. You are slapped into the present! There is no considering the 4 or 6 miles still to go! Just roll in the moment and forget you are tired. Some reserve of energy is there and I do it! You could say I forget the idea that I'm feeling tired, slow or whatever.

Returning to the streets, we're feeling our oats and goose it again. A fast kilometer goes by in a blast of adreneline. Richard actually stops to talk to a friend and I continue on slow, but then he catches up and we run the last K in something like 3:48. Why not? We really hammer the last half mile or so, just for fun.

It could be Richard wanted to run hard, or wanted to test me a bit, or both, but damn that was a shit-kicking 10.3 miles and it leaves me mildly ecstatic!

Funny how running works, I've currently put together a block of 9 weeks of consistent running, but had some off days recently. Putting the pedal to the metal in the woods has me full of running and looking ahead once more.

I've been pointing towards an end of July/early August half marathon in the states. The trick is to find one that works in my schedule.

Eyeing a First Marathon

An inagural marathon for my adopted city of Oaxaca has been announced for this Feb 28th, about 3.5 months from now. So, should this be my first marathon?

I'd like to tackle the marathon, but it is a bit daunting to do your first one at mile-high altitude. And, this being Oaxaca, it's bound to be a hilly course. The goal would be to finish. Later on I can entertain thoughts of a Boston qualifier, likely on a flat course in a state-side race.

I'm in decent shape, and I've run my first two half marathons this year. There is just enough time for me to do a marathon buildup. But, I've had a sore achilles tendon on my right leg. I ran some stellar workouts in October but just took a week off and partied my way through Dia De Muertos and feel like a slug just now! And I'm back on coffee. Big deal you say, but I have an electrical heart issue, coffee can give me an irregular beat and slow my running right down.

The achilles tendon. I can do alternating hot/ice treatment to get the circulation going and bring the swelling down. I can warm up better and rotate my running shoes, and I can eat pineapple and berries, the nutritional recommendation for this problem. So I think I have it covered.

Honestly, I'll have a tougher time quitting coffee (again!). Also, I'm in a band and mezcal lurks around the band. I'll need to motivate myself to back off these beloved poisons if I wanna do a marathon!

Finally, there's my history as a runner. I'm a miler at heart, running the event in earnest for about six years as a kids. I managed to get my head around the half marathon this year. Can I do the same for the full 26.2 mile run?

We'll see. I'm thinking on it here. More thinking to come. But, I will hit the Oaxaca hills this week and log the miles, starting a provisional marathon training program, keeping my options open.

Note: Here it is a few days later. Just ran an 11 mile hilly run to see what a relatively long run feels like off current fitness. I can say, ouch! I'll just have to keep going long and see where it leads.

Steve, aka the Grumpy Runner

Email me to book a Oaxaca running tour

More Beach Intervals: Stealth and Slant Six on the Sand

Why am I the Grumpy Runner? Because at 57, I can no longer run like the wind at will. Why am I the luckiest man alive? Because at 57, I can still almost run like the wind any old time (being 57 is much better that not being 57, that is to say, no longer above the ground.) But I digress--let's talk about running at an angle in soft sand and messing up your ankles.

I find myself again at my favorite place for intervals/speed training, the beach town of San Agustinillo, Oaxaca. With it's gorgeous stretch of flat packed sand facing the Pacific, it's the perfect locale to buzz out barefoot intervals. Busting down the beach at a brisk clip just after dawn is my idea of a real good time. We pulled in yesterday after the six-hour winding mountain road drive at dusk. I trotted half a mile down the beach and back to shake off the effects of the curvy roads by sheer cliffs, happily contemplating the next morning's workout.

But there's a problem. Gotta hit the beach at 7 a.m., unless you are a glutton for heat running. This morning I knock down a tasty cup of decaf and head to the beach only to find the tide is in. This means slanted running. The beach dumps right to the surf at a pitched angle and the sand is soft. No fun. If I run fast there, I mess up my ankles and arches big time.

