Time off and then marathon training

Running has been good. My foot feels better after what I think was probably the beginning of plantar fasciitis. I took time off when I got my tattoo so it would heal and it helped my foot as well. When I started back I eased in to running. Lately running has been one of those things I just do without too much thought. It feels good not just when I am done but during the primal act of placing one foot in front of the other.

Yesterday afternoon I went back to see Moon so he could finish my tattoo. I wanted it to extend inside my arm and as usual he did an amazing job. In the photo you can tell which part of the tattoo is new by how red it is. While it heals I will take a week or so off. Then it is time to start training for the Perth Marathon. It is not until June but I am going to do a long slow ramp up. My main goal is to run well. I will see how the training goes before I formulate any more specific goals.

2011 --> 2012

In 2011 I ran 1290.1 miles. If I would have known that is the number of miles I would finish with I would have found time to run 9.9 more but the end of the year kind of snuck up on me. 1300 is just another arbitrary number anyway, right?

In 2011 I started the year with a marathon PR at the Texas Marathon on January 1. I also ran another marathon in New Zealand and hiked in Nepal all with Jakeb.

In 2012 I hope to run in Italy. We are going there at the end of February. I plan to train for the Perth Marathon in June and then spend the week afterwards exploring some of the western part of Australia - just Andrea and me. If we are in Singapore long enough we may go visit the North Island of New Zealand and while we are there run the Speights West Coaster. It looks like fun and how cool would it be to have a tech shirt with the Speights logo on it?

Running has helped me. Running is good for my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical health. I know someday my body will not let me run. I hope it is not for a long long time. I am a runner.

What defines me?

Running has not been so great lately – as I have written here. But I know it will get better. I have not run since the Sunday morning I got my tattoo because in order for it to heal properly I am not supposed to sweat profusely. And when I run I sweat profusely.

The time off has been good. But I am about to go crazy. The day I stopped running I was pacing around the living room and Andrea asked me “Is this the way the next two weeks are going to be”?

I am probably going to start running again on Thursday morning and I am looking forward to it but I am anxious too. I want running to be good again. And I know it may not start out that way but eventually it will be. When I go through a hard time running (and in life) that hard time consumes me and in my mind defines me. I think in my mind that I am done. I am not a good runner and will never be again.

I’ve got to push that stuff back because even though I am going through a rough patch, that rough patch does not define the whole of my running. I will run again – maybe not the fastest or longest I have ever run but I will enjoy it. And I will become a better runner.

I am near the end of reading Running the Edge. Today I read this from Adam Goucher:

…ultimate success is not measured in a single victory or setback. Our running and life stories are bodies of work. I might win or lose this race just as I might say the exact right or exact wrong words to my wife. I might make a wise career move or a big mistake, just as I might strongly support a friend or do the wrong thing and let him down. These isolated instances are not what ultimately define us in any life story. It is the commitment to do the little things each day to get better. It is the bigger picture in our mosaic identities more than any single piece.

Catalano, Tim; Tim Catalano; Adam Goucher; Billy Mills (2011-09-01). Running the Edge (Kindle Locations 3235-3239). Maven Publishing. Kindle Edition.

My tattoo

I have always had a somewhat detached fascination with tattoos and have said I wouldn’t mind getting one if I could ever find something I would want on my body for the rest of my life. I had passing interest in a few different designs but nothing ever stuck so I never gave serious thought to having one done.

In the last year though the fascination became less than detached and I decided on what I wanted for a tattoo. I thought the rest would be simple.

Starting in July of this year I contacted the first tattoo artist and before this whole process was done I went through a couple of different tattoo designers. Mostly they wanted me to have the tattoo they would like rather than what I wanted. Or they told me they didn't do the design I wanted. Almost all of the tattoo artists I worked with were very talented but it just did not work out for one reason or another.

A couple of weeks ago I scheduled an appointment with a local tattoo guy whose work I had seen online and I had a feeling he had potential to complete my design. On the way I stopped to fill my car with gas and while I was at the pump the battery died and the car would not start. Since the mechanic would not get there for 45 minutes to an hour I called and canceled the appointment.

As I went in to pay for my gas there was a guy in line in front of me and he had the most amazing tattoo on his left arm. It was a black and gray full sleeve tattoo with a cross and a dove. The cross was made from his natural skin color and the dark ink surrounding it was shaded and had a depth that made it stand out. The dove had intricate detail and it looked like it could fly off of his arm. Maybe it was a symbol of a divine appointment?

