01-05-15 10m
'The ship leaves at 5, please
be back by 4:30,' says the bleary-eyed security guard as I take off running
away from the ship in downtown Papeete. Papeete is the capital of French
Polynesia, and is located on the island of Tahiti. It's a sleepy little town,
especially this early on a Monday morn.
I only have time for
about two miles of dodging occasional cars and wild dogs, as well as trying not
to trip on the dark, uneven sidewalk, before it's time to get back aboard.
Now it's time to get some
relatively serious miles in. The fitness center won't open till six, so I hit
the track. The deck is wet from rain and I have to be careful not to slip. Ten
laps per mile. Can I hold my sanity together enough to do eighty?
I can and I do. Most of
the laps take me about a minute each, but I do pick it up as the run progresses.
I dodge around the guy swabbing the deck and the occasional walker. Eventually
another couple runners come out, but by then I'm about done. Well done.
01-07-15 10m
Last time it was eighty laps;
how hard could one hundred be? The answer may surprise you. Pretty hard. With
only ten to go, I am beginning to struggle a bit. What to do? Run faster, of
course. I let loose on a scintillating 8:20 miles, my fastest yet. It's still
over nine minutes per mile for the entire ten mile run, but all's well that ends
well. And pulling into Bora Bora lagoon and anchoring just as I finish doesn't
hurt either.
01-09-15 5m
Having a cold here on
vacation isn't the greatest situation. But I suppose it beats having a cold at
home. I do feel fairly miserable this morning, however, so I start out
ultra-slow. Guess what happens then? I taper off. Only five miles today.
01-12-15 5m
That cold turned out to
be a sinus infection. It's bad news. Today I did only five, but they were
better than the five I did the other day.
01-13-15 10m
Still have the infection,
but this wasn't quite so bad today. I begin my run pondering the stars and
dancing around the guys swabbing the deck. Soon it begins to get light, and I
am treated to a spectacular sunrise. I also notice that the ship, moving
towards Rangiroa, is nearly surrounded by rain.
Of course there are
rainbows. The deck swabbers are gone, and a few runners and walkers have now
joined me; I am no longer alone.
I also pick up my pace a
little. Now I am at and sometimes below nine-minutes per mile. I finish strong
- infection be damned.
To read about the trip itself, including a link to the photos, click here.
