Bienvenido a mis amigos mexicanos querido! Gracias por cuidar de mí tan grande aquí en México.
Mi sitio web tiene una traducción al español la posibilidad!
Por favor, sólo tiene que desplazarse hacia abajo y seleccione el idioma español en la herramienta de TRANSLATE en el lado derecho de mi página de blog. Espero verte en el camino! Tony
Last week I enjoyed my run across Michoacan state, with its long rolling hills and lush green fields. It is not so hot now, at least when I am running. I try to get going now between 4 and 5am and just run at a nice steady pace, as it comes, no racing this is a journey run, a long one and I got to keep myself injury free. I notice when I time myself between km signs that my competitive instincts kick in, I run harder and it is not as enjoyable as just a nice steady pace looking around at the scenery while taking in my surroundings. I have had a very intense competitive career, now it’s FUN TIME!  I make lots of very short stops, for water food, to take photos and talk to anyone that wants to talk. I think if I had a running partner I would drive them crazy!

In this region by late morning its like a warm summers day in Ireland, so not too bad. The early mornings now are quiet chilly and by the time it gets really hot by mid-afternoon I am usually off the road.
In the mornings  I even have to put on a second top and wear gloves for the first couple of hours till the sun comes up. Yes its that last hour before the sun comes up that’s the coldest time of the day. I remembered that from running 24 hour and multiday races.
I  made some good progress too 50km per day, Edgar a quiet spoken man was my support this week. We joked that it was not an easy day working with me and he would enjoy his sleep when I was gone. In all Edgar was with me for 4 days.

THANKS EDGAR!

 We used the state capital Moreila as a base commuting to and from each day. One night I was put up in a sports councils complex where they had spare dorms, two nights I stayed in the Angeles Verde’s base on a camp bed and one night the Tourism Secretary put me up in the very posh Casino Hotel. Many thanks Sr. Secretary
Every time I mentioned this  to someone they said in a slightly jealous tone.. ‘ What! you are staying in the Casino Hotel? ‘  I was up on the first floor and noticed there was a gymnasium next to my room.  Smiling out the open door at me was a treadmill, so after my 45km today, I did my fastest sprint of the day right past it not looking back.

ALEJANDRO'S CREW AT THE MORELIA BASE. NIRVANA IS VERY JEALOUS THESE DAYS.

Then one day on the way back to  Morelia at the end of my run Edgar stopped for a man with a broken gearbox. We were almost 40km from Morelia. What did Edgar do? He pushed the Chevy all the way with his patrol truck. His spare tyre tied to the front. The driver freewheeled down short hills and was pushed up others. It was interesting when we got to a tollbooth.The lane in front of us had 3 vehicles in line but the motorist, impatient as all drivers here seem to be chose to change lanes to enter a free lane, no bother to Edgar to sort him! We pushed him all the way to a garage.

AT YOUR SERVICE! EDGAR PUSHING THE CHEVY THROUGH TH TOLLBOOTH AND ALL THE WAY TO MOREILA

 
Just for new readers to the blog: Los Angeles Verde’s / Green Angels are a Federal body incorporated into the tourism sector. They have a remit to help broken down motorists and help tourists. They scour the roads of Mexico offering free assists whenever possible. They are all expert mechanics.
I have been so short of time lately with these early starts and so much logistic work to do that it is a luxury if I have the time to go out for a sit down meal. Twice this week as I couldn’t afford the time I had takeaway meals. Am also starting too eat pot noodles, so much easier to get than pasta. I just add some hot water from my thermos. This I fill up whenever I stop at a gas station or ask in a restaurant.
Most evenings in my hotel or wherever I stay I play music from my ipod with my external speakers attached. There is a decent sound and I am really enjoying music more now than I ever did in my life. Back in Dublin I was a talk radio junkie, so music was played less. Here I never turn on a television, just my music.
On the road I go through phases when I listen a lot but there are phases when I don’t listen for a few weeks.
There was a day last week when I played it non stop and bounced the whole 50km, it was such a joy!

TODAY I BOUNCED 50KM... THE PACE WASWAY DOWN, BUT WHO CARES

 Back in Dublin during my timeout in June I got my sister Ann’s  friend Ger, a  clothes maker to add extra pockets to my blue cycle top.
Thanks Ger!
On top of the shoulders I have velcro straps to hold the speakers in place. The job was a total success and I can blast my ipod along quiet country roads.

