This is the year...40...and headed to Africa: 30 January 2011...Texas Half Marathon Shadow Race

Hey y'all!

So I guess you can say I can be crazy even on another Continent...like you had any doubts? LOL (Oh wait..being on another Continent IS crazy!!) My friend Marshall talked me into signing up for the Texas Half Marathon. He is one of the guys I run with regularly...teaching him how to do intervals. But he ended up injured and was unable to run it with me.

My alarm went off at 0415, Sunday, 30 January 2011. Ugh...but hey, I did go to bed by 2100 last night. It's still so dark outside. And I certainly can think of more reasons to just stay in bed today...it's Sunday, I didn't sign up to go scuba diving today, and OMG, my bed is just so comfy. Sigh...but alas, I get out of bed. Get all my running gear on and head out the door. I have packed a small bag with clothes to change into after the run, plus my sunglasses - one can assume that the sun will rise while I am still running. I have heard this is going to be a really tough run. The terrain here is varied throughout the course. So I keep playing in my mind what I might encounter. And of course, the hyena and dog sightings of late...yes, there could be wild life along this path.

I grabbed a blueberry bagel last night at dinner, so I am eating it this morning for my last bit of nourishment. I grabbed a couple of my favorite Chocolate Mint GUs for energy along the run. Need some about every 45 minutes or so...just to keep those legs moving. I opt not to bring my water belt as I was told there were 3 water stops along the way - 2 along the course and 1 at the turn around. So I will hit the 2 twice in the run. I should be fine. The weather is gorgeous for a run...cool in Djibouti standards. It was probably in the upper 70's for the start, but a nice cool breeze. BUT thankfully NOT the winds we have had lately.

I don't see too many people headed up towards the gate for the starting area. I wonder how many people will run...we haven't had liberty in days. So wonder if people think we won't be running today. The course is off base afterall. I get to just about half way up to the rendezvous point and realize I do not have my badge with me! Holy Crap! It is already 0455 and we have to meet at 0500. But they won't let me back on base without my badge. Crap...I turn and head back to my CLU. I cannot believe I left my room without my stinkin' badge. Anyway, I now decide to leave my extra bag so I can run easier and quicker on the way back to the gate. I make it by 0505...amazingly enough. I am out of breath and sweaty already AND have been crossed off the list already as a no-show! Good grief. I correct that right quick and get my race number to tape onto my shorts. Whew..I need water.

Once everyone is accounted for, we head to the main gate. We have to pass through the security office, but we are all on the same chit to go off base. There are maybe 50 runners that have arrived to brave this. The chatter leads me to believe that I am in a small minority group of people here that have actually run this distance before. They explain to us again about the course itself and how tough it is going to be. It is an out and back course...and it is not going to be an easy run, that's for sure.

We start off with a small loop run back towards the gate and through one of the turn around lots we have right outside of the gate. We loop around and head back to the start line. I guess to just get us a little more distance in? We head down along the exterior of Camp Lemonnier to our left, and one of the French bases to our right. We also pass by the small and somewhat rundown looking Djiboutian base on our right as well. We then turn to the right and head out towards the beach. We really aren't that far from the beach at all. At this point we have been and still are running on asphalt. As we hit the edge of our base, we take a left onto a dirt road. It is still quite dark. I have taken my place firmly in the very back....yes, I am in last place. I am running my usual intervals - run 5 minutes, walk 1 minute. I catch up to the 2 guys directly in front of me when I am running and then fall behind again when I walk. But they are never out of my sights...thank goodness. There is a truck following me, just to ensure everything is fine along the course. I imagine he is getting irritated with my running and walking...but I don't care. I am doing this thing - he is in a vehicle. So too bad! LOL

The course does end up changing frequently. We run on dirt, sand, rocks, mud, asphalt, etc. The ground is very uneven in many places, some of which it is just better to walk through. My legs are holding up quite well though, to my surprise. The only thing bothering me at all is my feet. I do not have trail running shoes, so I think that could have something to do with it. I could use a little more support for my feet.

As the sun begins to rise, you can see the lanscape. I have to say Djibouti just really isn't that pretty. But I do get to see the beach. The water is calm this morning. They've done a good job marking our way - little signs with arrows that tell us which way to go. There are many corssroad paths...so it would be easy to get lost out here.

We make our way down and around the egde of the airport and then hit the outside of the main French base. There is a lot of activity in this area of the course, as it is quickly apparent the French troops use this path for their morning runs. I am too busy looking at the ground - hoping not to twist or break anything on this uneven path - that I didn't notice the large groups of French troops coming right for us! Most of our runners are nice enough to actually get off the trail and let the French through, but I am a huge fan of trail etiquette! 2-Way traffic people - and since you drive on the right side of the road just like we do in the US, you need to move to your right and let others by. And oh my! I almost didn't live to tell about it! Ha ha Some of the French weren't paying much attention to the fact that there were other runners there.

Anyway, as we make our way along the French base, we can see the City of Djibouti coming up ahead of us. Thankfully, the turn around is not so far away. It's funny though now, because I knew we were close to town when the trash began piling up on both sides of the path. Both the French and us keep the outside of our base properties nice and clean (except where the Djiboutians own the land...and we then leave their trash alone). So it is painfully obvious when we are close to the city and the turn around point - trash is everywhere.

In several spots along the course we also see US Military in their hummers standing guard...just in case. Plus plenty of support along the course from the 2nd/137th CAB Army Unit who sponsored the run.

So at the turn around, I am still in dead last. One of the support guys then tells me that the guy in front of me is his Commander and would I please beat him so he is in last place? I agree to. I am pretty pleased with my run back to the finish. I remained amazingly consistent with my running the whole time. I am able to pass about 6 men on the way back who are now struggling. A lot of people who have never run this far before start off too fast and then die on the way back. So I remain rock solid in my pace and pass them.

The run back is uneventful but nonetheless a good 6 miles. The total length of the course ended up being only about 12 miles, instead of the 13.1 miles it takes to be a half marathon. That's what happens when you mark the course using a vehicle. But it's all good. We all got shirts and medals at the finish. The medals are cute - they have Texas Longhorns on them. Only 4 females competed...so I did come in first place for women in my age division! HA HA And BTW - we did not see any wildlife along the course! Thank God! No hyenas tooday!

One of the guys (Nico) at the fire department kept telling me he was going to run the race with me...but then didn't show up. So when I was done, and completely starving, I headed to the fire department to find him! I was going to make him go get me breakfast for standing me up! I couldn't find him, but one of the guys was nice enough to go in and get me some scrambled egg whites with cheese. We are not allowed in the Galley in workout clothes...so I knew I couldn't go in there. Thanks Fernando for making my day! I just knew that if I went back to my CLU, showered and tried to go back up to the Galley for food...it wasn't likely to happen. So once I got back to my CLU, I ate my eggs, took a shower and crawled into bed for a nice nap. And what a nice nap indeed!

So that's my half marathon story. Really glad I did it and cannot wait to run the National Half Marathon in March when I am home for R&R.

Here are some photos from the event. Y'all enjoy and have a great weekend!

CIAO!
Kathi