Since my last post a lot has happened and most importantly all three ladies made it back to the states alive and not injured. Mission Accomplished.
I am stoked to see how they do in their upcoming races. First up will be Addie this Saturday at the US Half Marathon Champs in Houston, and then Kimmy at US Cross Country Champs in San Diego and the Brie will be racing indoors come the middle of February.
But I digress. Back to the previous 10 days. Let me think. On Tuesday the 18th Kimmy and I headed up to the Golf Course at 7am so she could get some work done on the grass. However it was not without it's complications. First she did not wake up from her alarm due to the new and improved ear plugs she had acquired, and secondly I lost the keys and spent 15 minutes frantically searching for them. Just when I thought I had ended her chance of working out that morning I found them at the bottom of my bag. Golfers would be on the course starting at 8:30 so we had to get the workout done before then.
We surprisingly made it through the security gate at the club without trouble and Kimmy got underway. Her 10x500m went very well and I was bummed that my injury would not let me partake.
Kimmy starting the workout just as the sun comes up over the horizon
Finishing up her workout
After her workout we headed back just in time for breakfast to meet up with Addie and Brie who had just awoke. They then hit the track and trail for their workouts. I timed Brie on her 12x300m while Kimmy took pictures of her and Addie working out.
Addie definitely set the record for most times around the mile dirt loop at the training center.
The following day all three ladies only had one run to do so we headed out to explore the town that afternoon. Our first stop took us to a frozen yogurt place which we would then proceed to frequent often during the rest of our trip.
Next door we found there was an italian restaurant. We went there to eat dinner on Friday. It was delicious.
Following frozen yogurt we drove to the Central Historical District. We were fortunate to find a very good parking spot and a nice gentleman who spoke some english helped us pay the parking fee and washed our car.
We walked around for about an hour checking out the old buildings and ducking into a few shops and taking pictures.
Main square
Building which is on their license plate. Must be important.
Big church. One of many many churches
A local chilling with her friends
About to turn down a street on which every shop on both sides of the street for 4 blocks was an eyeglasses store
On our last Friday the ladies all had a 3 mile tempo as part of their workout so they did it together.
On the last Sunday long run we went to Tangamanga and its a good thing we did as it was super windy. If we had gone to the same place as last Sunday it would have been miserable. As it was, Tangamanga was a big dustbowl.
Here is a baseball game which became invisible from time to time
Finally on Tuesday the time came to leave San Luis Potosi and venture back down to Mexico City. This was a day that I was not looking forward to. Although it was the reason I was here in the first place so I was at the same time excited for whatever adventure may come. It didn't set our nerves at ease when we were told that morning at breakfast that we were crazy/braze for attempting the drive to and more specifically through Mexico City.
The ladies did their final workouts at altitude that morning. Brie and Addie ran at the training center and Kimmy went to the park. The field where she was to do her workout was being watered at the time by some huge sprinklers which she had to run through. She nailed the workout and its safe to say if it should rain at San Diego she will be ready.
Somehow she timed it so that she was sprayed at every possible time by the sprinklers.
After the workout we ate lunch and loaded up the car. We were packed to the brim as the ladies decided to each bring their whole closet with them.
We took off at 1:30. We made great time and had no trouble getting to Mexico City in just under 4 hours. However as we arrived around 5:30 on a Tuesday we would be stuck in quite a bit of traffic. Luckily the traffic is so slow that chance of serious injury is low and if you are hungry you can purchase food from any of the hundred of individuals who stand in the middle of the highway selling such items.
It took over an hour to get through the city to our hotel. I read before coming down that driving here was insanity, but I thought they were over exaggerating. They weren't.
It's difficult if not impossible to explain the craziness of driving in this city, but I will try and give you some tips in case you ever find yourself behind the wheel down there.
It's difficult if not impossible to explain the craziness of driving in this city, but I will try and give you some tips in case you ever find yourself behind the wheel down there.
1. Every rule you learn in the states about driving a vehicle needs to be thrown out the window in order to survive let alone get from point A to point B. The shear number of cars on the road and lack of space for said cars forces everyone, including you, to be a jerk.
