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Whatever you do, make sure you take a vacation.
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Posted:Dec 6, 2008 12:31 pm
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 6:31 am 6216 Views
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I recently returned from a 3 1/2 week trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Brasil. I went on my own, took the bus, and was so far off the Gringo Trail, that more often than not, my ATM didn't even work.
The only time I spoke English is when I travelled for a day or so with a Dutch woman I met (I speak Spanish and Portuguese). Although I had travelled extensively in Latin America, I had never visited any of the places I passed through on this trip.
I visited Montevideo, a colonial town, a few national parks, a Jesuit Mission (the Jesuits didn't make it to North America), the brasilian wine country, and hung out at the beach for a few days. The trip was exactly what I needed.
But you don't have to be on a plane for 14 hours to take a vacation. You really don't have to go far at all, and you don't have to spend much money. Just go! Leave the cell phone at home. A change of scenery does wonders for one's mind and attitude.
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Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two steps forward
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Posted:Aug 25, 2008 11:24 pm
Last Updated:Dec 6, 2008 12:22 pm 6372 Views
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This morning I had arthroscopic surgery on my left knee. I now have a "matching set" (the rt. knee was done nine years ago).
I got a great referral for an orthopedist and he called me this PM to say that everything looks very good, and I may be able to start running again after a month of physical therapy.
I don't like hospitals, and I don't like going under the knife. But if I wanted to run again, this was what I had to do. Considering that whenever I had a running related problem, it was almost always the left knee, I'm surprised it hung in there as long as it did.
I'll be fine. The reason I posted this is because one's attitude makes all of the difference in the world re how you look at a particular situation.
A number of people have told me "too bad that you had to have the surgery." They meant well.
But the big picture is that while this is an elective surgery, I feel taking this path will lead to a better quality of my life. So, having the surgery, in the big picture, is a good thing.
Sometimes the road is bumpy, but if you don't take it, you'll never know where it leads.
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A Major Milestone in My Life Took Place on May 17th - The Big 40
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Posted:May 31, 2008 1:27 am
Last Updated:Aug 25, 2008 11:26 pm 6293 Views
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I will apologize; this will be as long (but hopefully not nearly as boring) as Luis Camôes epic, 'Lusiadas.' It's the most famous work written in Portuguese (about Vasco Da Gama's voyage to India and has been likened to the 'Iliad).'
BACKGROUND - I last ran Palos Verdes in 2003. Same course. Not many run it; you typically have around 300 finishers. It's hilly, scenic and slow. It's pretty much, you, views of the blue Pacific, and going up and down hills.
This is a traditional local event which hasn't changed much since I first ran it 40 years ago. It is why I'd be running it for the seventh time. You get a shirt AFTER you finish, and the shirts say "marathon finisher." Like with international futebol (soccer) matches, the national anthem is played at the start.
When I first ran it in 1968, Bob Deines won in just under 2:29. The course changed at least twice, is easier now, but I believe his course record still stands, forty years later.
They had some problems with my pre-registration. I had entered using my Brsilian nickname,
'Jeffzinho.' Many people in Brasil are known by nicknames (surnames aren't necessary), especially the athletes. I was assigned race number 1. Today would most likely be my last marathon, I wanted to combine my love for running with my love for Brasil.
As I lined up, wearing my finisher's shirt from the 1968 event, I saw a generation gap among the runners. There were people like me, who had been running for quite awhile. They wore the basics, maybe a waist pack, and may or not have worn a watch. They were in their mid 50s or older, and almost exclusively male (very few women ran marathons when I started). The newer generation was easy to spot by their electronic gear. Garmins, heartrate monitors, ipods, etc. A couple of people were running with their dogs. I was fine with that, though I did NOT start close to them!
The forecast was for temps to be 86 degrees. I have never run well in the heat; I prefer running in the rain -- or even the snow -- to hot weather.
