Running the Ometepe Maratón

When’s a marathon, not quite a marathon? When you’re in Nicaragua when marathon, or maratón, simply means race. My marathon of the day was a little shorter than the one we’re used to back in the states only lasting a daunting 12 km. Maybe daunting isn’t the right word, I just wasn’t sure if I could really pull it off since my running has been pretty lackluster these past couple of weeks due to my all consuming school schedule. Despite my uncertainty about the run, I was pretty excited to head to the island, as it was my first time getting out of my site since the standfast started, as well as my first trip to the beautiful island of Ometepe. I’ve been looking forward to visiting Ometepe ever since talking with Gil Patterson back at home in April.

            Ometepe is a pretty unique place, as it is a quite a large island, smack dab in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. What’s more, the island is primarily two large volcanoes. The smaller one, located on the more remote side of the island is dormant, with a “lagoon” in it’s crater, where as the larger one, Concepcion, is still very much active. Needless to say the boat ride over was pretty amazing, seeing these two volcanoes getting bigger and bigger as we approached closer and closer.

Concepcion on the Right, Maderas on the left

It only would´ve been better if it was double rainbow

             The island boasts tons of natural beauty, much of which I was unable to take advantage of, due to prepping for the race, and lack of transportation. I would’ve loved to hike Concepcion had I not been running the next day, and despite my best efforts, I just couldn’t make my way out to a beautiful waterfall out by Concepcion. Like the rest of the country, you can’t always rely on public transportation, which surprised me. As Ometepe is built up as an established tourist destination, I was expecting a heavily developed infrastructure, but it’s very far from it as the island is a very rural part of Nicaragua. Surprise, surprise. So I need to head back to Ometepe on another weekend in the future, to really explore and find out all the island has to offer. I’m thinking maybe when some of the Richmond bro’s come in January, hiking the volcano could be an excellent decision. Despite missed opportunities, we still managed to pull in some beautiful landscapes, at the below Chaco Verde, a reserve right on the shores of Lake Nicaragua.

I don’t know what I was expecting for the layout of the course, I guess something exotic; trails through the forests, along the shore, and even along the foothills of the Volcano. I guess the last one did happen, as their were some pretty great views of Concepcion, and some of our friends posted up in from of one of the more picturesque parts of the track to snap photos of us in front of the volcano. That photo to come, once I can get the photos from my buddy.

What ended up making the race much easier and manageable came in the form of a gift package from my friends back in San Francisco at OPR. They were nice enough to send me a new Pearl Izumi E.L.I.T.E series Fly top, a Road ID, and a pair of Ryders Eyewear Defcons. Amazing gear that really does make running that much easier, or at least more comfortable, since running is always about pushing yourself to your limit. Whether it’s their top of the line stuff, or basic gear for the casual runner, it’s super comfortable and light, and wicks the sweat right off your back. It also dries super quick, which was good, since I had to pack my bags and leave almost an hour after the race. It was the first time I tried running with glasses, and I was surprised at how well they fit to my face, and didn’t mist up as I expected them to. After awhile, it was like you didn’t even know they were there. And how could I forget what really helped me push through: my GU chomps. It was at about the 9 km mark – when I was simultaneously patting myself on the back for only choosing the 12km instead of the 18km run, and kicking myself for not training a little better – that fatigue really started to set it, and “chomped” on my chomps to get me going those last couple of kilometers. I don’t understand why they work, but they certainly do the trick. I ended up finishing 4^th in the 12k, but the first gringo finisher, putting down a time of about 56 minutes. I think for the next run, (which could be a half marathon in Jinotega in February) I’ll do a little bit more than just play futbol and the occasional run.

These next couple of weeks should be fun, starting with a Thanksgiving with an Embassy family on Thursday, a weekend with some friends at Las Boquitas beach in Carazo, a week of language workshops back in Niquinohomo, and an In Service Training in Leon. Tough to complain about that line up. I´ll leave you all with the sunset from Moyogalpa, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Second Hand T Shirts of the Week

It´s been awhile, but here are the two best I´ve seen in a couple of weeks. But since I haven´t been able to leave for three weeks, it´s been tough to find new shirts.

The first one is from Julian in Tisma Masaya: I heart Hot Mom´s

Numero Dos is from La Villa: Sex Police - Doggy Style Unit

New Tab

You also may have noticed I included a new tab on the right hand side of the screen. If you´re ever writing me a letter, and feel inclined to add a little something more, I would really appreciate if you added anything in that list. Thanks!

