Oaxaca Bound!

Time for a Grumpy Runner heads up!

I'm on the road, heading back to Oaxaca. We have a few stops and adventures planned on the way, but I'll be back in town ready to run on August 9th.

I'm looking forward to leading more running tours above and around my fantastic adopted city.
If you'd like to book a running tour, email me here or call 503-213-3671 (my US based Skype phone number.)

Happy Trails,
Steve Lafler

Go Run in Barcelona

I live in Oaxaca, Mexico. It's a singular place, a remote mile-high city, a Mexican Baroque jewel set in it's own remote locale, over rugged mountain ranges from the rest of the country. The culture, cuisine and people are as varied and interesting as the flora and fauna.

I do think, of course, where else would I like to visit? The answer is simple: Barcelona. I've never been there yet I'm drawn to it, not the least because of the wonderful, seemingly alive buildings of Gaudi.

For the runner who visits Barcelona, there is an amazing resource to tap into: Go! Running Tours Barcelona. You can see this wonderful Mediteranean town on the run and choose from an incredible range of tours that run from 6km on up to 25km. Each tour has a different theme, such as the Old Town tour or the Modernism tour.

The Grumpy Runner highly recommends Go! Running Barcelona and indeed I hope to take one of their tours someday (I'll be saving up!)

Steve Lafler
"The Grumpy Runner"
Book a Running Tour of Oaxaca

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)

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

Train at Altitude: Running Tours of Oaxaca, Mexico

Oaxaca, Mexico is a southern Mexico city that is the seat of an intact indigenous culture. Renowned for it's cuisine, arts, ruins, markets and natural beauty, it's also the home of Mezcal, the mysterious smokey/smooth distilled agave beverage that is the soul of Oaxaca. At just over 5000 feet in altitude, it's the perfect place for the serious runner, offering ample opportunities to run, train and race in a cultural mecca. As a Oaxaca resident since 2007, I'm your insider guide to running adventure here.

Oaxaca is noted for it's Day of the Dead celebrations in early November

Easily reached via a direct flight on United from Houston, Oaxaca offers a wide range of elegant, reasonably priced hotels. Aero Mexico also flies to Oaxaca via Mexico City.

The city of Oaxaca sits at the confluence of three mountain valleys and boasts a near ideal climate. The city center features a charming array of sixteenth century baroque architecture, dotted with convivial cafes and restaurants featuring the world renowned Oaxacan cuisine.

Oaxaca sports an active running community, the locals logging their training miles on pavement, in parks and in the campo (countryside). The frequent road races are well attended, convivial events. Be warned, there is fierce competition--perhaps because most races offer prize money in all age categories, in cash! I will admit to some skepticism about age claims amongst some of the masters runners around here, given the performances they log.

There is even a contingent of local Kenyan athletes, perhaps a dozen men and women, who use Oaxaca as a training base, occasionally testing their fitness in local runs.

 Libramiento Road, North of Oaxaca City

You are invited to join me as your host for running in Oaxaca. We will run the Libramiento, the pedestrian road that skirts the mountain range north of Oaxaca. It's a perfect locale for a challenging long run at 5,600 feet that includes a spectacular view of the city. 

 Llano Grande, Oaxaca

Truly hardy souls can opt for a visit to the nearby mountain village of Llano Grande for a run at over 6,000 feet in a pristine setting, with the promise of a fresh trout meal on the way back to town.

Subject to availability, there is always the possibility of catching a road race while visiting. Failing that, you can test your fitness on the on the flat 5 kilometer course in Techio park south of town. All in all, Oaxaca offers a superb opportunity for runners to get a leg up on the competition with some altitude training, and to enjoy life!

Can you pick Steve out from the locals on the starting line? Photo by Jeff Charles.

Running in Oaxaca is a far cry from the rugged ultra-runner experience among Mexico's Tarahumara tribe described by writer Christopher McDougal in his seminal book Born to Run. While there is plenty of hilly, challenging countryside to run, there is a surfeit of urban amenities waiting for you at the end of the trail.

In addition to these running tours, I host visits to ruins, arts and craft villages, museums, mezcal stills, markets and other Oaxaca attractions. I also recommend local guides and tours in addition to leading them myself.

My fee for running/tour services is 250 pesos/20 dollars per hour plus gas. The day rate is 1200 pesos/100 dollars.

I'm a lifelong runner myself, starting in 1972 at age 15. I raced my way through high school and college, running both 1:57 for 800 meters and 4:01 over 1500 meters at UMass Amherst. Today, as age 56, I keep fit running the Oaxacan hills and enjoying the local cuisine.

Steve Lafler racing over 5K in 2007 in Portland, Oregon.

Steve Lafler, Oaxaca, Mexico

Email me

503-213-3671 (US based Skype number)