SAVE OUR SONGS (OR SANITY)

 This cycle top is very sentimental to me. After my first ultra race I bought it from a work mate for $20 when I lived in Colorado. I have worn it under my singlet for almost ever race ever since. I noticed that many runners were putting their snacks into waist packs. For me cycle pockets are more comfortable for snacks, money, ipod,phone,camera and just about any small item I need on the road. I become accustomed to the extra bulge and it is quiet comfortable.
I couldn’t resist it as I ran through a toll booth with Edgar behind me in his patrol vehicle.
” What you doing? ‘ Asks  the tool booth attendant.
So I go back a couple of clicks on my play list…. ‘ I’m Working on a Dream ‘ >> PLAY

IM WORKING ON A DREAM AND SOMETIMES IT CAN SEEM SO FAR AWAY,

IM WORKING ON A DREAM AND SOME DAY I KNOW IT WILL BE MINE,

MY FEET ARE SO ROUGH FROM WORKING ON A DREAM.

IM WORKING ON A DREAM AND SOME DAY I KNOW IT WILL BE REAL.

IM WORKING ON A DREAM, WORKING ON A DREAM.

I promised myself last week when going through toll booths I would be more careful as that time I shouted.. ” How much for me? ” Just then the barrier from the previous car shot down, missing me by inches, yes that would have been a bizarre way too exit the world run!
Then I ran into Mexico State. The traffic is getting heavier and heavier as I run towards the capital. I got a new Angeles Verde’s support driver, called Martin, a bit of a loco, but a nice guy.

MARTIN

No sooner had we started when a woman cut in front of me and asked him to have a look at her wailing car. It turned out to be just battery acid in the engine. Martin had it cleaned out and running smoothly in 5 minutes.
At our first toll booth as I run through a security guard is charging over in my direction with his monster black baton in his hand. I think he realises at the last moment that I am on some kind of a mission so he continues his charge towards a toll booth beside me and starts talking to the attendant.
I didn’t get any sleep last night as I was working on the laptop till 1.15 and then couldn’t sleep with a couple of mosquitoes looking for a meal. I pulled on my netting but found it so hard to sleep with it on as it was so hot. So today’s 50km were a bit of a slog,
By contrast the next day I was full of running and didn’t want to stop at 56km.
We commuted to Ixtlahuaca for the night. Angeles Verde’s had paid for Martins room so he kindly shared it with me, greedily I grabbed the big bed leaving him a small single.
It was a lovely hotel, nice and clean and not an insect in sight but they seemed to have a trust problem. Guests were not given a key, instead we had to knock on the hotel managers door to be let in! Remote controls were screwed into a wooden holder on a bedside table.
Next day about 12k before  Lema a cyclist shoots past us, up a ramp and onto the autopista.
Just as I start running up the ramp an autopista police officer charges out of  his hut. He is stationed on a parallel road just below the ramp.
He shouts up to me to stop, then he and Martin are on their phones. The guard is told I have special permission to run on the autopista, his attitude is; ‘ Nobody told me ‘ So after a nervous 10 minute worry about my continuous route being interupted I am off running again.
A few minutes later we arrive at a toll booth and there are about 5 or 6 security guards in different locations on the road all talking into their phones. I am escorted behind a barrier and through a pedestrian zone. I expected to be stopped by the Federalis, but they only give me a friendly smile.
I have been in Mexico over two months now and nobody has asked to see my passport.
About 2km up the road I saw a couple of pedestrians and then a drunk drinking from his bottle while walking in the center island.

DRUNK WALKING IN THE CENTER OF THE AUTOPISTA!

 
By contrast when I was running in Canada and the USA,  (there and I documented it in this blog) there was hardly a week that went by when I wasn’t stopped by a highway cop. I often think about the officer in Maine state on I think it was the day before new Years Eve. I had got hopelessly lost and ended up on the freeway for a 4 mile stretch. The officer told me that had she had a pick up truck free she would have me dragged off the road. She let me go on to the next exit.
Back here I had 54 up before lunch and as I wanted to get a bit closer to Mexico City I went out for another hour to finish at 62km for the day. Another strong day.

ROADSIDE SNACK

I sometimes notice that when I run long days like today and yesterday that I am not stiff imediately after, unlike countless days when I run my usual I am usually very stiff for a couple of hours, holding the rails as I go up the stairs etc, but I am fine in the morning.
The stiffness I experience in my legs every morning compares with when I was training for marathons. Say after a Wednesday track session I now experience the same stiffness every morning compared to what I experienced on the Thursday nights run: minor stiffness still in the legs but the important thing is I knew I would be ok to run my regular run.
Tomorrow for the run into Mexico City, I have asked for and been promised 2 patrol vehicles, one in front of me and the other behind me.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 at 2:36 am and is filed under jogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.