Running

While Henry was visiting I started running again. I haven't been running since Bry'Chell and I arrived in August. It's a shame in some ways because the weather is great year round, but it took me a while to figure out the cultural stuff around women's dress. Most women don't wear shorts--OK, almost NO women wear shorts--and I had no intention of running in long pants. Now, I was willing to make a compromise and run in basketball shorts (longer) rather than my usual short running shorts. It just became a matter of making myself do it.

Henry convinced me to go for a run with him. We went out three times while he was here. The altitude and the hills are a bit of a challenge, but it's not bad. We've been living at 3,000 plus feet for eight months now, so I'm pretty used to it and it's not that high. The hills are OK if I take them slow. I'm not exactly moving very fast anyway. My goal is to keep moving, not to beat any time records.

Since Henry left Bry'Chell has been running with me. She's good. Since she's only 13, she doesn't have much experience with running any distance, but she can keep a steady pace. The challenge is convincing ourselves to get out there and run. Bry'Chell actually initiated getting us out there today. We ran for a good thirty minutes.

People don't really seem to care what we wear since we're obviously just a couple of crazy muzungus. One little boy today started laughing when he saw us and he didn't stop for quite a while. I could hear him laughing in the distance as we ran down the trail/road.

Today as Bry'Chell and I were running up the hill there were two women walking down in their traditional gomesis. We smiled and waved at each other, the Ugandans in their traditional clothes and the Americans in t-shirts and shorts.

My running shoes are trail runners. Usually I run in Calumet Park in Chicago, where 95th Street runs into Lake Michigan. I probably don't need trail runners there, but I like the extra stability they provide. Here, on rutted dirt roads that deteriorate into narrow paths, trail runners are a good idea. However, kids here--even teens--often run barefoot, so fancy shoes are not essential for running. Kids here even play soccer barefoot. It hurts my feet just to watch them.

We'll be heading home in just under seven weeks. Bry'Chell says she more than half wants to stay here. I can understand.