My last two long runs (20 and 21 miles) were in the heat, and I bonked 15 miles into my last one. Given the weather forecast, I realized that the best I was going to do was finish and not get hurt, so I lowered my expectations accordingly. Whatever it took to finish, that's what I'd do. In Brasil, there's a concept called " dar jeitinho," which means regardless of how a situation may seem, there's always a way to get things done.
THE EVENT - It was already in the mid 70s at 7:00AM and the air was still. I forced myself to go out slowly. Psychologically, it's hard to let people go early on when you feel good, but I respected the distance and the heat, so I let them go.
I was confident that I was prepared for whatever the day might bring. Throughout the event, at every water stop, I threw at least one cup of water over my head / neck. I wanted to keep my core temperature down. An advantage of running with a waist pack was that I could throw two cups of water over my head at an aid station and still have fluids to drink.
It was above 80 before 9:00 AM, and getting hotter. While I usually enjoyed the early miles at Palos Verdes, I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. I got to the half at 2:35 and shortly after that, I was bonking (becoming dizzy and nauseous).
Okay, what are you going to do now, guy? You've walked a few miles feeling like this before, but you can't go another 12 miles plus.... "Sempre da jeitinho" (there is always a way). At an aid station just past mile 14, I pulled out the two packets of rehydration mix -- I haven't used the stuff since I had dysentery four years ago -- drank it with some water, and was able to continue. I would not have finished if it wasn't for this vile tasting stuff.
The air was still and it was getting hotter. Around mile 18, I started to get nauseous again. I had some salt packets which kept it from getting worse, but I felt out of sorts until the finish. I drank all of the water that was available. The race organizers knew about the weather, and to their credit, there were aid stations at 1.5 and 2 mile intervals (I learned later that only one person had to be taken to the hospital that day).
I was not feeling good. Sempre da jeitinho. Keep moving, you'll get there. Miles 20-23 are the worst of the hills. I was walking them. I'm guessing temps got up to 90 by then. When walking, I was looking at the road thirty feet in front of me. I did not want to look in the distance for a mile marker that I might or might not be able to see, while seeing the road in its slow and steady climb during this section.
This is the worst I've felt in a marathon in years, but time did not matter, I had to finish. I finished my first one 40 years ago, I'm running in that 40 year old shirt, if I have to walk it in, well, that's how it's going to be.
In the middle of this section, it was getting so hot that my toes hurt due to how hot the asphalt had become. It stayed that way until I finished. Sempre da jeitinho, keep moving, you'll get there.
I did NOT want this drama. I hoped for a pleasant beach run with salt air where only the last hour would be difficult, like the last two times I've run PV (1998 and 2003). At mile 23, the road levelled out. Good, done with the hills. I was going to finish.
Looked at my watch; I'll get in under 6 hours. Not great, but not unreasonable for the circumstances. I ran for a bit. The pace wasn't bad, but because I had been walking so much, my knees were incredibly stiff. The "silver lining" is that my quads, though sore, were not as sore as they would have been if I had been running, versus walking, those hills.
I finally felt a welcome breeze at mile 24, going down the steep hill to the San Pedro bluff. Five years earlier, I ran this entire stretch and made good time. Not today. The grade accentuated the discomfort from the asphalt on the front of my feet and the stiffness of my knees. Still, I leaned forward and ran what I could. The last couple of miles runs along an attractive park setting by the ocean to the finish at Point Fermin Park.,
I ran a few minutes of each of the last few miles. and finished in 5:48:17. This is my slowest time by a good 40 minutes, but to be candid, it was the best I could do that Saturday.
EPILOGUE - I finished. I was suffering in the last several hours, but I finished. Sempre da jeitinho. I was really nauseous -- and exhausted -- when I got home, and after drinking some of the rehydration mixture and lying down for awhile, I was okay. Despite drinking over three liters of water, I dropped 4 1/2 pounds (2 kilos.