Strapping on my shoes, I hit the road for a few out-and-back miles up the coastal highway through the next town of Mazunte (think dread-locked Eurohippies) and beyond. Looking for a bit of a workout, I pick up the pace and hit a negative split on the return.

I'm resigned to running some mid-day intervals in the heat once the tide is out and the beach is flat and fast, but by mid-morning it's looking pretty good, the tide is almost out, and I stride up and down for a couple 600 meter repeats. Enough for now, insists my stomach, which I recently loaded with pancakes.

The day turns out hot, but not crazy hot. The sea is refreshing and I go on to do a few more repeats, at mid-day, 3 @ 150 medium fast and 2 @ 600 medium. Good enough. I'm here for a week. I often overdo it on the first day and my legs are sore as heck all week. So this year, I'll try to mete out just punishment enough each day so I can keep rolling.

Stealth & Speed

On our second full day in San Agustinillo, the tide is in come morning and I don't want to run on the soft, slanted beach. So I forget about it for a couple hours and have fun with the kids during a morning dip in the Pacific. By 9:30 or so, the tide has edged out sufficiently to open up a piece of beach I can run on, but we are about to sit down at Mexico Lindo, a great palapa restaurant, for breakfast on the beach.

Lucky for me, we discover that we forgot our snorkle gear, so I head back to the cabana and somehow manage to fit in a warmup run and a 600 meter trot at a brisk pace before returning for breakfast.

Over the course of the day, amongst family activities, I sneak in another snappy 600,  then later 2 @ 300 and 4 @ 200, all pretty quick. I'm not thinking about it as any sort of complete workout, but I realize by the end of the day that my legs are a bit sore so I kinda got it right. I'm also pleased that I stuck to my "no sprinting" rule, I don't want to mess myself up hitting top gear without a proper warm up (or this early in the week.)

If This is Tuesday...

OK I'm running a middle distance workout today, 10:30 a.m. already plenty hot on the beach, but the tide is headed out and there is a bit of breeze. I buzz out 4 @ 650 meters at what feels like a mile race pace. Remember that feeling you'd get in a high school mile? "I'm only a lap and a half in and I'm this tired?!" That's what I'm looking for, and I found it on the second repeat. Sure, I'm racing mostly 10K these days and thinking of tackling a half marathon, but I'm a miler at heart. I keep the rest between repeats at a bit over 2 minutes, and that's what makes it hurt.

Wednesday, I'm not running beach intervals today. Three days in a row is plenty for now! See you on the sand tomorrow.

OK, Thursday.

I did not get on the beach until after 3:00 p.m. today. It's hot and I'm more inclined to a siesta in the hammock that intervals on the beach, but I'm a trooper so here we go. Did I mention I'm on vacation here in San Agustinillo? There are amazing fresh fish fillets grilled in garlic, sublime fish tacos, boutique Italian spots run by actual Italians. Good food all around, and too much of it.

Eating too much is no excuse, so I soldier onto the beach and knock out a respectable 4 @ 650 with maybe 2.5 minutes between repeats. Not quite as fast as Tuesday, but darn close. I finish off the workout with 3 @ 150 - 180, working up to 80 - 85% speed. Still not sprinting, but not too far away either. It's exhilarating to work up to that relaxed yet intense full on middle-distance race cadence, as life-affirming an experience as any!

An hour later I try a couple 80 meter strides a bit slower to see what my legs think about today's workout. They think: Enough for now, dude!


Fried Egg

It's Friday and I'm a bit the fried egg. I've been sticking workouts and (elements of workouts) between family activities as the beach is still not good for fast running at 7:00 a.m. Running in the hottest part of the day is a bit of a challenge, even on the crest of the ocean with it's cooling effect. So today I grind out my 4 @ 650 meters with about 2:30 between in pretty good order at 3:00 p.m. It's work and my legs are a bit sore.

No further complaints! I've done five interval workouts since Sunday, courting the edge of oxygen debt a goodly number of times. Legs are pleasantly sore without being wrecked. Last year here, by the end of the week my legs were pretty ruined. I did a bigger volume of repeats then, but why overtax the system? I have three years of increasing my overall distance/volume in my legs, so a week of medium-hard effort intervals is appropriate.