So I asked, “Who did your tattoo?” He looked at me and then turned around. I thought he was ignoring me which is not all that unusual around here. He paid for his gas and when he turned back around he handed me a piece of paper with a web address on it – http://www.moonstrucktattoo.com/.

He said, “It is by appointment only.” And then he was off without another word.

I looked online and was impressed with Moon’s work and liked the feel of his web site. The overall vibe I got was good so I called him right away and made an appointment to sit and talk with him about my tattoo design.

Andrea and I went to his studio. It is in Little India and you would not notice it if you were not looking for it. He has a room on the fourth floor of a building. It is clean, well lit and has a computer, a drawing table, a tattoo chair and tattooing equipment. He had jazz playing in the background. It is not your stereotypical tattoo studio.

Andrea and I sat and talked with Moon for over an hour. He listened as I told him what I wanted and he asked relevant questions. We talked about my tattoo design but we also talked about culture and the things we like about Singapore and travel and food. He gave Andrea and me a recommendation for a Paranakan dish called Ayam Buah Keluak to try at Nancy’s Kitchen in Melaka on our anniversary weekend. The dish and Nancy’s are really good and you should try them both if you get a chance. Moon did a really good job of capturing the essence of what I had in mind in the design.

On Sunday I went to Moonstruck Tattoo Studio and Moon inked the tattoo in the photo on my upper right arm.

Here is the basis for the design:
I wanted a black and gray tattoo – no color.

We have been to New Zealand three times over the last year. On two of the trips Jakeb and I ran Christchurch marathon. On the last trip the girls walked the 10k. See the posts here and here. We were all drawn to Maori art and symbols. Maoris are the native population of New Zealand. My tattoo is a Maori / Samoan mix. I like the flow of the Maori tattoos (called "moko") and the geometry used in the Samoan tattoos. The cultures are very closely related.

In the center of the tattoo is a Koru. The Koru is a Maori symbol that represents an unfurling fern frond. The symbolic meaning of the Koru is new life, growth, a fresh start, new beginnings, strength and peace. The circular shape conveys perpetual motion. And I like perpetual motion. The Koru used in a tattoo has spiritual significance.

The Koru symbol is also made into jewelry and given on milestone occasions in a person’s life. A good friend of Jakeb’s and her family from New Zealand gave him a green jade Koru necklace at his high school graduation. The Koru was given to him to mark the occasion of his graduation and thank him for his help raising funds and awareness with his friend for victims of the Christchurch New Zealand earthquakes.

See Andrea’s post about the Koru on our family blog here ---> link.

I am a Christian and I am a runner. I have quoted this verse quite a few times here on the blog. In fact it is where my blog name comes from. Although it is hard to pick a favorite verse(s) in the bible if I was forced to this would be it:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:1-2

I wanted my tattoo to include a runner and a cross. I wanted the runner and cross to be a subtle part of the design and not too overt. I think Moon did a really good job of incorporating it into the Maori design. The symbols on the top left of the tattoo represent the witnesses to the life of faith. And the runner has a choice to run towards the cross or to take his own path downward. Like in life I can pick the path that represents the weights that slow me down and sin that trips me up or I can look up toward the cross and run with endurance the race of life.

There is a stigma related to tattoos. It is not as bad as it once was but it is still there. The reason I got the tattoo only on my upper arm is so I can cover it up when I am in situations where I could be wrongly judged by it. I put a lot of thought into getting this tattoo and I obviously do not think there is anything wrong with having it on my arm forever. Tattoos are amoral. They are ink embedded in skin. People sometimes make bad choices with the way they choose to permanently mark their skin but in other cases the ink is completely okay.

Overall I like my tattoo a lot. I would not have done it if that were not the case and I am proud to wear it the rest of my life.

Running the Edge

I am reading Running the Edge by Adam Goucher and Tim Catalano thanks to a recommendation from Adrienne on her blog. In the book Adam describes what it means to be a runner and I think he nails it:

Running is more than a sport. It is an identity. I am not somebody who just likes to run. I am a runner. This is the difference between a pastime and a passion. I like to play golf, but I am not a golfer. I like to cook, but I am not a chef. I don’t just like to run. I am a runner. It is a passion. It is part of who I am and is woven into the fabric of my personality, character, and psyche. People who run to lose weight, to meet a standard for the military, or for any other purpose beyond running itself are still running but more as a pastime than as a passion. Passionate runners run because they love the feeling of running in their legs and chest. They run because running flows from their pores as easily as sweat. They chase faster times, longer runs, and better workouts for intrinsic reasons that transcend any extrinsic benefit. They run because an internal force inside of them drives them to test their limits. They run because in running, they are in the moment, in flow, living a life they chose.
Catalano, Tim; Tim Catalano; Adam Goucher; Billy Mills (2011-09-01). Running the Edge (Kindle Locations 615-622). Maven Publishing. Kindle Edition.

