12/8/12 - Back in the Saddle (Running in Southeast Asia)

It was bound to happen again eventually.  Man may be able to manipulate his arms and legs to move through the water with some level of efficiency, but he was put on this earth to run.  And we aren't talking sprinting here, we're talking long distance running.  Did you ever realize that humans are the only mammals that actually sweat?  When you live on the equator you tend to notice this about yourself a little more.  You see, in the grand scheme of it all, we really aren't that fast.  Usain Bolt would have nothing on a cocker spaniel.  However, if one of the Olympic marathon runners took your dog out for a run, it likely wouldn't make it to the end of the race.  It turns out that way back in the day mankind used to hunt animals by literally running them to death because the prey could not cool itself off.

So where do I come into the picture?  We've been here 4 1/2 months and I really have enjoyed swimming laps on a regular basis.  Unfortunately, the pool hours are starting to conflict with my work schedule and I needed another way to burn off excess energy.  Which is why when I was packing last night Sarah gave me a raised eyebrow and asked if I was really packing my running shoes?  Part of this is because we've all been on work trips where you pack your "work-out clothes" and what do they do?  They sit at the bottom of your suitcase taking up valuable real estate the entire trip.  The other reason is I really had effectively sworn off running until we were residing in a temperate climate again.  The pool hours, plus a co-worker whom had recently started running and some friendly mocking about not running the Penang marathon were all the motivation I needed, so into the luggage they went.

Day 1 - Treadmill
I totally wimped out.  I was sitting on the chair in my room, lacing up my shoes and listening to the evening prayer call ring out across the island.  The odd part was the prayer call felt more normal at this point than putting running shoes on my feet.  Its been a life of flip flops and work shoes since June.  I suddenly caught a bright flash out of the corner of my eye and had the "was that lightning," but before the thought could fully materialize the thunder shaking my room confirmed it.  The torrential downpour started 2 minutes later and this was the only excuse I needed to head down to a treadmill instead.  The treadmills actually have little fans in the middle that blow on you, but in my case this meant that my belly button was a little cooler instead of my face.

Even with the air con set on frigid I was still dripping 10 minutes in.  This was likely a combination between the humidity and my lack of bipedal movement in recent memory.  Ultimately, I did make it 3 1/2 miles (at least the treadmill wasn't metric) and a not too slow pace.  When I got off I felt like I was gliding across the room.  I couldn't remember if this was the usual treadmill byproduct or if I was just in need of some fluids.  Regardless, Day 1 down, 3 liters of water back in me.  Ready to tackle the actual outdoors in a few days.

Day 2 - The Great Outdoors
The good news is this is actually Day 6.  I got a little bogged down with what I'm paid to do (not a professional blogger yet) and too busy to post anything.  I actually now have a running route outside I can call my own.  Parts of it are more of an obstacle course so the cross country training from high school is getting some use.  Its at night, you'd be crazy to run when the sun is up, but its well lit.  At some locations during the run you feel like you might be in Florida whereas at other locations you could be on any road in Asia.

I start by crossing the street from the hotel to get on the right side of the road.  Literally the right side.  I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to crossing a street by looking right first and then left.  Anyway, the first quarter mile involves dodging protruding drain covers in the sidewalk, low hanging trees, sewer smells and a pretty large roundabout.  The next quarter mile you head past some large high rise condos and over a bridge where the salty smell of the ocean hits you full in the face.  Even though we're always on an island you tend to forget about it due to all the time we spend indoors.  The next landmark is a bunch of local seafood stalls that range in smells from "could be good" to "its time for that fish to get thrown out."  Probably because I run by them later in the evening.

The good new is, once you get past here, and hopefully you haven't tripped over an extension chord or hit your head on a road sign that is not too low for 99.9% of the people on the island, you're home free.  Traffic practically disappears at this point with the exception of a variety of scooters so you can just run down the middle of the road for a mile and half before you turn around.  This is the second time where you could convince me I'm in the US (the first being the high rise condos).  At this point you pass a huge development of million dollar homes that are sitting empty.  People are currently holding them for an investment.  Looks like it will be a nice lush neighborhood if anyone actually does move in.  At their current rate of occupancy though, the jungle might swallow the homes up first.

Once you hit the marina with a boat on gigantic sawhorses that looks like the boat Andy Dufresne bought in Mexico at the end of Shawshank Redemption its time to turn around and head back.  The nice part about running outside is you don't really have to warm up because your body is always loose.  The bad part is once you finish you can walk for 20 minutes and still not stop sweating.  I don't think the people around the mall were real impressed me with when I got done, but what can you do?  The owner of the Persian Restaurant I like still invited me to come eat pre-shower (I politely declined) and went back to guzzling water.  I need to find a coconut stand now for some post run hydration.

Off for a swim now - believe it or not, need to give the legs a rest.  Hoping to find some fun running routes in the next year or so in places other than Penang that I can highlight.