![\"Boquete,](\"http:\/\/quesejoda.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/08\/img_3659-300x225.jpg\" "\\"Boquete,")
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Nothing says I love you like “let’s run 10 miles”. \u00c2\u00a0I started running\u00c2\u00a02 months ago because I was burnt out from cycling 3 hours a day. \u00c2\u00a0Running seemed like the logical choice– less time, and no more eating\u00c2\u00a05000 calories a day (it gets old after a while, not to mention the food bill).<\/p>\n
My first week as a runner was everything I hoped. \u00c2\u00a0Run 4-5 miles. \u00c2\u00a0Done by 7am. \u00c2\u00a0Have the whole day to myself. \u00c2\u00a0Now how did that turn\u00c2\u00a0into running twice a day and logging 50-60 miles a week? \u00c2\u00a0Mind you,\u00c2\u00a0those are miles at an excrutiatingly slow pace. \u00c2\u00a07 minute miles\u00c2\u00a0are still considered a sprint, but still…<\/p>\n
Somehow I thought that running with Yano would add quality time\u00c2\u00a0to our marriage. \u00c2\u00a0Instead, it’s turned into a monologue in which she\u00c2\u00a0tells me all about her day, while I answer with grunts and nods– all\u00c2\u00a0for about 20 minutes, after which, she warms up and is gone– never to\u00c2\u00a0be seen again until the end of our run.<\/p>\n
We’re in Chiriqui, Panama, staying with one of Yano’s 39 cousins (on\u00c2\u00a0her dad’s side alone). \u00c2\u00a0Lush green forests, volcanoes, mountains, and\u00c2\u00a0rivers. \u00c2\u00a0Quite spectacular! \u00c2\u00a0We met a runner at the track yesterday,\u00c2\u00a0and somehow the chance meeting turned into “let’s meet tomorrow at 6am\u00c2\u00a0to run 12k in the jungle”. \u00c2\u00a0Me, being the protective husband that I\u00c2\u00a0am, decided to tag along to protect my wife from snakes, bears, and\u00c2\u00a0sexual running predators. \u00c2\u00a0Big mistake! \u00c2\u00a0Our running partner was a guy\u00c2\u00a0whose best 10k time is 30 minutes.<\/p>\n
At approximately 10 seconds into our run, I realized I was going to\u00c2\u00a0get dropped in about a minute. \u00c2\u00a0Yano and him were chatting away,\u00c2\u00a0warming up at sub 8 minute miles (uphill)– and we still hadn’t even\u00c2\u00a0started. \u00c2\u00a0Sensing my pain, Echevarria said “we’ll turn here, you keep\u00c2\u00a0going until you see a branch… turn right and you’ll complete a 6\u00c2\u00a0mile loop”. \u00c2\u00a0Somehow I misunderstood “keep going” into “turn right”–\u00c2\u00a0after all, my brain doesn’t work when my heart is beating past 170\u00c2\u00a0beats a minute.<\/p>\n
Within 5 minutes, Yano and Echevarria were gone, and I started soaking\u00c2\u00a0in the scenery– river crossings, cows, indians cooking in an open\u00c2\u00a0fire. \u00c2\u00a0However, 45 minutes into my run I realized I hadn’t seen any tree branch\u00c2\u00a0left as a sign, and I was slowly digging myself into an anaerobic\u00c2\u00a0hole. \u00c2\u00a0I started entertaining thoughts of kidnapping a horse and\u00c2\u00a0riding back, but tired as I was, I doubted I could catch a sick\u00c2\u00a0pregnant mare, let alone a healthy horse. \u00c2\u00a0A few kilometers down the\u00c2\u00a0road I saw a donkey, but alas, it slowly outwalked me. \u00c2\u00a0I looked\u00c2\u00a0around, panting in despair, but all that was left were cows– with\u00c2\u00a0horns.<\/p>\n
There is no shame in walking– indians have been doing it for\u00c2\u00a0millenia. \u00c2\u00a0So, I turned around and walked until my heart rate returned\u00c2\u00a0to something less than a hummingbird’s. \u00c2\u00a0After a few minutes, the walk\u00c2\u00a0turned into an injured trot, and I managed to limp back to the open\u00c2\u00a0road and turn around. \u00c2\u00a0By the time I got back, Yano had run,\u00c2\u00a0stretched, had a Coke, swapped stories, and asked Echevarria for his\u00c2\u00a0phone number so we can do the same thing again tomorrow. \u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Isn’t life grand? \u00c2\u00a0Good thing I’m on vacation…<\/p>\n
I’m going to crush the injured walking category on Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u00c2\u00a0 Nothing says I love you like “let’s run 10 miles”. \u00c2\u00a0I started running\u00c2\u00a02 months ago because I was burnt out from cycling 3 hours a day. \u00c2\u00a0Running seemed like the logical choice– less time, and no more eating\u00c2\u00a05000 calories a day (it gets old after a while, not to mention the food bill). My … Continue reading anaerobic love (or how to protect your wife)<\/span>