Colombian Christmas

Christmas is normally a time of the year where I completely let go. In my twenties I was a bit of a social addict, but in my thirties I seem to have replaced this with a new addiction – running. The truth is I normally need a few drinks to completely relax and since taking athletics seriously the number of evenings where I have more than one drink has taken a dramatic drop. There is no doubt in my mind that athletics is an addiction like any other. It’s a relatively healthy addiction, but an addiction nonetheless. Perhaps it is the endorphins, but for me it’s deeper. I’m driven to be the best I can be – to understand my limits. This sounds like an admirable cause, but is there really any end to the cause and what is the collateral damage?

Athletics is certainly an introverted pastime, particularly once you start hitting the 100 mile per week barrier. Running with a club and friends is great and indeed sociable, but typically accounts for a maximum of about 40% of running mileage for the endurance athlete. The rest is time alone. Surprisingly, it is in no way tedious – ask any athlete – there is something mesmerising about pounding the pavement. It’s particularly satisfying for me when focusing on a big goal. Without a goal, my weekly mileage drops dramatically (hence the addiction cannot be purely an endorphin buzz). With a goal I can push myself to complete exhaustion week after week.

The collateral damage from endurance running comes from becoming boring. I guess it’s similar to having a baby – it takes over. The serious athlete is normally only too delighted to lean conversations towards training and racing. Social engagements are kept to a minimum as they are a distraction to the ultimate goal. There is guilt associated with anything that could negatively impact performance. Everything is organised around the racing calendar. Is the end worth the means? For the moment I believe so, but it's not something I want to continue at this intensity indefinitely. I’ve achieved more than I originally thought possible when starting out as a novice runner, but now I’m starting to understand my body and its limits. There is more in the tank and now is not the time to quit.

Back to my opening sentence – my typical take on the 12 days of Christmas is to have at least 12 consecutive nights on the town. There’s always a fantastic vibe at night in Ireland around Christmas and it truly is a magical time of the year. I love spending time with friends and family at Christmas and this year I’m missing out. My typical 12 days of drinking are replaced with 12 consecutive days of training, with 140 miles clocked over my 12 days to date. Training has gone well – it’s a risk ramping up mileage quickly, but so far no ill effects. Instead of piling on the pounds over Christmas, I think I’m losing weight. No scales in sight, but mirrors seldom lie. I’m also getting in good core strength, leg strength and stretching at the gym. I never attended aerobic type classes before, but with time on my hands here I’m giving it a go. I would highly recommend classes to those starting on the exercise path. Classes provide clear direction, discipline, and structure. Results will follow. The stretching class was a particular eye opener for me. I like to consider myself a fit individual, but I certainly have an Achilles heel – no flexibility. My ego took a bashing as I was certainly the weakest in the room on flexibility – it was embarrassing. Endurance runners don’t need outstanding flexibility, but I can’t even touch my toes. Hopefully with a few more classes this will change. Other sessions went well. The core strength class on Thursdays is exactly what I need. Running sessions have improved – I must be getting used to the altitude. Sunday’s Ciclovía was a big improvement on the previous week. I got in 28km in 2 hours, with 10k at a good clip. Still not hitting times I would expect, but I don’t feel the need to yet. I’m only one week into my 16 week training plan before my next big target – looking like the Paris marathon.

Christmas Cycle - dodgy camera work, but I was in motion

As a predominately Christian nation, the Colombians celebrate Christmas in much the same manner as Ireland. There are decorations, Christmas trees and nativity cribs in every direction. But Christmas is primarily family time and without family it seems a little empty. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology our families didn’t seem too far away. Video and voice chats via Skype and similar technologies were the order of the day. Yet another tangent, but I reckon Vodafone, O2 et al will need to diversify quickly. Will the need for GSM/3G type networks disappear once Wi-Fi is widespread? For me, I think so. Why pay a mobile bill if you can achieve communication and much more without? Also, we’ve become too dependent on mobile devices. One relief with being on holidays is being able to leave the house without a device in my pocket. Will we ever get back to that level of freedom?

