Our 5K to benefit Project Aids Orphan was pretty mush an impomptu affair this
year. Even though we didn’t get the word out too far in advance, and despite
the cold and wind, about 20 of us gathered by the lake last Saturday to run
for this good cause. After the run, we enjoyed some well-deserved pumkin soup and I awarded the
top finishers their traditional applesauce cake. Maybe next year I can get my
act together and organize a full-fledged race. It could happen!
Gotta run…
With all the traveling I’ve done over the past few months, involving an
inordinate amount of sitting and eating (I may or may not have gained five
pounds), I didn’t have high expectations for Saturday’s 12K, my first race
since early September. Neighbor and I arrived at Chalet-à-Gobet an hour before
the 11 a.m. start. The 850 meter elevation made it noticeably colder than home.
Having dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, I hung out in the locker room to stay
warm and told friends about my latest trips. As has been the case most years,
the recent rain had made the course quite muddy, so I was wearing my old
beat up running shoes. The race was pretty much a repeat of last year for me in every way,
except for running a good 2 minutes slower. Even though I hadn’t had high
expectations, I was disappointed. When I got home, I compared the two
races on Garmin Connect and was relieved to see that this year’s course was 300
meters longer than last year’s and that my splits were almost the same.
Gotta run…
On the first morning of our 10-day trip to Israel, I asked at the
reception desk which way to run. I was told to turn left at the end of the
drive and keep going till I got to the sea. Husband and I started down the wide
path boarded with fragrant flowers of all colors. I could tell that even if we
didn’t make it to the water this would be a nice run. We reached the beach
after 15 minutes and ran a short distance up the coast. We stopped long enough
to dip our hands in the sea and pick up a few shells. A woman we had just
passed asked us where we were from (we were wearing matching 20 km de Lausanne
shirts) and if we were in Israel for a race. She said she could tell us all about
local races, as she was the head of the Israeli athletic association. I was
tempted to give her the shirt off my back, but I’m too self-conscious to run in
a sports bra!
Gotta run...
