Carrera de las Chicas

One of my hobbies here seems to be running in any road race that I can find out about early enough to sign up for and train for. There are several things that I don't quite understand about the whole system including how they advertise for a run, the process it takes to sign up for a run (the most recent required an online registration, going to the mall to pay the fee, showing up at the park the day before to pick up my race information, and then returning to the park less than 24 hours later for the run...surely at least one of these steps could be eliminated.) but I have to admit that the events themselves are usually well run. This morning I ran in the Carrera de las Chicas - a 5k run just for women put on by Nike. I will say that they clearly had the best advertising images and t-shirt design of all the runs I've participated in (although I'm still not sure how I feel about fluorescent orange). What is fun about this race is that since it is only for women you get a lot of people coming out that would not normally participate in a run, and I saw several mom and daughter groupings which made me smile. It was also refreshing to hear "Go Mama" "Fuerza mama" from the side as the men in the family encouraged their women (I do live in Paraguay where the women often play a supporting role to the men). All in all I have to admit it was a pleasant way to start a Sunday despite the heat and humidity, out for a run with some of the other women who have become part of my family here.

A run with security

Getting picked up for a run before I usually wake up for school just seems wrong. Especially since Asuncion is not a city that rises early on the weekends. I know, I know, we had to start earlier than normal as this year, for the bicentennial, they decided to have a marathon in addition to the traditional half-marathon and 10km runs. Have to give those poor people enough time to run all the way out to the airport and back (making use of all of the paved roads in Asuncion). The early morning, tranquil feel makes it all the more surprising when we get to the start and see just how much security has been organized for the event. What? It is just a run. And there has never been this much security before. There is a helicopter flying circles overhead. On the top of every building around the square are armed guards who look ready to use their rifles. There are three buses of policemen checking in and being set up in places, although at least some of them end up along the course to help control traffic. Enough of the armed guards stay to line the last 50 meters of the course though. What is going on?
As we line up in our designated starting area (marathon in the front with their red shirts, 10km (that’s me) in the middle in white, the blue shirted half marathoners bringing up the rear…look…it’s the Paraguayan flag!) I’m reminded that everything that goes on this year has something to do with the bicentennial. This run included. They’ve managed to get President Lugo to come out to give a speech and blow the opening horn. The President of the Republic of Paraguay. Just 100 meters or so from where I wait to begin my run. No wonder there is so much security! It also reminds me of just how small this country is if the president is the guest of honor at an early morning race. The run definitely has a different feel this year.
Can you pick the president out?
He's in the middle , of course, wearing glasses.

There is a bigger turnout and I enjoy the mix of Paraguayan colors as we wind our way for 6km through the downtown area (I believe we used every single paved road…happily avoiding the cobblestone ones). I’m distracted enough by the sites and people that I am almost surprised when I hit the half way mark. Turn out to be my fastest run in over a year (thanks in part I think to running in South Africa which was a good 1,500 meters higher up than Asuncion) and a different experience than I had expected. You never know what to expect when you show up at event here.

A different kind of run

As I bent down to tie my shoe and then collected my timing chip it started to sink in that this was going to be a different kind of run. Everyone around me was wearing the black tank of the race, most of them paired with dark shorts - all designed to have them blend in more. Yes, blend in - because this is not an ordinary race, it's the Asuncion Night Run. As I crack my glow stick to make it shine and wrap it around my wrist, I see that I can get sprayed by Off - probably a good idea as we're running around the botanical garden. Oh - and there I can get a longer glow stick - fun! Perhaps it will work as an arm band as I'm not sure I can handle having it flap around my neck.

As the countdown gets close to the start I test my headlamp (part of our entrance package) and make sure it is well positioned on my forehead (although it turns out it doesn't stay up very well when you're sweating and running). 5 -4-3-2-1...the runners count down to the clock and then a flurry of fireworks explode overhead signaling the start of the race. And we're off. Its packed pretty tightly to begin with, but I'm surprised at how quickly the runners get stretched out. And by just how necessary the headlamp is for lighting a circle of ground ahead of me so I can jump over tree roots and avoid the holes. When I feel confident enough to look up briefly its an eerie sight to see a long line of bobbing lights in the dark. If I didn't know better I might suspect a gathering of extraterrestrials in the woods. Instead I turn my head down again and focus on a patch of ground just a few steps ahead catching a glimpse of a couple of other circles of light ahead of me and think about what an experience this has turned out to be. A much more solitary, glowing experience than I ever expected.

Out for a run

I was pleased when I realized on the flight into Asuncion that there were some organized run in Asuncion, or one at least. Lucky for me the half marathon that took place today also had a 10k option. In an effort to keep myself running and exercising I signed up for it online two days after arriving in country…and so I ran today. Not that that tells the whole story. I must say that I should be used to things not going quite the way I expect them to when I first arrive in a new country (I’m not sure if things actually go the way I expect once I’ve been around longer or if I just change my expectations). I went to collect my number and chip on Friday evening only to find that they had no record of me in the system. That’s funny; the charge has cleared on my credit card so I know I registered. With a bit of help from a friend (my Spanish is still nonexistent) they sorted it out and re-registered me without making me pay. Sadly it meant that I didn’t get my name on my number which meant less cheers. Oh well.

This morning my friends picked me up on the side of the main road at 7am. I have to tell you that Asuncion is pretty much dead on a Sunday morning. In fact, it was still quiet when we had finished our race and tried to go find brunch around 10:30. I guess we started so early though so that they wouldn’t have to close off the streets when traffic was really around…especially as the race pretty much just went straight up one of the main thoroughfares and then turned around and went back down it. At one point I was bit nervous about the fact that I was running down the yellow strip in the middle of the road while cars were driving by on either side of me. Huh. Always a new experience when you run a race in a different country. Happily I finished without any incident, in a time I could be happy with, and pleased to have had a chance to look at some of the neat buildings that line many of the streets here. What a way to spend the morning.