I finish off today's workout with another fast burst, 100 meters at 85 - 90% effort. It's wonderful to open up my heart, mind and body to running like that, sort of collecting on the ecstatic promise of what is possible for a human being to do.

Headed Home

Before stepping in the car for the six hour drive back to Oaxaca city over the mountains, I step on the beach at 7:30. The sand is just firm enough today to buzz one more 650, fastest of the week. I guess you can call it intervals if you run just one!

A Super Fun Trail Race

Had a fantastic experience today at a trail race in Oaxaca. It was called the Sanfe trail run (Sanfe, as in Colonia San Felipe.)

Near the La Salle school in the San Felipe Del Agua neighborhood of Oaxaca, the race started where the paved road gave way to dirt, and headed straight up the mountains to the north of Oaxaca.

Perhaps a bit over 200 runners lined up for their choice of an out-and-back course over 8K, 12K or 18K, all run simultaneously. I chose 8K, and started near the back of the pack.

The mob of runners bumped over rolling terrain for the first kilometer or so, then the serious climb from about 5300 feet to 6000 feet began in earnest. I focused on keeping a relaxed rhythm, and was amused to note that many runners were already "racing" on the way up the hill. Why waste the energy, thought I?

As the one of the very few non-Mexicans in the race, I may have provoked some local pride, such as, "here's how you run our hills, guero!". Indeed, the overall level of distance running and racing in Oaxaca is impressive, stacking up well against the fields in Portland, Oregon where I lived prior to Oaxaca.

I took roughly 30 minutes to hit the turnaround point, give or take, quite a slog. As I turned around, I found myself at the back of a pack of 5 runners, young guys gunning the downhill, full of race.

Normally I'd keep my own council, maintain rhythm, run my own race. Today, I got caught up in the fun of competing and went with the pack. We barreled down that hill like no one's business, passing and re-passing each other. I felt full of run, totally into the chase. it was exhilarating! The view of the city of Oaxaca was spectacular from our vantage point, but we kept our eyes on the trail as a spill would mean serious bruising.

I'd moved from 10th up to 7th place before faltering on some minor hills close to the finish. With a couple hundred meters to go, a guy came up on me to battle for 9th place. I could not sprint, but managed to out kick the dude.

I finished in 49 minutes and change. Right around ten minutes per mile. Quite a varied pace in truth, with some uphill portions passing in more like 15 minutes per mile, and no doubt some of the down hill bits in well under 5 minutes per mile.

The day's experience was running and racing at it's best, underlining the thrill of participation for it's own sake.

Steve Lafler
Email me if you'd like to book a running tour in Oaxaca.

Fast Times High in Oaxaca

Thought of the day: Enough distance running. Time to do some fast.

Last June, I started weekly runs with Richard and Steve, a couple of expats in their 40s who are proponents of the long run.

I jumped on the bandwagon and have enjoy greatly expanding my weekly mileage from about 20 to 30. The highlight runs are long and hilly, often cresting the 6000 foot mark here in Oaxaxa.

But now it's time for me to return to type. I'm a middle distance runner and I realize I've been in a mileage phase long enough to get a bit bored with it. Here comes the fast.

Bear in mind, as a seriously middle aged dude, FAST is relative...

Steve

Training for the 2014 Boston Marathon

Today's run was a lot of fun on a perfect sunny Oaxaca morning.

Suleiman is a New York City based runner with a penchant for visiting Oaxaca. We headed up to the Libramiento today, the no-traffic road beloved by the fitness buffs of Oaxaca. Our one hour run started at about 5500 feet, we did an out-and-back course up to around 5800 feet and back.

Suleiman is preparing for this year's Boston Marathon with a bit of altitude running in Oaxaca. He completed last fall's New York Marathon in about 3:45, no mean feat for a 54 year old dude, and all the more impressive considering he is blind!

We'll get out a for a couple more runs while he's in town, working those steeeeeeep inclines.

