Tsamina mina Zangalewa Cuz this is Africa

Hello weekend full of sporting adventures. Perhaps I was feeling a bit nostalgic for good old MRun, (shout out to all my awesome runner friends back in Michigan who ran 182 miles across the entire STATE this weekend in under 30 hrs!) but for some reason I was channeling the outdoorsy vibe. It started with Saturday, when I decided to tag along with some Hout Bay Harriers for their long training run in preparation for Two Oceans. They had planned out running 40ks of the race route, from Newlands to Hout Bay, and the offer to wake up at 4:30 and be running by 5:30 seemed too tempting to resist :) Who would say no to running thru Wynberg in the darkness with nothing but glow in the dark silly bandz and the odd street lamp to light your way trying not to get run over by the early morning mini buses? We reached Muzinberg (center photo) just as the sun was beginning to rise, giving one of the most breathtaking views I have ever experienced on a run. No wonder why they call Two Oceans the "most beautiful marathon in the world." Nearly a marathon run before 9:30, ideal way to start a beautiful day.

Day two of our outdoor adventure series came with watching the prologue of the Cape Epic, often described as the Tour De France of mountain biking. Its a 5 day challenge where (for a price) you can rub shoulders with national champs and olympic medalists while trying not to die (literally) as you make your way along some of the most challenging trails you can find (the route designer is actually referred to as dr. evil). For the race spectating, we made sure to situate ourselves in the middle of a really technical single track bit and were definitely not disappointed with the near spills of the novices and the epic maneuvering of the pros. This is a race where it is all to common to walk away with a broken clavicle or extremity impaled by sticks. Really enjoyed seeing a Colorado jersey amongst the competitors, made me think of all the Whiners back home! Yay Americans! But seriously, still amazed at how intense everyone is over here. Michigan "trails" have nothing on these suckers, and anyone off the street knows what you are talking about when mentioning Two Oceans or Comrades (another really famous ultra marathon). I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to adjust when I get back home where there are no cliffs/ mountains/ oceans/ rocks/ intense feats of sportsmanship to break yourself on. I will probably have withdraws big time.

Sarah's South African Tour of everything hardcore continues... :)

Come on, come on Turn a little faster Come on, come on The world will follow after

I have decided this week there will be a bulleted list of my doings. Mainly because my brain is scattered this evening but also due to the fact many are just short hilarious notes I want to share instead of the usual long stories...

1. Seeing the super-full moon while on a run through this beautiful country = an awesome feeling of contentment. Great way to feel re-energized after a week of not so great running.

2. Having 3 people asking me where I'm from because they overheard (way to be creepers) my accent. Really people, I swear I have been here the whole time :) but seriously, still kind of trips me out because I'm getting so used to having accents around me I forget I'm the only one that stands out to them.

3. Went to the Hout Bay Sunday craft market for the first time this week and bought myself 3 mini cacti. They are now my friends that sit on my windowsill soaking up the sun. Also purchased a pair of aviators from a street vendor (due to the fact it had come to my attention in my extensive collection of sunglasses i did not have the classic gem amongst them). Very proud of my impulse buys :)

4. Devoted literally an entire day to reading. Soooo fantastical.

5. Managed to get sunburnt on the first day of autumn. Awesome.

6. Having the day off due to a public holiday (Human Rights Day) and realizing its a double bonus, one: you have an extra day of weekend, two: you have a shortened work week. I realize this is obvious but it made me happier none the less. Also felt great that on this day some girls asked me to sign a petition to help them get a place for their community group to meet regularly. Human Rights.

7. Finally getting to run trails at the Silvermine Reserve due to the awesomeness of having a day off of work to spend at my leisure. Trail race is only a month away, better get practicing! Still freak out every time I hear the scuffling sound of death that is my foot nearly slipping off a boulder.

8. Best end to a run ever, swimming in Silvermine reservoir. Its a lake next to the trails that is just perfect for playing around in and get this, it has red water! For those who are thinking slasher films or weird algae think again. The fynbos (thin bush in Afrikaans) that grows around here is related to the rooibos (red bush) plant used to make red tea. So the water picks up the pigment as it makes its way to the lake and allows you to have a crazy tea pool to swim in!