I met my goals (finishing and I don't think I got hurt). My buddy Ben got some video of me running in various stages of the marathon. Can't wait to see it; especially at the finish, when I was wearing the 1968 finisher's shirt and proudly holding the 2008 finisher's shirt alongside of it.
I am equally proud, amazed and in awe of the fact that after 40 years, I can still do this. A couple of the guys at the gym treated me like a local hero. The attention, though I don't know if it's deserved, was certainly welcomed. Now, I'm walking on the clouds. Maybe one of those seven or eight year olds who handed me a cup of water saw my shirt will get inspired.
Now the big question, "okay, when -- not if -- are you doing your next one?" If I think I'd have to repeat what I had to deal with on Saturday, I'll pass. This was the big 40, and I HAD to do it.
Running should be fun, regardless of the distance or speed. If I can enjoy the long runs (I was flirting with injuries once they got up to 15 miles this time), and don't have issues with the heat, I'd certainly consider another one. Sempre da jeitinho.
One last thing. Some things just don't change. In 1968, they misspelled my name in the list of finishers. In 2008, 'Jeffzinho' is listed as "Jeff Zinho." Now that's funny!
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Back From Colombia
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Posted:Nov 11, 2007 11:55 pm
Last Updated:May 9, 2024 6:31 am 6062 Views
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Spent a month in Colombia. I ignored all of the travel warnings, as I've heard enough from many people who didn't know one another that such warnings were outdated.
Felt safer in Colombia than I do in parts of Los Angeles. I didn't visit the north coast, where most foreigners seem to wind up (Parque Tayrona, Santa Marta, Cartegena, etc). In fact, I'd often go for days without speaking a word of English. There's a large military presence on the roads and in the cities, so most of the guerillas (there's still around) are in out of the way places that the average foreigner would not visit.
I landed in Cali (if you're not there on the weekend & not into salsa, there's not much for the visitor other than a great zoo) and went south to Popoyan. The latter is a colonial city, that reminds me quite a bit of a number of places I have visited in colonial Mexico. It was an attractive and friendly place. I almost started a riot when a group of nine year old school girls realized that this extranjero spoke Espanol just like they did. It was like I was some sort of celebrity; they couldn't get enough of me.
From there, I took the worst road on my trip to visit San Augustin. They draw there is the remains of a civilization that's as old as that of the ancient Egyptians. Not a great deal is known about what happened to these folks, but there are numerous stellae which are preserved, and the guy who showed me around was amazing.
The Colombian countryside is a joy for the eyes. Most of the interesting areas to visit are in various Andean valleys, so even though you are near the equator, you're at something like 6,000 to 8,000 feet above sea level, so the climate is mild. You are treated to many lush, very green valleys and much woodland as well.
In very rural areas, they have brightly colored wooden buses called 'chivas' (goats) which are the main forms of transportation.
In the large cities, you can drink the water, and the major roads are good, although most are two lanes. I had absolutely no 'issues' with the food I ate on this trip, and I ate anything and everything without a second thought.
The food was just okay, with a big exception of the fruit salads, which were consistently the best I have eaten anywhere, and can be a meal in themselves. Because Colombia has a vast array of climatic zones in the country, they grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Ie., the typical fruit salad has deciduous fruit like apples and grapes, but often includes papaya, peaches and pineapple as well.
Very little English is spoken outside of the north coast. The only time I spoke any English is when I stayed at a hostel versus a hotel, as most people at hostels spoke English and no Spanish.
The Spanish spoken is more traditional than that you find in Mexico. My Spanish is a mixture of that I've learned in school plus what I picked up in the places I've travelled, so often I was understood, though a number of words / expressions I spoke are not commonly used in Colombia.
To be continued....
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An Update
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Posted:Aug 23, 2007 11:48 pm
Last Updated:Nov 9, 2007 8:10 pm 6441 Views
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Have been running more. Can now be out for more than an hour and not feel beat up on a good day.
