50@50 Project - Event 50 - Wow!

Hard to believe this is over.  It's been one helluva ride, that's for sure.  It was an amazing year and I'll have more reflections later.  For now, let's stick to the script and write up Event 50.

The Moraviana Run is in its third year, so this event is a relative newbie.  As stated in the previous posts leading up to the race, the Ticos know what they're doing with this.  Registration and packet pickup was a breeze, so it was no surprise that we saw indications of a well-organized run as we rode in the taxi to Lincoln Plaza.  Volunteers, who have to get up earlier than the runners, were already in position at key intersections, traffic cones were in place, and police presence was thorough which is always comforting to see.  Yes, it was a good time to knock over a pulperia across town.

The race was to start at 7 AM so we had arranged for our new buddy, Alvaro, to pick us up at 6-ish.  As you recall, Alvaro was the driver who met us at the Tica Bus station when we got to San Jose.  Ladies and gentlemen, meet Alvaro:

Toward the end of the video, I jokingly motioned for him to keep his eyes on the road.  He responds by making a circular motion with his hand, indicating that the car would go off the road and roll several times, then he says "Adios!".  Hahaha!  Love this guy!

He dropped us at Lincoln Plaza, wished us luck and sped off.  It was a little chilly so we made our way into the mall to stay warm.  Nice that they open the mall so runners can use the restrooms, stretch, stay warm.  We went outside to see what was going on with race set up and people showing up, getting amped up with the loud music.  We looked up and noticed a special sign commemorating Event 50.  We both have loved ones who must have been letting us know how proud of us they were.

We left the relative comfort of the mall about ten minutes before the race and went out for some final stretching and race prep.  'Race prep' mostly consists of eyeing the competition, seeing which overweight old guys, soccer moms and kids under nine years old I think I can beat.  Looking around, I was confident I had a shot at not coming in last.

We walked to the far end of the mall, to gather with the other like-minded slower runners.  Leave the front of the pack for the speedy folks!  Seriously, nothing is worse than seeing a hardcore runner who is racing for money or a PR get held up by a slower racer who just wants to be at the front for no particular reason.  Respect, man.  Back in our area, they had a stage set up and there was a guy with one of those snazzy headset mics leading the crowd in a dance workout, maybe Zumba or a Billy Blanks bootcamp warm up.  I thought it was funny that they set this up at the end of the crowd closest to the people who would least likely be able to perform the workout.  Haha!

As the start time drew closer, the crowd started sliding forward.  Looking around, I noticed that I could truly look all around, 360 degrees, with no one blocking any part of my view.  I was the tallest guy here, by far.

As cloudy as it was, it never rained at all.  Truthfully, it was already warm enough that a little rain would have felt wonderful!  There were a few announcements - in Spanish, of course - explaining the route and a couple of turns to be aware of, and what to do if you were opting for the longer route.  Ha!  '…longer route'??  Event 50 was more like the last stage of the Tour de France - the one where they maybe have a sprint for final points but mostly the guys bike along the Champs-Élysées whilst drinking champagne and telling horrible Lance Armstrong jokes:

(Warning:  skip this joke if you're easily offended!)
Bradley Wiggins:  What's the difference between Lance Armstrong and Hitler?
Mark Cavendish:  I don't know.  What is the difference between Lance Armstrong and Hitler?
Bradley Wiggins:  At least Lance Armstrong can finish a race.
Mark Cavendish:  (begins whining about how poorly the punchline was delivered and how Wiggins cost him the stage win)

After the announcements, the emcee's voice got louder and people were cheering, and I could see heads moving up in the front.  The race had started!

Event 50 was underway!!

In most ways this race was like any of the other road races we'd done in the past.  There were a couple of differences to note.  Of course you always have to watch the road in front of you to look for tripping hazards, pot holes, curbs and such.  In a country where people steal manhole covers to sell as scrap, you have to watch out so you don't end up falling into a hole up to your thigh!  This neighborhood was pretty good and they had the course routed on streets that were in decent shape, so it was all good.  Still, we've learned that you don't walk and gaze around at the same time.  You keep your eyes ahead and if you want to look at something besides the ground in front of you, stop first.

