Running and Roadtrips

For several months I have been regularly running with some friends with a goal to complete a half-marathon.  We were going to make up a route here in town when we learned of a race being planned on Ilha de Moçambique (an island that is about a 2 hour drive from Nampula).  A volunteer team was brought in from the U.S. to host the event which included a 5K, 10K, half and full marathon.  Unfortunately, the race was planned for mid-November, one of the hottest months of the year in this part of Mozambique.

In October, I went with Dave to Lesotho (a small country that is landlocked by South Africa) when he flew an MAF plane down for an engine change and some other maintenance that can’t be done here in Mozambique.  I needed to keep my training up and was looking for a good place to run.  The Program Manager of the MAF Lesotho team was awesome and asked the military for permission to run around the airstrip where they are based.  They didn’t give me permission to run on my own, but allowed me to join them during their PT runs.  I jumped in their formation and ran as they sang the whole way.  Afterwards, I finished up with stretches and exercises with the group, doing push-ups until my arms were about to fall off.

My military training...

Pilot Dave and Pilot Conrad

Lesotho from the air

While we were in South Africa (after the engine change and while we were waiting for the maintenance on the plane to be wrapped up), we visited Kruger National Park for the day.  At one point we drove around a corner and three lions were in the middle of the road.  They split up; one to the left, one to the right, and one down the middle as though they were stalking something, completely ignoring us. 

Back in Mozambique, just a few weeks later, the half-marathon at Ilha was to start at 5am.  Twenty of us loaded in the back of a pickup at 4am to be driven out to the starting line.  It felt like we were driving forever and I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to run the whole way back.  The race started on the mainland and the last two miles were on a long, one-lane bridge to the island, with the finish being at the end of the bridge to Ilha.  The most I had run in training was 11 miles, so once I hit the bridge it was further than I had gone before.  Even though the bridge was a sign that you were almost to the end, it was a tortuous illusion.  You could see the finish line but it felt like you weren’t getting any closer!  I did make it to the end eventually and afterwards we had a great time enjoying the island with some friends for the weekend. 

Loading up to go out to the starting line

We got some strange looks, some cheers and some laughs as we ran through small villages on the way to Ilha

 

After the court case concerning the accident that totaled our car, we finally were able to get a replacement vehicle.  We ended up having a car imported into Maputo (capital city of Mozambique).  After a few problems with customs, we were able to get the vehicle in December.  We are so incredibly thankful for the many donations that allowed us to get this vehicle! 

Dave flew down to Maputo to pick the truck up and then drove it into South Africa to have a canopy put on it (theft prevention).  I met him down in Johannesburg and then we prepared for the 3 day drive back.  We left on the Saturday before Christmas which turned out to be a big mistake as it is the busiest day of the year to cross the border between South Africa and Mozambique.  We went 10 kilometers in 6 hours to cross the border, spent another hour at a toll, and got stuck in more traffic backed up at a detour.  After 16 hours we finished our first day of driving.  As you drive farther north, you hit long stretches of road with so many potholes that it is impossible to drive very fast.  The truck handled beautifully and we think it will be perfect for the rough roads of Nampula. We had the opportunity to buy a baby monkey on our way home but decided Charlie and Lobo might not care for that.

 

If you were wondering why I haven't posted blog updates for a while, one reason is I have been posting on MAF's blog site.  If you want to read any of my older postings, you can check them out:

The Bicycle Registration Process 

It's All About Context 

Family Near and Far

How Safe Are You?

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And because we couldn't resist, here are some more fun pics for your viewing pleasure...