Andrea likes to tell people that with me running isn’t just about the benefits like losing weight or staying healthy. She says "Tommy just has to run". She is right. If I could not run I would live, and live well, but it would be like I lost a big part of who I am - physically, emotionally and even spiritually.

I am a runner!

Singapore Marathon No More (for me anyway)

My run this morning was really good. Saturday morning was the first run I have had in a long time that wasn’t a struggle when I ran 8 miles around MacRitchie. It is good to have a couple of runs within a week that are good. Lately running has been tough.

I decided to run the Singapore Marathon and signed up months ago. Ever since then my running has gone downhill. I had a 15 mile long run scheduled on October 8th. I only made it 14.5 miles and had to walk the last two. My heal started hurting and I think it was the beginning of plantar fasciitis.

I had signed up for the Real Run half marathon on October 16th but I skipped it which is uncharacteristic for me.

So needless to say I am not running Singapore Marathon on December 4th. I am bummed but not too bummed. I ran a couple of marathons this year already and I think my body was/is telling me it needed a rest.

I’m thinking I will take it easy until January or February and then start ramping up for a summer marathon in Australia. It will be their winter. Perth maybe? We will see how my body responds.

The Goat Rodeo Sessions

Sometimes I run without listening to music. It gives my mind a mental break and lets it go where it will. If the run is hard then I can only concentrate on running.

More often than not I run with music. The music on my ipod is the soundtrack to my life. That can be good and it can be bad. Music moves me emotionally. Sometimes it is only entertainment, sometimes it puts into words what I would like to say but did not know how. Sometimes it speaks to and for my soul.

On Sunday Andrea asked me if I had heard The Goat Rodeo Sessions.

I said, “Huh?”

She said the names Chris Thile and Yo Yo Ma and I was immediately interested. We watched some of the intro videos and it is really good stuff. It is a quartet of Chris Thile, Yo Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan and Edgar Meyer.

The music is intricate and it twists and turns in places you least expect. It has a funky groove in a high brow bluegrass kind of way. It is fun music to listen to and run with. Since it is mostly instrumental my mind still has a break from lyrics. It is a different kind of break from running without music but enough of a change to be refreshing.

All in all the best way I can describe The Goat Rodeo Sessions is to say that the music is very satisfying.

Check out this link to The Goat Rodeo Sessions playing Quarter Chicken Dark on Colbert -->link.

If you think it is wrong or unsafe to run while listening to music I am sure you hated this post but I am okay with that.

Agressive Monkeys and an Odd Soul

I downloaded Mutemath’s new album Odd Soul last night and was excited to run this morning and listen. I headed out to the treetop route I talked about in the last post. When I got to the forest walk where the elevated pathway begins there was a tape barricade across the handrails and a couple of signs posted there. The biggest one said “Aggressive monkeys sighted in the area” and “Forest Walk Closed from 17 September onwards” and “Construction in progress”. It was the last sign that scared me. I am okay with maniac monkeys but I wouldn’t want to fall from a hole in the elevated walkway. It would hurt pretty bad. So I turned around and ran a shortened route down Depot road.

The music was good though. If Mutemath is your kind of music you should download Odd Soul (or buy the CD if you’re old school). I think I am going to like it better than any of their other music – and I like the other music a lot. Stare at the Sun and Obsolete (from the self-titled album) are the best two consecutive songs to listen to on a long run.

Treetop Rockpango

This morning I ran a 5 mile route I call “treetop”. At about three-quarters of a mile into the run I start up an elevated metal grated path. It rises into the canopy of the trees and is lit from underneath in the dark. I can see beneath the path and I feel like I am running from tree to tree with the ground far below.