Christmas Eve involved some last minute shopping. Sharlene and I went in separate directions to get each other presents. So much choice, so little time. I eventually did get a few goodies and headed back for home. We were exhausted on returning, so our plans for a night on the town were replaced with steaks & drinks at home. We felt a little sorry for our security doorman, Alfonso, and so offered brownies and beer. He was on a 12 hour shift and we expected the brownies (6 mini ones) to last a few hours at least, but within minutes he was back with an empty plate. We were on a G&T buzz and offered him one. Again he downed within minutes, delighted with himself. Us Irish aren’t really used to people accepting offers so eagerly – we prefer a more cryptic acceptance process, where no typically means yes. It’s part of our culture to force people to drink cups of tea or pints of beer. There was no forcing Alfonso – he would have eaten us out of our home if given the chance. He is a great guy – it’s just a different perspective.

Christmas Dinner - no turkey, ham or sprouts in sight!

Bogotá was certainly peaceful on Christmas day. The traffic replaced by people slowly wandering around. The weather was a good, vastly different to what Ireland is experiencing at the moment. I went for a slow jog to check out the city and see where was open. The majority of shops and restaurants were closed, but there remained a few open. In the afternoon we cycled down to Parque 93 for our Christmas dinner. The typical turkey and ham was replaced by steak and ribs. Copious amounts of meat as we’ve come to expect in Colombia. It would be difficult eating out here as a vegetarian – it doesn’t really seem to be a word in their vocabulary. It’s surprising in a way as the selection of fruit & veg is truly amazing.

So it wasn’t a typical Christmas, but it was enjoyable. Now to plan for the 31st – a night on the town is overdue – I’d say the Colombians know how to ring in the new year, so I’m looking forward to it. In between it’s back to marathon training – much the same as last week, but with a slight mileage increase and will introduce long interval reps this week. Hopefully I’ve acclimatised to the altitude as otherwise it’s going to be torturous...

Bogotá Bliss

Wednesday was a low point. Thursday started with renewed optimism. We went to downtown Bogotá in search of bikes. Lonely Planet pointed us to a street in the south of Bogotá as the ideal place to purchase a bike. So off on the Trans Milenio we went. Bogotá is on a grid system, so it’s relatively easy to get around. It’s a narrow city, so the vast majority of traffic flows on latitudinal paths. The Trans Milenio only goes from north to south and back on a single dedicated route, but it’s the backbone to public transport here. We arrived in the south relatively quickly. Northern Bogotá is obviously the posh part. It’s a similar standard to European cities, except with additional traffic. Southern Bogotá is chaos. There are street traders and people in every direction. It’s great to experience, but not something I’d enjoy on a daily basis. The Lonely Planet guide delivered – several bike shops within a small area and we picked up spanking new bikes for about €60 each. Things were looking up ...

The cycle back was dangerous. There are 300km of cycle paths in Bogotá, but unfortunately we weren’t on one for the early part of our trip back north. We stopped off at Parque 93 for coffee & ice cream – an upmarket business spot with associated expensive shops & restaurants. Think of ISFC in Dublin and you’re getting the picture. We also found a good gym close to home – a no brainer to sign up for €40 for a month. Time to get the fitness back and I can always use the treadmill if I good running routes elude me.

On Friday I went for a jog along the river side. At last, a good running route. Perfect in fact – seemingly endless cycle path with no traffic in sight! Yes, I can definitely train well in Bogotá. There is also a huge park to check out, so perhaps it is an ideal training city. Sunday was my first Ciclovía experience. From 7am to 2pm each Sunday Bogotá closes over 120km of street to traffic and opens them up to non-motorised transport. It’s mainly cyclists & runners, so ideal for me to get the weekly long run in. 24km was my target, with 8km hard. I ran the first 15km easy, enjoying the Ciclovía – it’s something every city should duplicate and some have started. It’s a fantastic way to get a city exercising – there’s probably a million people exercising simultaneously! People typically cycle to the nearest park for a free aerobic class. For me it was just a way to run without worrying about traffic. Altitude is a huge factor in Bogotá. 2600m is higher than I’ve ever attempted to train before and it’s certainly taking its toll. The first 15km were fine, but when you start to run hard you realise something is wrong. Normally I’d be able to hit sub-6 minute miles easily enough, but not in Bogotá. 6:30 miles were as fast as I could manage. After 8km I was exhausted – 1km easy and home at last. When I arrived back I couldn’t believe the toll the run had taken. I had aged at least 5 years in less than 2 hours! I was a little burnt, but the bigger problem was it looked as if all my body moisture was sucked out. Thankfully after some rest and about 5 litres of water I was back to myself again.