9. Getting up early most days this week to fetch birthday packages from the post office (which is only open until 4:15 every day, so the only way to get mail is to wake up earrrrrly to get it before work) and in the process extend my bday celebration while becoming a regular customer at a new coffee shop I found.

10. Not only getting silly bandz from my mom for my birthday, but also discovering that the GLOW IN THE DARK (although at the time I was mildly concerned about having a fluorescent light radiating from my wrist as I shut off the light)

Ok well that was my week/ weekend in a nutshell. Stay tuned for more of the same :)

roll the windows down, turn the radio up, and push the pedal to the ground

What to do when work gets too much for you to handle? Why there is nothing a little road trip can't fix. Although this week my work became much more diversified (now starting to call companies in the Middle East for contact info, been very entertaining to start a phone convo with "good day, may I speak English please?") having to readjust to different workloads and prioritizing your day can get a bit stressful. No worries, chilling out listening to some awesome music at Trenchtown on a Friday night(look up Captain stu for any of you wanting some entertainment) and getting away from the city for a weekend can do wonders.

Checked one thing off of my list of things to do here in s.a. this weekend, going to a place locals might not have heard of before. Thats right people, I'm slowly loosing my foreigness... if that is ever possible lol. Anyway, the place is Rooiels which is a small little town with awesome views of False Bay. What made things even better was road tripping there in style. Volkswagen kombi jamming out to an odd assortment of mixed tapes mainly of 70's and 80's jams, with the occasional title of "Irish melodies" that was in fact classic symphonies and one completely terrifying rendition of a children's fairy tale, while being treated to some epic views of the bay and surrounding mountains, pretty ideal.

What was on the agenda you might ask? Well a trip to the local pub to watch the world cup (where we were thoroughly entertained by the locals, one of which kept giving out words of wisdom along with the worst shots you can imagine) followed by some fine guitar strumming (to which the locals became very much entertained by us) and a terrific late night braai. Went a bit rogue the following day and harvested some mussels from the ocean to be cooked to delicious perfection (apparently a jail worthy offense, so of course I was given the bag to carry) and jumping in ocean waves, a new pastime of mine. Finished off the weekend with a spectacular run that ended with a light rain as I got to the beach, what more could you want? In all, a great time with some awesome people, thanks guys!

...In daylights, in sunsets In midnights, in cups of coffee...

What do you actually do for your birthday when you are thousands of miles away from normal? Well if you know me, I would imagine that you would guess a little run would work its way in there :) And of course you would be correct. I started out my 23rd year of birth with another early wake up, and hit the road I did. However, in a series of interesting events I 1. did not meet up with my intended running group 2. found some other lovely running guys 3. ended up running much further than expected... whoops. It was a fitting ending to my 22 years, running the 22 miles (37ks) to Fish Hoek and back via my favorite road, Chapman's Peak Drive. My new running friends even took care to buy me some food and drink at the half way point, what wonderful people.

After a good pass out and delicious PANCAKE breakfast I headed to the beach and strolled around for a bit (cutest thing, there was a sand castle competition going on!) before purchasing some things from the bead shop that I have had my eye on. Ice cream for the walk back and a little reading on the beach and I was ready for a nap. Chilled out some more before going to Trenchtown with a friend to meet up with others and listen to some awesome live music. In all, a great day... almost unexpectedly. Of course my coworkers knew it was my bday (thus the delicious chocolate cake pic! thanks guys!) but with the exception of one person, I did not interact with a single person on my bday that knew of its significance to me. It was actually kind of cool in a way. It also really made me think about what makes a birthday great. I did miss having friends and family to visit and reminisce with (although I did get a card the day before from my mom complete with loads of baby pics, one of which she posted as her profile pic, lovely :) it was interesting trying to find ways I could make it special myself.

My extended family is very close and always find a way to get together to celebrate everyones birthday, so it is kind of strange not to have that. I settled with, being in a breathtaking country, having the ocean and mountains both within reach, and the freedom to do exactly whatever I want with my day seemed a pretty good alternative to the traditional family bday (not to mention getting to wear running clothes or a bathing suit the majority of the day...this makes me extremely happy). Going to bed with incredibly sore legs, a slight sunburn, smelling of campfire and replaying the great music I just experienced made me a very thankful birthday girl. Not to mention that incredibly slow post means that cards and packages are going to be trickling in all month making the celebration last even longer :)