One Foot Forward. Repeat.: January 2007

16 January 2007
560 miles into my walk

What has happened to Mississippi?

Where has all of the time and mileage gone? I’ve really fallen behind in my log book. Maybe I should quit looking at the paving passing under me and make more time to write about this journey. I’m only 50 miles south of Memphis and only wrote about Mississippi once! And it’s a really nice state! It deserved better from me. I think I’ll take some time off in Memphis and catch up on my writings. Maybe take in some good music and compare the Memphis blues with the New Orleans blues (though with the Saints currently in the playoffs, New Orleans ain’t singing no blues right now). GO SAINTS!!! SUPERBOWL, YEAH!!!

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OK… What’s really been going on?

Christmas and New Years Came and Went

We made our annual trip back to Louisiana this year (with a 4 day stop-over in Denver) and really had a good time. It just went by way too fast for my liking (always does). We flew from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Los Angeles, and Los Angeles to Denver. All told… it took about 25 hours of shuffling through airports and sitting, cramped and butt-numbed on the really 'comfortable', haha, econo-seats of American Airlines.

We arrived in Denver at night, grabbed a car, and headed to our hotel for a good night’s sleep. And we got one too!

I woke up a bit early and went for a fast 30 minute walk along the main commercial drag. My body was not used to the cold weather, but I warmed up quickly. We ate breakfast near the hotel at a great Jewish Deli, Bagel ‘something or the other’, can't remember the name. But I do remember the food. We ate there 3 mornings in a row... mmmmmm.

In Denver we visited the Red Rocks and walked a trail there. Really beautiful country. I ran up and down the amphitheater seating a couple of times and imagined myself singing on stage to the roar of boos and masses of people rushing out of the exits.

We walked downtown along Cherry Creek and watched the suicidal teens skateboarding at one of the country’s biggest skateboard park. After getting good and numb from the cold (and a little blue-tinged), we welcomed the warm relief of a bookstore and big, hot cups of coffee. We also visited the Museum of Modern Art. An ugly, pretentious building in my opinion, but with great exhibits inside. We walked around the Cherry Creek commercial center and visited a bakery that catered to dogs only (cakes sure did look good though). They even had carrot cakes for dogs. And freshly baked cookies. Now I have a poodle and I really like my little dog, BUT, there is something wrong when you can walk into a store, buy clothes for a dog, a dog latte, and a slice of dog cheesecake.

I used the hotel ‘dreadmill’ a few times while my daughter swam in the indoor pool. So far I was keeping up with my walking schedule.

We left Denver Tuesday morning and flew to New Orleans (I missed the Wednesday snow storm by ONE day). My parents were waiting for us at the airport and we quickly drove down Hwy 90 and stopped at Spahrs for their famous catfish chips platter. Traveling half-way around the world just to eat this catfish is worth every butt-numbing minute, believe me ( http://www.wwltv.com/morningnews/spahrs.htm )!!!

We arrived in Cut Off, down on the Bayou, and the eating began. We had stuffed crabs, soft-shelled crabs, fried shrimp, fresh oysters (raw and fried), oyster soup, gumbo, fried fish, boiled crabs, boiled crawfish, deer sausage, and for a more traditional family Christmas meal… Turkey and all the trimmings. For dessert we had lemon meringue pie, key lime pie, lemon ice box pie, black-bottom strawberry cheesecake, and custard tarts. In 10 days we packed in the food. And still my parents couldn’t cook everything they had planned.

How did I fare? I gained 2 lbs and it sure wasn’t muscle. Luckily I kept with my walking program and put in a lot of mileage or I would have easily gained 10+ pounds. One day I even walked down to our family church and back for a total of 13.6 miles (ate more pie that night to celebrate). And the fact that my dad had a dreadmill sure didn’t hurt my walking schedule.

As always, it was sure nice to visit with the family. My brother and his wife and daughter joined us for a couple of days. I was able to visit my sick Aunt and spend the day with her (gave us another excuse to stop at Spahrs for more catfish too). But, as always seems the case, the visit was just not long enough.

We left New Orleans and flew to Dallas, then onward to Los Angeles, Hong Kong and then back to Kuala Lumpur. Coming back always takes longer (headwinds) and after 30 hours I couldn’t wait to start moving again. I think I’ve finally got the coarsely textured airplane seat material removed from my butt and I’ve started my regularly scheduled walking.

Christmas was great this year. Just wish the visits could last longer.

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Hash Run

I participated in my first Hash Run recently. The Hash House Harriers (the original "drinking club with a running problem") is an international drinking/running club founded in 1938 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia by: A.E. Gispert, Cecil Lee, "Horse" Thomson and "Torch" Bennett.

The overriding purpose of the Hash House Harriers is, as written by the original Hash:

1. To promote physical fitness among our members
2. To get rid of weekend hangovers
3. To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
4. To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel

The template for a Hash Run is for one or a small handful of hashers to lay out a running trail, which may include false trails, and for the rest of the members to try follow the trail to a cache of beer.

A Hash Run usually takes place in the jungle though may follow roads and streets for short distances. Someone will go ahead and mark a 'trail' in advance using small pieces of paper. The trail in most cases is NOT a recognizable trail and may follow near impossible and inaccessible terrains. I found myself clawing through underbrush, climbing hills that are sometimes near vertical, sliding down hills on my butt, sloshing across streams and generally avoiding broken bones and cut limbs. Along the way there are check-points. These checkpoints mean that the trail may take a different course. You have to look within a 100 meter radius of the checkpoint to find the new trailhead (paper slips along the new path). There could also be ‘false’ trails planted for added confusion.

Out of about 100 participants, I finished in the top 10 so I felt a little proud, actually, more than a little (also extremely sore and full of scratches). After the Hash Run everyone proceeds to drink a lot of beer. I ate watermelon and drank water. More refreshing and healthier too. There’s no rule that says you have to get ‘sloshed’. Although there seems to be a rule that goes something like this: If a hash runner turns up with new shoes, before the run one of the shoes is filled with beer and the runner has to drink it while the others sing a song about running, and drinking, and generally having a good time. He then has to run in a beer soaked shoe. I’ll scuff up my future pairs of new shoes before participating in any other Hash Runs. Maybe dishonest, yes? But better than drinking beer out of a running shoe…

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One other note: I have finally broken the 12:00 minute mile walk by walking 3 miles in 36 minutes. That’s one goal accomplished. Something I really didn’t think I could do 6 months ago.

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Well, my next entry should find me in Memphis, well-rested and well on my way toward my goal of reaching the head-waters of the Mississippi River in Minnesota. It has been a cold winter and it has made walking uncomfortable, but I’ll get there, and I’ll hopefully get there by this year… if I survive future Hash runs that is.

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Here's a picture of me before I lost 45 pounds and after I lost 45 pounds. I think I lost 10 lbs just in the face!

Brian