Bogotá has a lot going for it. The people are very friendly and will go out of their way for you.  People are everywhere - most buildings have full time security and there always seems to be more staff than customers in shops.  If you like shopping you certainly won't be disappointed - shops everywhere.  It's relatively cheap, although not as cheap as I was expecting. Think Spanish prices you're on the right track.  The range of restaurants is impressive from cheap eats (about €3.50 for a 3-course meal) to top class restaurants.  The Colombians like to party - great athmosphere at night.  I'm not here to party, but it's there if one wanted to.  The weather is good at a consistent 20 degrees, but unfortunately to date there has been at least one heavy shower daily. When it rains it buckets - at least it's never prolonged.  Amazingly the mini floods seem to disappear within minutes. Is this drainage or heat?  I suspect the latter as humidity increases dramatically post showers.  The setting of the city is impressive - effectively it's a huge valley within a massive mountain range.  It needs more outstanding landmarks, although maybe I'm selling it short here as I haven't seen some of the main sites like Simón Bolívar Park.  In terms of safety there are absolutely no concerns with Bogotá - I'm actually amazed with how safe I feel.  There don't seem to be many tourists here - we can count on one hand the tourists we've encountered - very surprising.  The only problem with Bogotá is the traffic and associated road rage. There aren't really bus or taxi stops - they just stop whenever they want much to the frustration of the majority of drivers. I've taken 3 bus journeys and already have been in one accident - a small one between 2 buses, but you get the idea - it's manic here. In fact I've just heard a crash outside while writing this blog! If you could take away the cars if would be somewhere I could live indefinitely. They manage it once a week for the Ciclovía, but more is required to curb the traffic and associated fumes. A tram system like Dublin could help. 

So all is now well in Bogotá. I get to train, catch up on all the things I’ve been meaning to do for years (including this blog), enjoy the finer things in life, and watch some TV. I’m not normally the TV type – typically too busy to fit in anything bar the odd movie. I never really got the TV series phenomenon, but I’m starting to understand now. Our current show of choice is Dexter, the friendly serial killer. Two seasons down after only a week – we must be addicted. I would highly recommend it. It has its annoying points, but the plot is excellent and strangely I find myself associating with the main character – not the serial killer parts, but his logical way of looking at life. Perhaps it’s a wakeup call to pay more attention to my emotional side J

Bogotá Blues

Our first port of call in Bogotá was a place called Celebrity Suites. We knew we’d be arriving in late, so a pre-booked hotel was a good idea. It’s well worth a visit if you are ever in Bogota. Not the cheapest hotel, but it’s luxurious & interesting. With an excellent breakfast and friendly staff thrown in it’s not so expensive at about €120 per night. It’s a hotel designed for long stays, so each room is effectively an apartment with kitchen, living room & bedroom. Our room had two bedrooms, three bathrooms, a kitchen, and a big lounge – slight overkill for a one night stay J Each room is dedicated to a celebrity, so you can always look for your favourite.

After our luxurious night it was time to return to the real world and move to our reserved apartment. In fairness, our apartment was also quoted as luxurious, so it wasn’t a huge downgrade. All seemed good on arrival to the apartment – a little smaller and not as well equipped as expected, but the owner said he bring some extra bits & pieces. You can see from the photos here that it is a nice place, so we’d little to be complaining about.