The other difference was the water stations.  There were two on the course, staffed by wonderful volunteers who said encouraging things as we went by.  The way the water is served to runners is quite different:

Camera Crew will demonstrate the drinking technique later.  We made sure to thank volunteers at the turns and make sure they knew we appreciated them.  It's important, people.  In fact, if you ever want to be inspired, volunteer at a race.  Trust me, you'll leave wanting to sign up for an event yourself.

We cruised around the neighborhood, circumnavigating Colegio Saint Francis and made our way uphill back to the mall - and the finish line.  With two days to go before my birthday, Event 50 in the 50@50 Project was complete!!

To say that it felt surreal to complete this year-long challenge would be an understatement.  In fact, other than enjoying the usual post-race euphoria, I didn't know what to think.  We stretched a little, high-fived each other, hugged, smiled.  We stood in line to get our finishers medals,which are awesome!

Genuine Mayan gold

We ate fruit (big chunks of delicious watermelon and pineapple) and granola bars while cheering on finishers.  It's always fun to do this and even more entertaining when runners are wondering why two gringos are shouting them on.  Oh, and as promised, here is Camera Crew drinking from a water bag:

To top off the day, the celebration of Event 50 and the entire 50@50 Project, something incredibly cool happened.  A young man by the name of Nicholas approached and wanted to interview us about the race.  He was with a local daily newspaper called La Teja and wanted our opinion of the race.  He got our names and took several photos.  During the course of chatting with him, Camera Crew mentioned the 50@50 Project - explained the premise, what we had been doing for the past year and that this race was the final event.  We talked a little more, he thanked us and left.  We thought that was kinda cool, that maybe they might mention us in the paper - but then it got even better.

Nicholas came back to inform us that he had called his editors and they wanted to run a full story about us and the 50@50 Project!!  So he asked quite a few more questions and got some more pictures.  Could it get any more awesome than that?  Here we are, in a foreign country, we picked this race from several that were being held in time to complete the goal within the year and we end up getting interviewed and our story/picture gets in the paper!!!  We were in the print edition the next morning…

Autographs for 1.000 colones, effectivo ("cash").

…and you can check out the story online here.  The day after the race, we went downtown to find a print copy of the paper (seen in picture, above).  We weren't sure where to find newspapers.  Unlike the US, papers aren't usually sold in grocery stores or convenience stores.  So we went on the hunt for a good old-fashioned newsstand, which we'd seen on other excursions but couldn't quite remember where, exactly.  We came across an older guy sitting on some steps reading a copy of La Teja.  We stopped to ask where he had gotten it and he pointed us down the street a little ways.  I asked to see his copy, which he graciously handed to me.  I flipped through it and - lo and behold - found the article!  I showed it to him and he was so surprised that it was us, he gave us the paper!  We eventually found a newsstand and got the same big smile and wide eyes from the elderly woman who was selling papers, and we bought two more copies.  Pretty cool stuff.

That's it.  All done.  Fifty races in one year.  It was a very awesome birthday party.

And here is the last, final 50@50 Project event wrap video for your viewing pleasure:

After all the excitement of finishing the race, the project and the interview it was time to head home.  Because they had the streets around the mall closed down for the race, we had to walk up the road a bit, but as it goes in San Jose, it wasn't long before a cab came by and we were on our way back to Escazu.

More thoughts on the year later!!

Happy birthday to me!

Packet Pickup Day - Event 50!

Another race, another pre-race packet pickup.

Except this one was special.  This race was Event 50 in our little ol' project.  And this race was in a foreign country.  And packet pickup was across town in Moravia, a suburb of San Jose.  This meant more buses for us, which I'm happy to say we've pretty much mastered.  For the most part, anyway.

We were excited and nervous about the run, we were reminiscing about all the great races we participated in over the past year and had fun trying to list them all from memory.

Just like the day we registered for the Moraviana at the Brooks store in Heredia, we started by hopping the bus to downtown.  We walked from the main bus stop through downtown and to the Templo de la Música.  From there, the bus stops for the line that runs out to Moravia were a couple of blocks away.

We found what we thought was the right stop but we weren't sure and didn't want to screw up our very last packet pickup for our very last race, damn it.  So we made the on-the-fly decision to take a cab out to Moravia.  This was a great call - it only cost $6 (plus tipped 'em $2) and we were there before we knew it:  Lincoln Plaza.

Lincoln Plaza is a glitzy, huge US-style mall that just opened in November 2012, so it's brand spankin' new.  And, hell, there's a Starbucks (as seen in the video, above).  Lots of other stores just like you'd see at Lloyd Center or Clackamas Town Center back in Portland, OR, USA.

