Michael: Education

My Chinese flower
Rises at the break of dawn
With green leaves and smiles.
Sunday, May 31, 2015



I haven’t done much research yet about how the schools function here, but I do know the elementary schools operate on a half day schedule. That is brilliant.

I taught for 25 years and could never understand how children were expected to focus for 6 ½ hours per day. I’m not sure I should’ve been expected to focus for that long. But with the heavy demands of district and state testing, teachers are obligated to crank through the day pushing academics on kids well after students and teachers have reached their saturation point.

If teachers in the states could dismiss their students at noon, then have the rest of the day to work on their own, lessons would improve and evaluative methods would become more meaningful. Everyone would benefit.

So why aren’t children in the states on a half day schedule? Two reasons come quickly to mind:

1) Economics; keeping kids in school all day avoids extra day care cost. That’s not a problem here because the family or neighbors take care of their children before and after school.

2) The U.S. philosophy on just about everything is more is better; more pizza is a better pizza. Similarly, more minutes in school will make a better student. Nonsense.

If the states wanted to do it right they’d ante up and create worthwhile after school programs. Programs that started after lunch. A half day academic curriculum schedule just has so many plusses it’s absurd that the U.S. doesn’t adopt it.

Michael: Wisdom and Rest

A ticklish breeze
Nudges the blades of grass
Into a quiver.
Saturday, May 30, 2015

Today and tomorrow are my be careful days.

I have a workout regimen I don’t like to deviate from but since I’ve been fighting a cold the last few days, I’ve had to throw in a few easy short workout sessions. I haven’t ridden or run since Tuesday.

I have a ride scheduled for today but I don’t feel it would be wise. I’d probably enjoy it but I’m sure I’d end up sick again and back in bed. The smart course of action would be to take just one more easy day, then ease back into my usual routine.

But I’ve never been good at that. That’s why I got sick in the first place. I felt it coming on but pushed through it.

I’d like to believe that with experience comes wisdom. These are the days where that proposition gets put to the test. I love to get outside and play, but I hope I’ve learned enough to follow the wise course of action and allow myself the proper amount of rest. 

Michael: Living with Less and can it be avoided

Waxy and wrinkled
The bright red chili peppers
Hang in our garden.

Friday, May 29, 2015

There is a stream of thought that advocates living a better life means living with less. But with less shoes and running attire? Where’s the fun in that?

Reluctantly, I’ve had to quasi-embrace this less is better creed because it’s very difficult to get the shoes and clothes I want here. For example, this year I’ve purchased two pairs of running shoes and no running apparel. That’s right, no socks, calf sleeves, shorts, shirts, arm sleeves (wait a minute… I did purchase two inexpensive pairs of those in David, for hiking, running and cycling), gloves, hats, vests or jackets.

Back home in the Santa Monicas, I had the reputation of being quite the dapper trail runner. I’m sure glad my old club members can’t get a good luck at me lately, running week after week in the same old shoes and apparel. 

People will say you can get whatever you want in Panama City but that’s a long and expensive trip. I could order from overseas but that has the drawback of high shipping costs, customs and duty fees, and the expense and hassle of returning an unwanted or defective product means you’re stuck if you aren’t happy when it gets here. In the states whatever I wanted to test out was on my door in two days with free shipping and free returns. That’s the American way.

There are a few advantages to getting by with less. For one, there’s a substantial financial savings. Secondly, it’s making me a more selective shopper. When we return to the states for a visit I’ve already honed my shoe purchases to two new pair and have a kit in the works as well. Now I’ll just need to find some runways - I mean races - to strut my stuff.

But only 4 pairs of shoes and one new kit for the entire year? I never would’ve imagined living overseas would call for such a sacrifice. 

Michael: Rituals

The cows casually
Opened the gate and began
To walk down the road.


Thursday, May 28, 2015

Kimme and I have, half by accident, established two rituals here that I’m sure we’ll take with us wherever we end up.

One is going for a short walk together every morning. It started as just a way to orient ourselves to our new neighborhood. We stopped for a while in the hustle and bustle of trying to get other things done, like catching early buses to David or Cerro Punta, but we’ve decided it’s important to begin our day together with an activity that we enjoy and that allows us to take a few quite moments together before we rush off, or separate to embrace our differing passions.