It is a tough part of the run because it is mostly uphill for another three-quarters of a mile. It rises about 200 feet to the top of Telok Blangah Hill – I know this is no Ultra Tour du Mount Blanc but it is still hard work. This morning the run up was a struggle and it seemed like the ascent would never end … like life sometimes. But the music was apropos:

Come on, stop thinking ‘bout yourself.
Get up, don't wanna hear no lip.
Now you think you really got it bad.
You’ll find out life ain’t fair. Don’t get mad.

Oh, I wanna be free.
Don’t take my time left from me.

Go on, try to find your way.
No work ain’t gonna get you pay.
Now you're grown, you think you're really bad.
You’ll find out life ain’t fair. Don’t get mad.

Oh, I wanna be free.
Don’t take my time left from me.
Oh, I wanna be free.
Don’t take my time left from me.

I'm still alive, I'm living with no fear.
No rules, I play it all by ear.
You know I’ve seen the good, I’ve seen the bad.
I found out life ain’t fair, and I ain’t mad.

Oh, I wanna be free.
Can’t take my time left from me.
Oh, I wanna be free.
Can’t take my time left from me.

- Los Lonely Boys
Rockpango

Heavy

As I started to run my thoughts were heavy
They banged around in my head like boulders
Rattling my brain
But as I ran they settled
Finding their place in the recesses of my mind
And my soul is at rest again
... for now.

let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run
Hebrews 12:1

Incubus in Kuala Lampur Malaysia

Andrea, Anna and I made a weekend road trip to Malaysia this weekend. They tagged along really. We went so I could see Incubus in concert.

Incubus is really good live. This was the first time I have seen them. I was surprised the most by how everyone around me knew all of the words to all of the songs and sang along sometimes at the top of their lungs. The only other time that has happen to me to this extent was at a Wilco concert although the Wilco fans were much less enthusiastic.

During the opening song people were jumping around so much I had to work really hard to stay on my feet. At the end of the song I was easily ten yards away from the spot I occupied at the beginning.

The music was amazing. I am looking forward to seeing them again.

The photo and video are from my iPhone.

Incubus KL Wish You Were Here from astunz on Vimeo.

New things

We moved to a new condo. Our old place was too big since Jakeb moved out and the landlord wasn’t too responsive about fixing things and he went up on the rent 35% so we decided to leave. Our new place is great and I think we will really dig living there.

Now that we are in a new location all of my old running routes have passed away behold new running routes have come. I thought it would be great fun finding new routes but it hasn’t worked out very well so far. In the past I would have meticulously plotted new routes on gmap-pedometer.com but now I have just put on my Garmin and run. The new places I have run are really cool and I am going to like running here. But I have only one solid 5 mile route and 5 milers are a staple of my training.

Usually when I put on my garmin and run without a plan I run too short or too long. When I get to the condo and I have not run far enough I end up quitting because it would be a pain to tack on .65 miles out and back. And when I have gone too long it makes the morning schedule too tight.

It will all work itself out. I think I am going to have to go to gmaps and do the work I used to do.

I am signed up for the Singapore Marathon in December and I am signed up for the REAL run half marathon in October (because every other run must be fake).

Incubus’ new album is out. It is somewhat mellow for Incubus but I like it a lot. I ran with it for the first time this morning and got lost in the music while I was lost on my new route.

This post is for Karen. Without her challenging me I may not have posted until September. Sorry it took so long. We have been on an out of control existential carousel. Thanks Karen for the positive peer pressure! :)

"Winter" Marathon

I had an internal conversation with myself after I ran the Singapore Marathon a year and a half ago and decide amongst myself that it was too hot and humid to run a marathon in Singapore even though it starts in the dark of the night. Settled.

So last year I signed-up and ran the Singapore Half Marathon and was completely happy with my decision. It was a good warm-up race for the Texas Marathon.

But then I started thinking and looking around for a winter marathon that I could run this year. The end of the year is going to be busy again. Tori will graduate college in December. I am low on vacation since we have traveled so much – which is a good thing. So traveling somewhere for a marathon is pretty much out of the question.

Then I got this email yesterday:
Standard Charter Singapore Marathon 2011 opens for registration on 23 June

So I am thinking about it. It sure is convenient to take a taxi to the starting line. Surely I can run faster than 4:20 (my time in 2009). Maybe I can even throw in some speed work for this one. I should probably stop having conversations with myself.

I will decide in the next couple of weeks.

Last time - sort of

Jakeb and I ran the MacRitchie trail around the lake yesterday. It is one of our favorite runs in Singapore. We started running it shortly after we got here two years ago. Yesterday was the last time Jakeb ran it as a resident of Singapore and a resident of his parent’s home. Needless to say I am going to miss running with him on a regular basis.