Intervals on the Beach: San Agustinillo, Oaxaca

Started the day in San Agustinillo, Oaxaca by melting the handle off the espresso pot at Bambu, where I'm in a cabana on the beach. Way to go space cadet, but I had to shake off yesterdays curvy, six hour mountain drive from the city of Oaxaca somehow.

Upon arrival last night, I ran down the 600-700 meter stretch of beach that is my front yard here at twilight, and tried a sample interval coming back. Tired.

Well, this morning I trotted down again and ran the stretch three times, 2:33, 2:35 and 2:46. Ouch. The tide was kinda high; I had to stomp through waves running off at points here. Also, even though I've been running consistent 30 mile weeks, I now remember: INTERVALS are REALLY HARD!

So I cap off the morning session with an 80-90 meter stride at a very quick cadence and head in for breakfast.

Noonish, I'm back on the beach for another round, this time another 2:35 but it feels a bit more difficult than it should. I throw in another 90 meter burst but I'm careful not to go too fast and tempt fate.

Finally, after a day of being a lazy tourist, I cap off my running for the day with a 2:20 blitz down the beach with a tailwind at my back. Feeling pretty good, zipping really well over the last 150 or so. More to come for the rest of the week.

My idea, I've been logging 30 mile weeks all fall. Took a break of sorts over the holidays now I've logged another 2 weeks of distance culminating with 13.5 miles three days back. So now I'm looking to get a bit fast. I'm not out to sprint per se, just want to wake up the legs and lungs to the idea of going quick.

Heck, I'm 57 in less that 2 months. This is a hella fun project for a lad at my stage of development!

Nest day. Second full day here. Legs sore as heck from a total of 5 repeats yesterday as well as a little beat up from the added stress or barefoot beach running. So today a very easy day. One repeat in a.m. in 2:19, and one p.m. at 2:14. Pushing just a bit, and finally this afternoon a nice flat firm beach, with the tide out.

Third day. I should say the rest is about 3 min. between each beach trot.. This morning six repeats. 2:26, 2:22, 2:23, 2:18, 2:22, 2:16. Just focusing on rhythm. Calves sore. Got a good groove going here. Hard work without actually killing myself over it. Happy with interval week progress!

Noon-ish on this third day in San Agustonillo, I'm with my daughter near the end of the town beach. An outcropping of rocks a few meters into the sea divides the beach in two at this point, with a flat sandbar poking out to the rocks. The sandbar is about 80 meters long--as the tide comes in waves from both sides come up the sandbar and kiss in the middle.

My 8 year old and I square off on the town side of the sand bar for a series of 80 meter runs towards the rocks. The sand is flat, moist--a perfect sprinting surface. Not that we are sprinting! It's more of a controlled fast rhythm thing.

The first two runs across are exhilarating, a quick middle distance cadence, then shifting to almost full speed, focused on relaxation and rhythm. Sure I'm a bit tired from the morning workout but to lope along at near full speed like this is life-affirming ecstasy.

We take a dip in the sea after two repeats and chill. A few minutes later we try a third. The thrill of the quick burst is gone, looks like I've run the juice out of my legs for today.

The fourth day dawns and my legs are like raw meat from the knees down. OK so my thighs are a bit tight too. Rest day! So I run to the east on the beach (the Oaxaca coast points due south, mostly.) Running to the end of the town beach and back at an easy pace takes about 14 minutes. I try a 20 second stride and call it quits. No sense pushing.

I throw in a couple s80 meter trides at noon on the same sandbar I was sprinting on yesterday at the west side of the San Agustinillo beach. Totally no go. Nothing in the tank. Later on, in the gorgeous late afternoon sun, I go again on the same run I did this morning, this time in thirteen and a half minutes. Legs still sore as hell.

Now it's Friday morning and I have hopes of another big workout. I'm up a bit before seven making coffee and my legs are telling a different story. I trot out to the far east end of the beach over 7 minutes and I'm still very sore. I roll out three repeats on a section of beach that is a bit longer than the central part I've been doing my intervals on, 2:31, 2:35 and 2:33. About 3 minutes between each. I jump through the rocks that form a small barrier to the central stretch of beach, returning to the site of the this week's earlier interval workouts. I ramp up the effort of a bit for a fourth repeat of 2:16. That's it for now.