But somehow I wasn’t happy. Of course I was still without my bags, so the frustration of not being able to train was getting to me. Then there was the Bogotá traffic – it’s a manic city – only place I’ve been to compare is Hanoi. Guess with 8million people it’s going to be busy. Don’t think they’ve an NCT system here either as the fumes from some of the cars is unbearable. The weather in Bogotá wasn’t what I was expecting. Temperature wise it is perfect, but there seems to be at least one very heavy shower on a daily basis. All & all there were things to be disappointed about and the thought did go through my head “Why aren’t we in Melbourne?”

Sharlene got her bags after two days. I had to wait three. At least everything eventually did arrive. I couldn’t wait to go for a jog, so on with the gear and I headed towards what looked like a good running route from Google maps. Alas it wasn’t an ideal route as it was too close to traffic. Is there any getting away from the traffic in Bogota? I ran west looking to escape the traffic. To an extent I did, crossing some soccer pitches and even some farmer fields. I didn't really take note of where I was going as typically it's very easy to know where you are in Bogotá on account of the grid system and high mountain peaks to the east. This was a mistake - I ended up in the Bogotá slums and out of energy.  I was reduced to a walk after only 90 minutes of running.  It must be the altitude. Now I was getting worried. I was about 2 hours from home if walking with no money.  I tried to take short-cuts, but was put in my place by 3 stray dogs. It was quite a scary moment being confronted by hungry looking dogs foaming at the mouth with not a soul in sight. I stood my ground and growled back. Thankfully it worked to an extent - the dogs weren't backing down and so I couldn't cross their path, but I was able to slowly back off and eventually make it to safety.  Back to the main roads I think J Rabies is not something I want to contract. Time to get out of Bogota perhaps, but we had prepaid 25 nights for the apartment! Hmmm, what next ...

Turbulent Travel

I was never one for flying. If man was meant to fly we’d have wings? Actually it’s not a fear of heights; it’s more of a control thing. I do fly quite often, so it’s something I’ve got used to. But there remains a level of apprehension every time I’m not on terra firma. The flights to Bogotá did nothing to resolve my fear. We were taking two flights, one from Dublin to Newark, one from Newark to Bogotá. The Dublin to Newark flight started well, all routine stuff with standard grub and a few movies. About an hour from Newark it all turned sour. Turbulence doesn’t properly describe what was happening – think about a one hour rollercoaster ride and you would get a better picture. I have a habit of watching TV shows about airplane disasters and it doesn’t help in these situations. I’ve learned a lot of things that can go wrong with planes and I’m always watching for signs. There were plenty of signs on this flight – we were all asked to prepare for landing about 40 minutes from Newark, the real-time flight display was switched off, the cabin crew looked anxious, there was no information from the cockpit, and we were bobbing up and down like a yoyo on acid. I assumed an emergency landing was on the card. Thankfully I was wrong. I guess they were all just precautions given the weather conditions and the crew safely got the plane on the ground. Actually the landing was particularly good. Surprisingly there were no claps on landing – I think everyone was still is mild shock.

I thought the Newark flight was bad, but the Bogotá flight put a new perspective on the first flight. At least on the first flight we had about 6 hours of relaxation before the turbulence. On the second flight, it was relentless from the get go. It was obvious we were flying through some serious weather and the pilot confirmed our suspicions after about 20 minutes in the air. The instructions were clear – everyone was to stay in their seats with belts fastened. This included the cabin crew – food a luxury item on this flight. We were flying at an abnormal altitude as all flights were being directed through a narrow passage in an attempt to avoid the storms. Normally turbulence lasts a few minutes, maybe a half hour, but this was a 7 hour flight and no sign of the conditions abating. The lady close-by with rosary beads wasn’t helping. I am a believer, but it was compounding my paranoia. Thankfully Sharlene had muscle relaxants / sleeping tablets – I’m not sure what they were, but I would have taken 50 if given the chance. Anything to minimise consciousness. I tried to think logically about the situation. What’s the worst that could happen? OK, the worst scenario is death. What if that happens? Well, there’s nothing that can be done at this stage. It’s not under my control. I’ve had a great life to date. If it ends early, well this must be our fate. This thinking actually helped me or perhaps it was the tablets. Either way I did manage to curb the panic within and relax. Eventually we did land safely in Bogotá and the sense of relief was overwhelming – almost as if I was getting a second chance at life.