Funny story I found online about the mall:  One of the most popular and highly anticipated stores to occupy Lincoln Plaza is Forever 21.  People were crazy about it and couldn't wait for the doors to open.  The frenzy was made greater when word got out that the store was offering $100 gift cards to the first 300 people through the doors.  People camped outside the day before and over night, with eager shoppers vying for the opportunity to get one of those dang gift cards.  Thing was - there was no promotional gift card giveaway.  Can you say 'near riot' the next day?  Yep, things got a little ugly.  Good ol' consumerism in action.

The packet pickup was very well organized, as was the entire race.  We got our stuff, walked around the mall a little, ate at Ferroviario 1857 and caught  the bus in front of the mall back to downtown San Jose.  We walked through the central shopping district, which is simply awesome - about three blocks wide and 2 kilometers long, pedestrian only.  Everything a person could ever want, I'm telling you.

We made our way to the Ruta 9 bus stop and headed for home.  It was hard to believe the whole years' objective was coming to an end the next day.

What a year it had been. 

One.  More.  Race. 

Introducing Our Pumpkin - Kevinito

As you recall, after Event 49 - the Great Pumpkin Cross Country 5k - we broke the news to Kevin (of XDog Events) that we were moving away.  He responded the way any grown man would - he was sad, he wished us luck, and he made sure we wouldn't forget him.

He did this last thing by 'magically' drawing Camera Crew's name in a raffle drawing, a winning ticket that won her one free pumpkin from Heiser Farms.  This was just before Halloween, remember.  He announced two rules for this win:  we had to redeem the coupon; and we had to somehow take the damn thing with us.  We didn't want to upset Kevin so we redeemed her coupon and committed that, by golly, we were going to honor his request.

We made our way to the pumpkin stand, selected a squash (one that looked like it was up for an adventure in Central America and perhaps spoke a little Spanish) and then continued preparations for our journey.  The pumpkin just sat there, in our apartment, never once offering to help.

Fast forward to the morning of our departure.  Portland International Airport.  Saturday morning.  So early the sun hadn't even had its coffee yet.  Given all the TSA rules and regs nowadays you might think it would be difficult getting an entire pumpkin through security.  Not so.  In fact, no one even questioned the fact that we were bringing 'produce' or 'farm products' or 'food better than the airline would serve' on the flight.

Like any good smugglers, we thought if we personalized our contraband, things may go easier for us if we were caught.  That's what drug mules do, right?  No?  Hmmm...  So anyway, we named our pumpkin after the XDog man himself - we named him Kevinito.  Here is a video of us after boarding, in our seats and revealing that we brought a freakin' PUMPKIN on the plane!!  Haha!

Here is a pic of Kevinito snuggled away for the flight, all comfy and cozy demanding a damn gin and tonic NOW - and make it a double!! waiting patiently for the booze cart to come by:

He sang "I'm lea-ving on a jet plane" the WHOLE time

After the flight from Portland to Atlanta, then Atlanta to Managua, Nicaragua we took a cab from the airport to Granada and checked into our room for the night.  We settled in and enjoyed some of Nicaragua's finest cerveza - Toña.  The three of us slept well that night, believe me.

The pumpkin's ale... Not pumpkin ale... That would be wrong.

After a week of Spanish school and playing on the beach in San Juan del Sur, we headed for Isla de Ometepe.  It was here that we volunteered for six weeks and, sadly, eventually lost track of Kevinito.  We were very busy teaching and didn't have a lot of time to spend with him.  So, he entertained himself around the island - visiting petroglyphs and waterfalls; hanging out in the gardens; doing a little fishing; participating in a bocce ball tournament, in his own unique way; playing a little futbol with the kids.

It was during his free time adventures that Kevinito met a local chayote named Isabel from San Raon and fell in love.  A little weird because they are distantly related, both members of the cucurbitales order.  But so be it - you can't stop love.  Isabel is a wonderful gourd, by every standard, and has been very good for Kevinito.  We've watched him mature and become a man-kin right before our very eyes.

Of course, as these things often go, Kevinito didn't want to spend any time with us, even when we set aside time for him.  He was off with his new girlfriend.  We kept busy, trying to avoid what we knew was coming.