When Jakeb was younger I had to slow down from my normal pace so we could run together. Yesterday Jakeb was the one that had to slow down.

I am proud of Jakeb and I look forward to seeing where life takes him next.

Jakeb – Run on…

New Zealand vacation with a marathon thrown in

On Friday June 3rd we left Singapore for another New Zealand vacation. This time Tori went with us.

On Sunday Jakeb and I were scheduled to run the SBS Christchurch Marathon. I wrote in my previous post about our plans to run easy so we could run later in other places in New Zealand. Well … Jakeb ran 4:01:53 and I ran 4:03:57 - so much for taking it easy. Andrea, Tori and Anna walked the 10k. It was cold and sometimes rainy. The race is very well done, especially this year since they had to move it from Christchurch to Lincoln Township because of the earthquake. The course was rural and small town and I liked it a lot. There is nothing like running a marathon in New Zealand.

After the marathon we loaded up in our rented RV and drove first to Lake Tekapo. The next day we went to Mount Cook where Jakeb and I found the energy to run a little over 8 miles on the Hooker Valley Glacier Trail. Surprisingly we both felt pretty good.

Then on Thursday we walked (mostly) and ran some up to the summit of Ben Lomond and back – almost 10 miles and over 5000 feet of elevation gain. The summit is 5735 feet.

The rest of the time we saw a beautiful country from the widow of the RV and as we walked through it, we ate good food, drank good wine beer and cider and had some awesome family time – just the five of us…

Short training schedule

I have been on a short training schedule for the Christchurch Marathon. We went to Nepal to trek and when we came back there was an announcement on the marathon’s web site that the course had been relocated from the central business district to Lincoln University and the race is on despite the earthquake damage in Christchurch.

That gave me only 8 weeks to train. I had been running 8 miles on my long runs and had not run at all in Nepal. I wasn’t lazy in Nepal as we trekked through the mountains. But my training base was not as good as it normally is and my long run was not nearly as long as it is when I start training. Last week Andrea and I went to Hong Kong and I did not run a step which meant I missed last week’s long run. I planned it that way and it was totally worth it. My training schedule for a marathon is typically 18 weeks. I have done it on as short as 12 weeks with a really good base.

My long runs this time have been 12, 15, 17, 17 (supposed to be 19 but I cut it short), off, 20 (supposed to be 22 but that was too ambitious), 12, 8, marathon.

I have asked Jakeb more than once if he wants to drop down to the half marathon. He has been studying for and taking exams since we got back from Nepal and his training has not been any better than mine. But he is adamant that we run the marathon.

So on Sunday we took off together at 5:30 am to run 20 miles – our longest long run. At the beginning I tried to keep it slow but I felt too good. Jakeb and I ran ten together. We ran from home to MacRitchie, around the trails at the lake and at ten miles he took off to finish his last ten faster than me. I ran my last ten alone with some walking thrown in. It was not my best long run by far but I was a little surprised that it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Still, the Christchurch Marathon is going to be tough. And we would like to be able to run in other parts of New Zealand. We want to run at Mount Cook. We want to run/hike up Ben Lomond in Queenstown. I am sure there will be other places to run too.

Jakeb came to me with a plan. He said we should run the marathon slow at a conversational pace where we will have something left to run the Hooker Glacier Trail at Mount Cook the next morning. I am all for running slow. That was my plan all along. But running slow I still may not be able to run the next morning. I may set a reverse PR for my slowest marathon yet. We will see.

Now it’s time for the taper.

New music

Cool new music has been unleashed and is fun to run to. You should give it a try.

12 miles in Singapore

Starting at MacRitchie finishing at the house.

Christchurch Marathon 2011 is on!

The running of the SBS Christchurch Marathon was doubt after the earthquake that hit Christchurch on February 22, 2011. For a while after the earthquake their web site said that entries to the marathon were on hold while an assessment could be made about whether the marathon could go on. A couple of days ago I checked in and here is the announcement from the web site:

It is official. Christchurch’s SBS Marathon is under starters orders for Sunday June 5, and we're hoping it will help Cantabrians get back on their feet.

Most people are aware by now that the sbs marathon was under threat following the February earthquake. The Town Hall start/finish area and much of the course is in ruin.

But we are pleased to inform you that ENTRIES ARE OPEN AGAIN.

