LSD 008 - Walk The Line

Welcome back, this past LSD had some big numbers, which resulted in lots of smiles,  temporary frustration, muddy shoes, adventure and overall a beautiful morning together. Here is a recap, some ramblings on why I enjoy these types of routes and whatever else might come out.

An island wide coconut shortage due to all the climbers migrating back to their respective homes in celebration of EID to be with their families almost had me consider a new hobby and some of the smallest coconuts I’ve ever seen. This turned into a lesson learned which I may or may not share later.**

I have been loving the method behind the previous 3 LSD runs so I wanted to continue on the same path. It goes like this. 

• go through all the routes in my head and how they can all connect with out overlapping
• look a little on google earth and see what I can find
• Drive my scooter and see if there are connections at the end of random roads
• ask locals if roads stop, still go check anyways
• end up in peoples yards or houses and get told to be careful of snakes
• convice someone to come run the route with me the night before ( thanks Arno & Iman )
• spend way too long figuring out little wierd things to avoid typical choices
• end up too far into a rice field to turn around so just figure it out
• roll my ankle in the dark
• **arrive back to Flowerboy to realize the 100 ice creams I ordered were melted ( For whatever reason I thought they would survive in a bucket of ice in the fridge )

The morning of had me excited as this was the first time we have had to encourage a sign up and we had 120 registered. Although, at first thought this took away from the care free ethos of the run club it went pretty smooth and nobody seemed to mind. 

With no rain it meant most of the dirt tracks I frequent were dry and we had a few more options to play with. The section around km 7 was new and it took us through a really memorable section. At dusk it was kind of creepy, but I liked that it was such a mysterious little forest so close to our normal lives. I doubted any of the participants had been there before. This lead to a really lush little single track through some trees that then opened up to an expansive rice field. It was about 500m to the next little trail so Arno and I found the path of least resistance and laughed at how you guys might respond to such a trail.

These are the sections I love as they force everyone to actually slow down, group together, bring their heart rates back down ( or up if you have bad balance and are scared of getting dirty/ snakes / rolling your ankle. ) I appreciate these sections because if you just stop and look around for a moment it’s really easy to appreciate the simplicity and beauty of this amazing island. The workers we did see greeted us with the warm smiles we all love, pointed us in the right direction and if anything it added something to their routine and a little more nature then most of our regular runs on the road.

Running for me is a tool of discovery, not only for my own potential or perceived limits but to explore what’s around every corner and see the overlooked sections of wherever I get to be. That’s whats special about LSD runs. Although there are some people that complain or dislike these sections. For me the run becomes memorable. The apres conversations all add to the memory and it’s so nice to return to smiles, a little blood this time and so many cheeky grins from everyone. The idea of play and running as a celebration of life will keep me happy for a long time to come.

I look forward to next months LSD and hope to see you all for a run and coffee sometime soon!

Sampai Jumpa