And when we left Ometepe, Kevinito decided to stay - to live with Isabel and maybe graft their seeds together to develop a new crop of their own.  We were heartbroken, of course.  But we expected this to happen at some point.  There were many tears shed when we parted ways, each wishing the other the best of luck.

Thanks for everything, Kevinito!  We will never forget you!

Even pumpkins need moments of quiet contemplation.

Registering for Event 50

If memory serves me, I believe we registered for Events One through Forty-nine in the 50@50 Project via the innerwebs.  Now, don't quote me on that (I'm old) but I'm pretty sure that's the case.  Oh, wait - there were 2-3 events we registered on the day of the race.  Online registration rocks.  You can commit to stupid stuff from the comfort and safety of your couch where, say, a 5k obstacle course mud run that's three months away sounds like a damn good time!

Since we are now living in Central America, currently in the San Jose area of Costa Rica, we needed to find a race prior to my 51st birthday on 21 January.  We needed to complete the Project within the one year goal we set.  After scouring the net for races down here, we found this run to do as Event 50.  As it turns out, the proceeds from this race go toward providing school supplies for children who can't afford them.  Kind of cool given our new line of work.

The race offered online registration but we thought we'd go to one of the sponsor stores to register in person.  We picked the Brooks store in the suburb of Heredia.  This was a 'two birds, one stone' decision - we needed to register and Heredia was one of the 'burbs we wanted to explore.

So... to the bus!!

Once we got to downtown San Jose, we had to make our way several blocks to the other bus stop that runs the San Jose-Heredia line.  Although we can get around pretty well now, we still haven't quite figured out which bus companies cover which areas in which directions.  But that would never stop us!

We made it to Heredia and wandered around a bit.  We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant, because it sounded good.  And it was.  Camera Crew had a fried rice dish and I had woba de pollo, which is... I still don't know exactly - but it was very tasty.

We walked through the parque central, which was filled with people enjoying all sorts of activities.  We visited the Iglesia de Immaculada Concepción, which was built in 1797 and is still used today.  Gorgeous on the inside!  We saw El Fortin, which is the last remaining guard tower left from a fortress from 1867.  And, finally, we walked across town to the mall where the Brooks store was located.

And we done got ourselves registered for EVENT 50!!!!

In the video, the store manager saw us filming and walked over to ask if he could help - you'll see us nod to him.  

I have mixed emotions about finishing this whole thing.  When I first proposed this crazy scheme to my wife, she didn't think it was even possible.  I had resigned myself to the fact that she was right.  Then she looked at race calendars and started planning out a strategy which, as it turned out, had us way ahead of schedule most of the year.  This year has been a huge accomplishment, for me personally and for us.

It was an emotional year, full of all kinds of life changes - some expected, some not.  But we got it done.  And after Event 50 (tomorrow) I'll recap the race, write it up like always.  Then I'll post some facts and figures from the year.  And I'll wrap it all up with my reflections on the year - highs, lows, memorable moments, etc.

To think that it's all coming to a close is emotional in itself!

More later! 

What 49 Events Looks Like

I shot this short video while packing for our move to Central America.  After each race in the 50@50 Project, we hung our bib numbers on a string down the hallway of our apartment.  Over the year, we watched as the line of numbers got longer and longer.  It was encouraging and inspiring for us!

It was a little sad to pack it all up, such a huge accomplishment relegated to a box in a storage shed.  I think when we get back, I'll re-string the hallway of our new place.  Yeah!

What's that, sweetie?  'No way in hell'.  Hmmmm...

50@50 Project - Event 49 - XDog's Great Pumpkin Cross Country Run - Intro and Wrap

Combining the intro and wrap videos for your viewing convenience!

The intro...

... and the wrap!  This one was interesting because I could barely fit my head into the opening so talking was difficult.  And toward the end, a kindhearted person offered to hold the camera for us - you hear us tell her 'thanks, no'.  Good times!

Enjoy!!

The Long Over Due, Much Anticipated Event 49 Post

...or "The Day We Broke Kevin's Heart".

It's been so long since this event, about 2-1/2 months, so my memory might be a little foggy - JUST LIKE IT WAS THE DAY OF EVENT 49!  Yeah, that's right - it was pea soup think driving out to Heiser Farms last October 20th for the ever-lovable XDog's Great Pumpkin Cross Country Run.

