Weekend pt. 2...The Source of the Nile Marathon

About a month ago Jeff, my gracious host, told me about a 1/2 marathon along the Nile, taking place on May 3. He said if I was up for it, he'd sign us up. Now, Jeff is an avid runner...one of these guys who wakes up at 5 am and runs 6 miles at a sub 8 minute pace every day. I'm a much more casual runner. I run every now and then in the evening, for however long I can stand it and whatever pace I feel like. Sometimes this is 8 miles at a good kick, sometimes it's 2 miles almost walking.

I'm not in 1/2 marathon shape at the moment, but fortunately, they also offered a 10k...so...I said giddyup! Considering that my previous "running diary" blog was a hit, I decided to go for it again.

5:00 AM: Alarm goes off.

5:01 AM: Realize my alarm is going off...but have no idea why

5:02 AM: Remember that we have a 2 hour drive to get to the race...climb out of bed

5:03 AM: Stand in a stupor and suppress angry thoughts

5:10 AM: Take anti malaria medication while continuing to suppress thoughts...

5:17 AM: Jump in the Land Cruiser w/ Jeff and roll out

5:19 AM: Jeff chooses Coldplay...always a good decision.

6:00 AM: Roll through the Ugandan countryside in the pitch dark

6:01 AM: Mention something about the lack of the stars in the sky...a moment later the Coldplay tells me "Look at the stars, look how they shine for you." Liars...

6:30 AM: Cross the Nile River...as Jeff accidentally skips past a Police checkpoint

6:50 AM: Make it to Jinja, the town hosting the run.

7:00 AM: Scout out the coffee shop for out post-race celebration

7:15 AM: Drive around looking at the Nile...it's beautiful

7:20 AM: Use a map that is slightly more specific than a globe to try and locate the race starting point.

7:25 AM: Realize that the map is useless...but it does tell me that medical staff will be at the start and finish. Good news. I'll just make sure to not die during the race.

7:30 AM: Have yet to see anyone in running attire.

7:31 AM: Decide that we can't find this place on our own and ask a policeman who may or may not have been able to read the paper we showed him...he sent us off in a general direction.

7:33 AM: The general direction led to some goats and chickens.

7:35 AM: Find a taxi driver, and pay him $1 to take us to the starting point

7:38 AM: He takes us to a "fitness club" that is essentially deserted. He leaves and we are greeted by a sad looking dog and an older man...whose shirt is 1/2 buttoned, and is possibly hungover. We ask him about the race...he looks as confused as I was when I walked in Didi's World. We conclude that this is not the starting point.

8:00 AM: Continue to drive around aimlessly...

8:03 AM: Spot a poster for the race which reads: 31 May, 2009

8:04 AM: Realize that today is not 31 May, 2009. %&#*@#!

8:05 AM: Laugh for about a minute solid

8:06 AM: Jeff declares this one of his best African moments.

8:07 AM: Jeff realizes that they had initially set the date for the 3rd, but after a low sign up, must have decided to move it to the 31st and add a 1 to the posters...without telling anyone! This isn't really a big surprise.

8:08 AM: Decide to go to the coffee shop anyway

8:15 AM: Arrive at the coffee shop to see that it doesn't open til 10

8:16 AM: %#&$*#@&!

8:17 AM: Down, but not out...we decide to head back to Kampala

9:30 AM: Get coffee and breakfast at a great place in Kampala

10:00 AM: Return home 5 hours after leaving and without running, but with a story to tell.

10:01 AM: We decide it was a good day anyway

9:00 PM: Still a little disappointed that we didn't get to run, but know it was an experience I'll never forget. Seeing the Ugandan countryside was great...crops, hill, rainforests, and the Nile!

9:01 PM: Realize I probably woulda passed out by the 6th km anyway...