We just happened to have planned a vacation to New Zealand when Tori comes to visit us this summer. So Jakeb and I are signed up for the full marathon and Andrea, Tori, and Anna are signed up to walk the 10k.

This year’s course is different. They had to move the race to Lincoln University because the central business district is still torn up. That is okay. I am glad to get to run another marathon in New Zealand – one of my favorite places on earth.

Trekking in Nepal 2011 – Annapurna Base Camp

Andrea, Jakeb, Anna and I made a return trip to Nepal for two weeks. We got back this past Saturday. It was another great trip. Jakeb and I trekked for eight days and afterwards we all hung out in Pokhara together.

Mr Mahesh was mine and Jakeb’s guide and he did a really good job of getting us where we needed to be and understanding our trekking pace. Our goal was to trek to Annapurna Base Camp and then make a side trip to Poon Hill on the way back down.

On day one we hiked from Phedi to Landruk. When we got to a village called Tolka a lady who ran a tea house said that Jakeb and I must be strong walkers (like Nepalese) because most people sleep in Tolka the first night of their trek. That is as far as they make it but she told us we would have no problem making it to Landruk.

On day two we woke to another amazing view of the Annapurna Mountain Range and walked from Landruk to Chhomrong. On the way we took a side trip at Jhinu to walk down to the river and sit in natural hot springs. The view of the ravine and the river was cool with the sun’s rays hitting us as we sat in nature’s hot tub. That night we stayed at Chhromrong Cottage where “didi” (meaning sister) makes the best chocolate cake in Asia (according to Time magazine – she will show you the article) and some tasty bean and cheese burritos. If you are ever in Chhomrong you have to stay here!

On day three we walked from Chhomrong to Dovan. The trail out of Chhomrong drops quite a bit and it is somewhat disheartening to lose all of the altitude you gained the day before knowing you will have to gain it back again soon. We stopped walking early this day which was a brilliant move on the part of Mr Mahesh because it rained almost all afternoon. We met a couple here that was trying to make it to Annapurna Base Camp in three days and then back to Pokhara in two. I think they ran out of time before they made it. She was from Australia and he was from the UK. They were in transition and were planning to buy a place in Australia and live a self sustaining lifestyle - growing their own food and supplying as much of their own power as possible.

On day four we hiked from Dovan to Annapurna Base Camp. After walking up the riverbed to avoid avalanches we stopped for lunch at Machhapuchere Base Camp. After lunch we decided to press on to Annapurna Base Camp. On the way up from MBC to ABC it snowed. There was thunder and lightning and by the time we got to ABC it was snowing pretty hard. That afternoon and night was cold. We sat in the dining room and played cards with two women from Seattle and two women from Denmark and their guide. The manager of the tea house put a heater (basically an open flame) under the table so we could all warm our cold hands and feet.

The next morning we woke to a perfectly clear sky and the most incredible view of this amphitheater of mountains. We were surrounded by mountain peaks all over 6000 meters with the monster being the tenth highest peak in the world Annapurna One at 8091 meters. We were at 4130 meters (approximately 13500 feet). We took some pictures, ate breakfast and then headed down to Bamboo.

In Bamboo we met “Himalaya Ken” - a guy from the UK who has been to Nepal 24 times. He has hiked to Annapurna Base Camp 15 times. He takes the entire month of March off every year to trek in the Himalayas.

On day six we hiked from Bamboo to Chuile. We stopped for a burrito at lunch with Didi. Some of the folks we met at Annapurna base Camp stopped and ate lunch with us. It rained right as we got to Chuile and when the rain stopped there was a rainbow in the mountains really close to us.

On day seven we hiked from Chuile to Ghorepani. It was a rainy day and for the most part it was miserable. But we were walking on some of my favorite trails following a small crystal clear river. We were happy to be in Ghorepani to have a warm safe place to rest.

On the last day we planned to hike to Poon Hill before coming down to Nayapul to catch a ride back to Pokhara. The weather was overcast and the mountains could not be seen from Poon Hill so we skipped trekking there. We ate breakfast and made the long downhill trek to Nayapul. It was a good day.

During the trek Jakeb and I read The Hobbit. It was a perfect book for trekking in the mountains. I cannot wait for the movie.

It really was the adventure of a lifetime. How many people get to trek in Nepal among the highest mountains in the world? On top of that I got to do it with Jakeb. It was one of those two weeks in time where it was good to be me.