Heiser Farms is out in Dayton, OR - at least according to the address on their website.  It would be more accurate to say they are out in the middle of nowhere.  And it's awesome.  But first, the drive out. The fog got thicker and thicker as we drove south on 99W and into wine country.  It was a cold fog and felt colder down here deeper in the Willamette Valley so we were thankful for fleece.  The fog, though - wow!  We joked that the drive out could count as an event in itself!

It got to the point where we would have to slow to a crawl at ever intersection to see where we were and if we were still on the right road.  We saw headlights from a couple of other cars doing the same thing, so we knew they were probably fellow XDoggers.  A great group, indeed, even if we can't find our way in the fog.

Eventually we arrived at Heiser Farms.  To be honest, I had never heard of Heiser Farms until this event.  It is fantastic!  Check the website (link above) but, man, family fun for everyone here!  They have a small scale train you can ride, hay bale pyramids for kids, a petting zoo, several awesome slides, live music, hay rides, food and hot drinks.

Oh, and pumpkins.  Lots and lots of pumpkins.  Plus, they have three of these babies:

And they have a mini tank that tears ass all over the place!  It's a big kid's playground!  All distractions aside, we were there to run the race.

This event is a little different from other XDog events in that it would be hard to kill yourself during this one.  In every other XDog race, getting hurt is expected.  Blood is celebrated.  If you don't need the first aid kit at the finish line, you didn't run hard enough.  The Great Pumpkin Cross Country Run was family oriented, so lots of moms and dads with kids.  It was pretty much just a trail run.  Oh, we kept expecting obstacles and cuts and bruises and mud and such, but the only way you could get hurt at this event is if you were on the receiving end of one of the cannons.  The run was pretty straightforward, with a few little hills; some of the route on gravel road, some on single track.  Since it was Halloween season, many people wore costumes.

We thought about bringing back Edamame Man and Blueberry Tart for this run, but we had packed the costumes away.  Yes, packed.  You noticed above I mentioned that we broke Kevin's XDog heart and here's why:  we were moving away.  Far away.  The events put on by Kevin and his crew had played a huge part in the 50@50 Project.  The support and camaraderie with XDog and the type of people who participate in these events has been amazing for us.  Like I've said before, if all 50 events could be XDog events... well, I'd be dead... but it would have been epic!

So, we had worked the race count so that the Great Pumpkin Cross Country Run would be Event 49, with plans to do the final event - 50! - in our new location in Costa Rica.  That race is this Sunday and will complete the Project within the year, with a couple of days to spare.

Fifty races in a year to celebrate me turning the big 5-0 last January.  The first event was The White River Snow Shoe 8k race, which seems like an eternity ago.  And - snow(!), which seems weird to think about while enjoying the tropics in Central America these last few months.

Anyhoo, we finished the run and hung out for quite a while, enjoying the goings on at Heiser Farms, watching the pumpkin cannons launch squash through an RV and at cars set up as targets.  Kids in costumes running everywhere.  Great fun and, knowing we were leaving this area, it was especially melancholy for us.  We watched as Batman led the kids on a run in the children's race, a race that culminated in the kids going down one of the big tubular slides to receive there bag of treats at the bottom.

The awards presentation for our race started, with Kevin calling out the overall and age group winners. Surprisingly, I won my age group!  Not surprisingly, the way it worked out, I was the only one IN my age group!  But I will take whatever accolades I can get, so gladly made my way up to receive my special winners XDog dog-tag.  Booyah!  Sadly, it was at this point in the day that we dropped the bomb on Kevin.

At every XDog race, I wore the same shirt - a bright yellow tech shirt with 'Chug Life' on the front.  You've seen it in the videos from the events, I'm sure.  It was stained and had some snags in it from all that XDog throws at you in their races.  I had not worn it this day, however.  We were presenting the shirt to Kevin as a thank you for all his love and support during the year.  Taking the mic from him, I explained briefly what we were doing and presented him with the shirt, which we had signed.  He accepted the shirt graciously and I think he appreciated the gesture.  I feel bad now because he was a little shocked and wasn't sure how to react.  But he quickly recovered.

As Kevin continued with the awards and random drawings for raffle prizes, he 'coincidentally' drew Camera Crew's ticket.  Payback?  You decide.  The prize - one free pumpkin from Heiser Farms.  A pumpkin coupon, Kevin announced, that she had to redeem and a pumpkin that we had to take with us.

So she did.

And we did.

More on our pumpkin later!