Tonight, in the middle of a 5 miler, I was dragging. A white van pulls up, a guy taps his horn and gives me a thumbs up.
Los Angeles is a fairly huge, unfriendly place, but this sort of thing happens in my neighborhood. It's not going to change the world, but it makes my day a bit better and it's one of the many reasons why I like living where I do.
Now that the summer is about over, I have made vacation plans. I make a point of going on vacation when everyone else isn't traveling. Next month, I will be making my first trip to Colombia. I've never gone before because it was downright dangerous. The only place to get current info on Colombia is one the internet, and I like what I have been reading.
Safety does not seem to be an issue. When 15 different people who don't know each other, have been to the same places and tell you the same things, I tend to believe them.
As a Spanish and Portuguese speaker, I always get treated very well when I visit Latin America. It'll all hit me once I get on the plane. Should be fun!
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Keep alert, you won't get hurt
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Posted:Jun 19, 2007 12:18 am
Last Updated:Oct 13, 2007 5:46 pm 6401 Views
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Over the weekend, I was at my brother & sister-in-law's place near Sacramento, for my nephew's high school graduation.
As it's hotter than hell over there at this time of year, I got up early to run. Near my brother's place is a tree-lined bike path. The trees keep out the sun, and have the effect of creating a small wind-tunnel, so I had a nice breeze (this is important, as I don't run well in the heat).
I'm motoring along, when I hear a crackling / snapping sound in the trees, thirty to forty yards in front of me. I look up to the source of the sound, and suddenly, a ten to twelve foot branch, weighing I'm guessing 80 plus pounds, snaps off a tree and falls on the trail.
It hit the ground four or five seconds in front of me, but if it crashed on top of someone, he / she could have died.
This is one reason I NEVER run with headphones. As I was alert, I heard the branch snapping off, and if I was closer to it, I could have either stopped or quickly gotten out of the way. Someone with headphones on would have not had a clue what was comming. Think about it.....
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Back To Normal (More or Less)
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Posted:Jun 12, 2007 1:51 pm
Last Updated:Nov 9, 2007 8:10 pm 6483 Views
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My friend Michele is going through an ugly divorce. Last week, she called me in tears. All I could do was listen and remind her that I was her friend, and that she could call me anytime if she felt the need to do so.
One of her outstandng traits is a very sick sense of humor, which is rare in most wmen I know. She called me the other day. The divorce is not any less difficult, but her attitude has changed. Here's a snippet of her last conversation with the soon-to-be-ex.
Him "I'm so depressed, I'm thinking of killing myself."
Her "Well before you do, could I get your plasma TV?"
Yes, I've always liked Michele......
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Life is good
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Posted:Jun 7, 2007 11:11 pm
Last Updated:Jun 8, 2007 12:59 pm 6425 Views
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For the last month, I had a problem that may have been a bone bruise on the outside of the top of the rt. ankle. Have no idea how it happened; this is usually caused by trauma, and I can't recall any trauma happening to this area.
I was thinking about seeing the podiatrist about this.
Anyhow, what happens is that I would have discomfort the first mile or two while running. It would go away after that, only to reappear after six miles.
Did 5 1/2 miles tonight. Felt good, was striding well and ran a little faster than normal. Also, I did not notice any problem / stiffness with the rt. ankle.
This is a very good thing, because persistent pain like this could be a symptom of a stress-fracture -- which means no running for six to eight weeks. If I feel fine tomorrow, I may have "dodged a bullet" of sorts.
On an unrelated matter, the wedding present I sent to Mexico got to the lovely bride and groom. I was invited to their wedding (it took place about 2 hours outside of Querétaro (a really neat colonial city), but workwise, I couldn't make it happen.
Here's a tip - If you need to send something important to a developing country, spend the bucks and send it Fed Ex, DHL, or the equivalent thereof so it will get there. Yes, the shipping will cost more than the gift, but do it anyway.
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