Passage through passport control was relatively straightforward. I was expecting complex time-consuming procedures, but all was efficient. Well, that was until we got to the baggage terminal. It seemed Continental only managed to get half the bags onto the plane and ours were missing. I should have been annoyed, but I actually didn’t really care. We were safe and that put perspective on the baggage issue. It did take a long time to catalogue the missing baggage, but eventually we left airport and I’m not in any rush back!

Road to Bogotá

An extended trip abroad is something I’ve been planning for a while. There always seemed to be reasons not to go, but eventually Sharlene and I bit the bullet and planned a trip from mid December. The next question was where to go. Australia was the obvious destination, particularly as we had contacts there. It just seemed all too blasé. We were looking for something different. With my operations research background I built a mini decision model to measure the merits of various destinations, taking into account variables like cost of living, temperature, rainfall, social life, and athletic facilities. The cities in contention were Melbourne, Cape Town, Miami, Lisbon, and several South America cities (Quito, Bogota, La Paz, Buenos Aires, and Santiago). Very nerdy I know, but it did help, honest J

Bogota and Melbourne made the shortlist. Melbourne was the early favourite and we priced flights and even arranged accommodation with Jules, the Rathfarnham Aussie connection. However, on the day we were due to book we made a last minute change and booked Bogota. A riskier option, but hey what’s life without taking some risks. Well travelled mates said it was their favourite destination in South America, so perhaps it wasn’t much of a risk. There are several bad stories out there about crime and kidnappings in Colombia, but it seems to have cleaned up its act. Once a decision was made everything else fell into place. It’s relatively easy find good quality accommodation in Bogota and we reserved a nice pad in northern Bogotá (see here).

I spent the night before leaving at the Rathfarnham athletics club Christmas party. It was a particularly special night for me, being named athlete of the year & receiving the award from our coach Adam Jones for a second consecutive time. I didn’t stay out too late, but still managed to get in quite a few drinks. I particularly enjoyed a conversation with Irish athletic legend Eamonn Tierney. His marathon times are something I’m aspiring to, so I soaked in any tips forthcoming. Essentially he said I was a lazy git and need to train more. He is right and it’s something I needed to hear. I put in some solid training periods, particularly when focusing on a key goal race, but in between targets I’m a disaster. I indulge, binge and barely do enough training to tick over. Everyone needs a break, but I take the pi$$. Last winter was a prime example. In 2009 I put in solid training, clocking up a weekly average of over 80 miles from January to October. These miles were the cornerstone to achieving personal bests at every distance from 800m to marathon. After the Florence marathon I took a glorious break. For approximately 5 months I was lucky if I ran 20-30 miles a week. OK for the social runner, but not for someone looking to break 2:20 at the marathon. When I returned to training in March I was well over race weight and with no endurance training base. I remember meeting another legend Dick Hooper on returning to training and he gave me another timely kick up the behind by saying I’ve two choices – to train hard to become a good runner or sit on a bar and talk about unfulfilled potential. All this advice from people who know and I’m still not working hard enough. Training did improve in 2010, resulting in solid 10k and marathon improvements, but I know inside more work required to make the big performance jump.

One of my goals of the Colombian adventure is to start back the hard work to fulfil my potential as an athlete. Almost two months without distractions has to set me off on the right path – on returning momentum and motivation should finish the job. I did relax in November after the marathon, but this time it’s only a month and I should get back my fitness quickly. Full time status will also allow me to focus on some of the details like strength and stretching, which I typically ignore. I’m also looking forward to having some reflection time. Typically I’m the type that has 100 things on the go at once, leaving little time to properly prioritise and decide what’s important in life. Philosophical I know, must be getting old ...