Training for a marathon

I love to run down here. It’s easy to get discouraged, and all too often, I find myself desperate for a break. My runs relieve any built up stress and help to clear my mind. I seem to get my best ideas when I’m running.

Seeing as how my runs usually take me through villages, I pass hundreds of homes and hundreds of families. The children run after me yelling “blan, blan” (white man), and begin laughing hysterically when I respond “M’ pa blan!” (I’m not white!). The older children usually stand on the side of the road cheering me on yelling out the little English they know, “How are you?” and “I am fine.” The adults shout out “bonjou” and “Sali,” (good morning, hello). It never ceases to amaze me the level of kindness these families show me. It’s as though they have nothing to be sad about. Haitians are a hopeful people, full of passion and pride. They continue to serve as my inspiration.

Last week when I was in Port-au-Prince trying to get the visa for Lixier, I met a woman at the guest house I stayed at who began telling me about a marathon in the Cayman Islands that’ll be held on Dec. 7th. I’ve always wanted to run a marathon but have always used my asthma as an excuse not to. Well, I decided to do it this time. I began training the day I arrived back to Les Cayes and have been running an average of 8 miles/day. Because of the unbearable heat, I can only run at dawn or dusk. The roads are rocky and the dirt paths are anything but flat. I figure that if I can train for a marathon running on small boulders that the real thing will be a piece of cake.