2. To drive here you have to be simultaneously aggressive(there is no bad reason to cut someone off or to honk) and patient(it's not worth getting upset at being cutoff or being honked at).
3. Traffic signs and lights are blatantly ignored by all.
4. Don't drive in the left lane. You will inevitably get stuck behind people trying to make a u-turn.
5. Don't drive in the right lane. You will inevitably get stuck behind buses picking up people, double parked cars or tents.
6. Don't drive in the center lane. All the locals follow rules 5 and 6 which makes the center lane a parking lot and cars and busses that are double parked will suddenly lurch in to the center lane from the right lane.
7. Expect the unexpected at intersections. People will blow through red lights. People will turn left from the right lane and right from the left lane and people in the center lane are rarely going to go straight.
8. If a police car is behind you with its lights on, ignore it. They all have their lights on and at most he is trying to intimidate you to get you to make you change lanes.
9. Never stop at a stop sign unless you want to hear a roar of horns behind you.
10. Lanes marked on the road(if they even are) are never used. A 3 lane road often has 4 or 5 cars abreast.
11. Don't even think of using your turn signals for turning. They are only used to signal the person in front of you that they are going too slow and they should get the f*&% out of your lane.
12. Your horn is your best friend.
13. If you let someone in your lane or put on the brakes you can bet the person behind you will let you know how pissed they are about it.
14. Beware of the over 6000 speed bumps in the city, most of which are illegally placed and will severely damage your car if you hit them too fast. But hit them too slow and you will be honked at to no end.
15. And finally whoever has the shittiest car or cares the least about getting a dent has the right of way. If you want to change lanes then check and see if the car you want to get in front of is more or less expensive than yours. If it's more expensive lurch the front of your car into that lane and they will slow down. If it's less expensive wait for another car that is worth more than yours.
So, we make it back to the rental car place and turn in the car. The relief of being done with driving in that city is indescribable. I am just thankful we got there in one piece and did not damage the car.
We head in the shuttle over to the Camino Real. Brie and Addie do their double and Kimmy and I explore around finding a place to eat dinner and how to get across the skywalk to the airport. We succeed and meet up with the ladies for dinner around 7:45. After an enjoyable meal we get some internet and then say goodbye to Brie who is leaving on a 7am flight and head to bed.
Addie and Kimmy run the following morning. We get breakfast, pack up and head over to the airport around 10:30. My scheduled flight isn't until 3:45 putting me in San Francisco at 11:45pm. This doesn't sound like fun to me so I attempt to get an earlier flight. I am successful in doing so and my new flight will deliver me to SFO at 7:30pm. Much better.
Addie and I are on the same flight to Dallas while Kimmy is flying delta so we part ways at check in. It isn't until Addie and I get through security that we realize Kimmy was in the wrong terminal. I am not sure what was involved in her getting to the other terminal, which is not at all close to where we were, but she was successful in getting there.
I exchange my leftover pesos for American Dollars and board the plane to head back home.
Upon take off I am able to look down upon the cluster that is beautiful Mexico City.
I arrive at SFO on time and catch BART to the Montgomery St station where I meet up with Ben who had just finished up work for the day. How, with no qualifications or experience, he became the cross country and distance coach of soon to be Division 2 San Francisco Academy of Art will forever be a mystery to me. But I think jumping head first into new experiences is the best way to learn and I think he will do an excellent job.
We head back to his and Tyler's place and catch up on anything and everything.
Those two gentlemen headed to work early today while I slept in.
I walked from their place to downtown to deliver Ben's forgotten checkbook and explore the downtown area for a while before heading over to Rockridge to get some food and internet.
And now here I am finishing up my blog in Rockridge and about to catch BART up to Martinez at which point I will meet up with Bri and head to Davis for the night to visit old friends and have a grand old time.
That is more than a long enough blog and so I will spare you more blabbering and conclude by saying that the past month was an awesome change of pace and experience. I hope that I can continue running once my injuries heal up and I wish the 3 ladies that I was lucky enough to spend January with all the best in their running adventures.
Back in the states. San Francisco seems mellow and free of traffic in comparison to Mexico City