Small Town Life Continues

So since the presidential elections, life has returned to normal. What’s strange is that life hasn’t been “normal” for more than a month now. The competitions, the election, and the standfast presented different challenges and opportunities everyday, which made life vastly more interestingly. So when I say that life is back to normal, it means I’ve fallen back into my daily routine of classes, reading the paper, and exercising. So once again, I’ve transformed into an old man, who’s up at the crack of dawn, sitting in a rocking chair, reading the day’s paper or writing out lesson plans. And to be perfectly honest, I’m totally fine with it. It certainly beats the hustle and bustle I was accustomed to back home in the states.

But some updates and some pictures for you. After three months of being in the Villa, I’m starting to make some friends (my age mind you), which is a huge relief. When I type that out, it makes me feel like I’m seven years old, running home from school, out of breath and excited, telling my mother about the new friend I made. But it’s the truth. The language barrier has been a big problem is actually developing Nica friends, and now that it has progressed bastante, I can actually have conversations and prove that I’m more than some quiet American. And I think that my ability on the futbol field has something to do with it to, as I’ve established myself as a solid and reliable player. Sports are the way to a man’s heart! (No homo) So I have been playing futbol probably four to five times a week, both futsala and futbol campo. Futsala is futbol on a concrete basketball court with smaller goals, a smaller and heavier ball, and is typically 4 on 4 with a goalie. It’s a lot faster paced, and almost a completely different game. And to make things interesting, there’s always money put down on the games, to try and increase the level of intensity, which is extremely effective in achieving a higher level of play. Maybe I should apply that to my classes. But yesterday halfway through a game this happened:

 Has this ever happened to you? Me neither. But I couldn’t just stop playing, so I continued with 1½ shoes, and even ended up putting in the winning goal with my ½ shoeless foot. I guess it’s time to invest in a new pair of sneaks.

Also got back to my room after playing to find one of my roommates, we call him here alacran, just hanging around on the wall. Check him out below:

  

Scorpions as roommates are tough, and I always got to make sure to shake my clothing out before anything on. I learned that lesson the hard way week one.

So while life is tranquilo now, it’s about to get unordinary again. In the upcoming weeks I’m running a 12k on the island of Ometepe, celebrating thanksgiving with a family from the US embassy, and then I have two weeks of language class and in service training back in Niquinohomo and a place TBD. So once again, I’ll be pretty vago from my site, traveling around all over the place. But I’m pysched for it, as it will be a great chance to see everybody once again, and I’ll finally have some people to surf with, instead of being out in the water all by my lonesome self. I bet you thought I wouldn’t bring one of my boards, didn’t you?  

11/11/11 A Significant Day

So unfortunately, unlike I initially wanted, this post is coming a day late. But some days I just can’t get to a computer with computer internet access, as was the case with yesterday.

On a smaller scale, yesterday marked my six month anniversary in country. I didn’t even realize it until a volunteer friend sent me a message of congratulations. It’s pretty crazy to believe that half a year has passed since my arrival to Nicaragua. In a way, time has completely flown by. It literally seems like yesterday, when I was enjoying a good old fashion American burger and Anchor Brewing Company Liberty Ale with my soon-to-be good friend Maclaine. But at the same time I look back at my time here and realize just how much I’ve done, and grown as a person, and think how could only six months have passed? I’ve visited dozens of new places, met many new people and lifelong friends, and experience things I never would have imagined if I had stayed back in the states. And yeah my Spanish is getting good too. It seems like my time here will fly by if it continues at this rate.

But why is today really important you may ask. It’s because today is not only the day the armistice of World War I was signed, but it also marks the day that our country celebrates Veterans Day. As a child I didn’t really understand why this was such a significant day, and was more annoyed that I had to sit through a long, seemingly boring assembly during school. Yesterday, waiting for buses, I had a long time to reflect on what it means to serve one’s country.         

For me, there is no greater, nobler deed than what the men and women of our armed services do. They’re protecting more than just our borders. They’re protecting an ideal; the American Dream and our way of living. And nowadays that’s not something you see to often in our nation. They put themselves out there on the front, protecting our freedoms and rights. As certain aspects of American life seem to be spiraling downhill, the army still remains, as the keeper of what American stands for and means in the world. And for that I have nothing but admiration for the men and women who have served our nation, past and present. It may not mean much, but Thank You.

Sorry Folks

I had to remove the last post, because it was a little too political to publish online. Both the country director (indirectly) and my father (directly) scolded me for being a little too, well I´d like to say honest. If you´d like to know what the elections are like, shoot me in an email or facebook message, and i´ll send you the post personally.