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| Adam, me, and Ryan after the run |
I was
in Casablanca on the 21st to run the 5th
Annual Casablanca Half-Marathon, joined by my friends Adam Richie
Halford, who ran the Marrakech Half-Marathon with me last January,
and Ryan Scheidt. The weather was great – sunny and about 70
degrees – the course was pretty flat and beautiful – most of it
along the corniche, the road that runs along the ocean, and past some
sights – and each of us exceeded our pre-race expectations, so it
was a big success overall. We had a celebratory meal at Rick's Cafe,
a tourist spot that plays on the fame of the movie Casablanca,
but which still delivers a good meal and good service. I had a T-bone
steak, a cut of meat almost impossible to find in Morocco, along with
mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley of green beans, carrots and
cauliflower that was not overcooked, also a rarity in Morocco.
My
time for the 13.1 miles? 2:03:50, or 9:24 per mile. That was five
minutes and 15 seconds, or 24 seconds a mile, faster than my time in
Marrakech. So what now? I told myself that if Casa went well I would
run the full marathon at Marrakech this year. But I'm still undecided
about that. The last 3 miles were pretty hard. Could I really do
another 13? Not sure about that.
Odds and ends:
I'd
intended the title to refer to the marathon, but it could just as
easily apply to my life these last months. I've made a trip to Rabat
every month since May, each of them 4 days or more. The two weeks
straddling July and August, I took a vacation in Europe, with a
one-day stop in Milan, 5 days in Berlin, 3 days in Dresden, and 4
days in Prague. It was great. In September I was away from home 11
days. So far in October, I've been home only half the time. Most of
my travel has involved my big project, Spelling Bee Morocco, which is
going national this year.
~~~~~~~~~
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| One of my pomegranates, good to look at, but not so tasty. |
It's
pomegranate season, and it turns out I have a pomegranate tree in my
courtyard (the other tree is an almond tree). Last year, the
pomegranate did not bloom or bear fruit, but this year, under my TLC,
it did blossom and has produced 6 pomegranates! Unfortunately, they
look good, but they're not very tasty. They should have a tart
sweetness, and the little kernels should be juicy. Mine are quite
sour with big seeds in the kernels – not much pulp or juice at all.
All show!
~~~~~~~~~
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| Me, helping strip the sheepskin from the carcass |
Leid
Axatar (Eid Adhar) began a week ago. Given the timing and the
upcoming Independence Day on the 6th
of November, it effectively means that most people are taking a
two-week holiday. People return to their parents' homes and spend
time with their families. Transportation is hard to find, and when
you do, it's likely to cost 50-100% more than usual. Little work gets
done. I'm staying at home during most of it, which is nice for a
change, but I'll be glad when it's over. You can only eat so much
meat. As last year, I helped my family slaughter a cow and two rams. By tradition, you eat mainly meat for the next
week. I soon began to exist in a stupor of protein and fat.
~~~~~~~~~
The
weather has changed. We've had quite a bit of rain the last month
(much needed – Morocco has been suffering from a drought for the
last couple of years and for the last year especially) and turned
cold. In the space of only a few weeks I went from covering myself
with only a sheet at night to one blanket and now two for last
week.
~~~~~~~~~
That's
it for now. I won't make any rash promises, but I will try to get
back on track with regular blog posts. Incha'allah.