I decide against pushing on to more repeats. My muscles are sore and a bit strained. To do more now would be to risk injury. Over a six day stretch, I've done 18 repeats of approx. 650 meters with a fairly short rest, along with six or eight strides. This is the most speed work I've done since 2007. I look forward to returning to Oaxaca (at it's 5000 feet of altitude.) I'll continue to do some long runs but will work on speed at least once a week. It will make racing fun this spring, knowing I've put in enough training to push myself in race situations.

Hey! Hold it just a minute! You didn't think I was gonna get up Saturday morning, get in the car and just head back to Oaxaca city without hittin' the beach, didja?

One more 7 a.m in this sublime, singular kicked-back beach town of San Agustinillo finds me making my cafe de olla on sore legs (cafe de olla is the ultimate cowboy coffee--dump the coffee grounds in boiling water. Let it sit for a bit, bring back to boil, strain into coffee cups, a splash of milk and drink. Not bad.)

No way am I doing a full interval workout after beating my legs up all week, but I have something fun in mind. I run down the east side of the beach & half way back to my usual starting point of the fast bits. A one mile warm up, actually going slow and slower.

I'm gonna run fast only once this a.m.--the fastest of the week or bust. I start my watch with legs turning over quick, things feel good and I don't notice the soreness. Halfway down I start breathing pretty hard. Stick to the rhythm and turnover, it's do-able. With about 100 to go I shift up to the next gear. A bit tough but again it can be done. I cover my 19th and last repeat of speed week at the beach in 2:07 and I'm happy. 

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Get in touch any time to book a Oaxaca running tour! Email me or call 503-213-3671 US or Mexico 951-187-0245.

Steve Lafler

The Huatulco Marathon: Better Luck Next Time

Grumpy Runner Complains and Whines

I traveled to the coast of Oaxaca last weekend to the glitzy resort town of Huatulco to run in the first Huatulco Marathon. Actually, I wasn't running the full 26.2 mile race, but the simultaneous 10K that happened that same morning.

I was really pumped for this event. First of all, I'd never been to Huatulco; my visits to the coast of Oaxaca usually take me to the kicked back beach town of San Agustinillo, but forget I mentioned it--I want to keep it's off-the-beaten-track pleasures all to my greedy self! Secondly, I had high hopes, as I'd trained well. I was ready for a good race!

Huatulco is a trip, a strip of high-end resorts along a gorgeous Pacific bay. We stayed at the Barcelo all inclusive resort, a high-rise hotel on the beach with a spectacular pool, several restaurants and of course a swim up bar. My wife managed to score a real deal for us online, maybe 1/3 the posted rate.

The room was posh, the view was great, and the food fresh, well prepared and plentiful. We enjoyed the on-site Sushi restaurant quite a bit. We knocked down our share of watered-down drinks, but not too many as I was there to race!

The race itself started out well enough. While the marathon had several hundred runners, only a bit over a hundred lined up for the simultaneous 5K/10K run. It was a hot morning, but thankfully overcast. My plan was to start slow, build into a good rhythm, and go for broke over the second half of the race.

All went well through the first three kilometers, I felt good and settled into a strong rhythm. I started picking off runners, moved into the top ten and I'm pretty sure I was in first position for my age group (55-59.)

Picking up the pace a bit, I moved through halfway just beginning to feel the stress of the race--but I was ready to dig in and give it what I could. Sadly, it was not to be.

I realized that I was buzzing past really slow runners, like they were barely moving. I wondered if I was off course. I was. Back at the point where the 5K and 10K courses briefly intersected, a poorly trained volunteer had waved me onto the 5K course.

I arrived at the finish after running about 6.5 kilometers, and frankly I was mad as hell. I had a great race going, and a basic incompetence had robbed me of the chance to see it through.

Yes, if you are running for enough years, it's probably happened to you too. You take it in stride, but it still stings pretty good at the moment. To add insult to injury, these knuckleheads listed me in the 5K results. Thanks guys. The way I see it, I won a special event, the 6.5K.

