Three days to lift off. Three months in the USA. Starting and ending in NYC. This past weekend on the Garmin West Coast Warm Water Weekend I got to meet Kevin Flanagan, the author of the Xterra Grabouw report I posted. What a legendary character. Seems all his senses are switched on and intune.
Myself running in Central Park last July
Kevin was over in Manhattan two weeks back, and planned a similar run to my Saturday morning plan: a Central Park fairytale. More class text that I know you’ll enjoy. Read alone, or laugh like no one cares. Keep tissues near. And – “appreciate”.
NYC by Kevin Flanagan
A couple of planes later, X 1 rigours US customs control and I found myself in the big apple, New York City. With the 3 day Africa X trail run looming in the near future I was determined to try and at least fit in one or two runs, and avoid the American breakfast consisting of a 6 stack high pancakes drizzled with golden syrup, goose fat and cheese with a hamburger side order. Travelling and training is as easy as lassoing mercury with a wet piece of spaghetti, so with the determination of a donkey with turpentine on its ring, I set out to conquer the urban zoo and pack in some miles.
I thought I had dressed appropriately for the cold until I ran out the front door of the hotel. I got about 150 meters down the road where upon I did a 180° spin and shot back up 23 floors, coming back down dressed head to toe with every item of clothing I had packed. Socks turned into gloves and underwear into head gear, if it I could get it on, I was wearing it. I must have look like that character Sanka from the Jamaican bobsled team in the movie Cool Running’s, when he stepped out of the airport with all his clothes on including his bag. Feeling like the Oros man I struck out for central park, the Mecca of New York training grounds.
The first few km’s was spent dodging the human salmon run, crossing endless intersections and trying my best not to get lost while seeking out the back roads. Being a man I have a built in GPS and I can honestly say that I never got lost once, only disoriented several times. Shortly after entering the park I came across a bunch of runners and gave them what I thought was the standard American greeting of “morning F#*^ YEAH”. This was followed by some very disapproving looks so I shifted my focus to celebrity spotting.
I had heard that a number of famous people jog around Manhattan. Top of my list to spot was Jennifer Aniston. She is definitely a runner and I am sure of this because no lady can have legs and a bum like that and not run at least 35km a week. (Ms Aniston, Jennifer, Jen, snoopy poodle if you’re reading this…..I love you, we should be together).
Just as I thought I was settling into the run I got levelled. Hitting some discreetly hidden ice, I went from jogging to a movement that can only be related to a giraffe on roller skates. I knew it was time to head home, not because I was fatigued or running out of time / miles, but rather because hypothermia had set in and it was now a race against the grim reaper.
Back down stream through the human salmon run using my newly developed Bryan Habana side step and into a skin peeling defrosting hot shower……..I felt satisfied that I had conquered the zoo and overcome the traveling training monkey for one day.
On that note, next time you head out for a run on one of the many trails in SA. Be sure to hug a tree, kiss some bark or mount a rock. Once you have run in a zoo, you’ll never want to do it again! Ek se appreciate!
Kev