I did literally take one good thing away from the race, and that was the cool T-Shirt they made for it. But they almost messed that up too, as the first one they gave me was a child size. T-Shirt lady ran after me and changed the shirt, so they got something right. Here I am in the cool T, with my best Grumpy Runner face.

I guess I am grumpy 'cause I zipped an email off to the race organizer suggesting they refund my entry fee--after all it was a stiff 350 pesos ($30 US), at least twice the going rate in Oaxaca. Haven't heard back.

A Well-Hydrated Marathon

The marathon itself went off well. A runner friend who finished told me he was pleased that there were aid stations with water throughout, well done! The race was won by Mark Kipkosgei Chepses in 2:38:50. He won by over 5 minutes on a hot day over a hilly course, well done indeed.

Finally, I note that the Huatulco Marathon posted on it's Facebook page on the subject of non-payment of prize money for the race. The language was in a very formal Spanish that I found hard to understand, but it sounds like the organizers were complaining about a lack of assistance from the local authorities in running the race. If I hear more about what happened, I will update this post.
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Grumpy Runner Reviewed on Trip Advisor

Many thanks to Angela G for reviewing my Running Tour service on Tripadvisor! She was in Oaxaca last month with Los Quixotes, a group of medical workers from San Antonio Texas doing pro-bono work in remote areas of Oaxaca. Here's the group at the highest point of our run on the Libramiento above Oaxaca, a no-traffic road that winds through the foothills north of town.
This photo of The Grumpy Runner is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Bumping Up A Level

This year I've been bumping along building my base fitness at a very modest level, hitting an average of maybe 18 miles per week. Nonetheless, I've been feeling fit as my weeks are comprised of four days of running as follows: Three five mile runs and a three mile run. Typically, all these runs feature a variation of a course that starts at about 5200 feet in altitude, features a 400 meter hill climb and a general roller coaster ride. As fitness grows, my pace gradually increases.

Still, I've nurtured a desire to take my game up a notch as I consider a return to racing. Truth is, I've raced for decades as a low mileage runner, covering more like 25 miles per week when I'm really going after it. Certainly I've included some ball-busting tempo runs and intervals, but the last time I consistently ran 50-60 mile weeks was as an undergraduate miler for UMass Amherst in the late 1970s, hitting a best of 4:01 over 1500 meters and 1:57 for the 800.

In my immediate post college years, I achieved modest yet satisfying off my limited miles, for example a 26:31 clocking over 5 miles. I did always wonder, what would happen if I really trained?

While I've ruminated over how to take it up a notch, fate stepped in and decided I'd be doing some longer runs. Via mutual ex-pat friends here in Oaxaca, I've fallen in with Steve and Richard, two guys more than a decade younger than I who are really fit, aiming for a marathon and a 50 mile ultra distance race respectively.

The last few weeks have seem my weekly miles go up to the mid 20s so far, but more importantly, I've been dragged further up the hills, cresting 6000 foot ridges and covering 7 - 10 miles at a time. Ouch! It's fun and challenging. I'm proceeding carefully, taking care to rest enough for these longer runs.

Best of all, I have a 5K trail run and a 10K flat race coming up in Oaxaca over the next ten days. It's going to be fun and interesting to check my fitness in a race setting. While I don't expect miracles, I'm confident I can run a decent rhythm and push myself to a good effort.

A postscript -- I ran the so-called 5K trail run. What a monster! We started out through the woods over rolling terrain for about a mile, then plunged straight down a hill the locals call "Carnivore" for another mile. With each stide down, I kept thinking, "you gotta climb back up every inch of this beast". And I was correct, up we went on a pitched incline that I can only call a mountain climb.

At the top, the return trail was a winding roller coaster for a good 2 kilos. I'd estimate the length of the race at about 4.24 - 4.5 miles. My pal Steve Bruner won in 32:10, and I was 6th in 39:12. There were a total of 29 runners in the "5K", as there was a simultaneous 16K run. Three days later I have not fully recovered, mostly because of my efforts on that hill.