We end our day together with an equally short activity; 15 minutes of chess while we have dessert after dinner. My mom found a derivation of chess at a garage sale called No Stress Chess that we brought with us. Now that Kimme is enjoying a short sabbatical from work, she has the time to pick up the game. She took to it quickly and the No Stress method of using cards to add an element of luck to the game was a great way to equal out our differing abilities. She’s even beat me a couple of times.

Without the cards we found our games were sometimes playing a little long, so we decided to end each night with just 15 minutes of play. 15 minutes being what my timer is set at to remind me to drink when I run or ride. Now we’ve come to associate that 15 minutes of chess with dessert. For me that’s half a Ritter bar, while Kimme’s been mixing it up; lately it’s been garbanzo beans.

We do have other games back in the states that I’m sure we’ll throw into the mix. But however we end up battling after dinner, chocolate and play are  pretty enjoyable ways to reinforce the habit of our spending at least 15 minutes sitting across from each other before our day ends.

Without formally setting out to establish these rituals before we came here, we both feel they’re important and intend to continue them wherever we go and for as long as we live. 

Michael: Grounded

The fire alarm trapped
In our rafters is one loud
Lonely cicada.

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

As an adult, sometimes we play too hard and have to ground ourselves for a day or two. Sadly, I’m still learning this the hard way and have caught a cold. I was beginning to think I was invincible and would never catch a cold again.

After teaching elementary school for 25 years, I figured I had gathered enough immunities to pretty much come and go as I pleased. Maybe once in a while suffer from fatigue, but I figured the common cold was a small niggle that would never pester me again.

But I was quickly brought back into the germy biosphere after riding high yesterday and pushing my luck just one step too far. We’ve had a busy few days and yesterday I decided to up the ante by doing my first brick workout out in years. We started off with a few sprints, then I hopped on my bike for a 25 mile brisk ride, came home and did some body weight suspension training, then ended up playing a few games of pickle ball with some new ex-pats friends; a game I‘ve never played before.

That was it; too much fun, too much socializing, not enough rest.  Now I’ve got a cold. I’m going to curse myself and say at least I’m still hanging on to a very Seinfeld like no vomit streak. That’s got to be going on 7 years and counting.

Michael: Banana Bread as the Proof of God's Exitstence

Sangre del Toro
Is a fistful of black bird
With a bright red cape.


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

When a day can meander on its own and somehow manage to end where it began, that’s a real thrill. I don’t see it as a sign that there’s cosmic goddess and I’ve just got a peek at the lace of her lingerie, but it is an unusual and worthwhile treat.

Kimme and I had one of those full circle days yesterday. It started with her making a casual observation about how few clothes we’ll need to replace here, and ended with us almost randomly viewing a you tube presentation on minimalism.

As we wind down our day Kimme makes dinner and I go through a flexibility routine. As background entertainment we’ve been alternating between listening to podcasts about meditation and interviews of ultra marathon athletes. Kimme allowed me to choose but instead of loading up one of Ginger Runner’s interviews, I decided to take a break from the ultra scene and see if google and you tube could offer up any interesting selections on diet and exercise.

I went through one short Ted Talk presented by a fireman about the advantages of vegetarianism. After that ended the usual diorama of similar talks popped up, and I chose another short talk on diet.

At this point Kimme would normally call me to dinner and we’d sit down and have a quiet meal and chat. But yesterday Kimme decided to make banana bread with the abundance of over ripe bananas growing from our trees and the bread inside the oven overflowed causing some of the dough to quickly burn and spread quite a bit of noxious banana bread fumes  throughout the kitchen making her sick enough to not want to continue cooking.

So instead of sitting down at the table together, I suggested that she not worry about it and get out of the kitchen, put her feet up and relax and we’d watch a few more snippets together and see how she felt after taking in some fresh air. Two degrees of separation later and we were munching on some delicious banana muffins and watching two dudes talk about how embracing minimalism had changed their lives.

A very cosmically entertaining day that started off with a casual conversation about only needing to replace underwear and socks, and ending via burnt bread and you tube, with a talk about minimalism. Maybe there is a god with a little wry sense of humor up there.

Michael: Two Waterfalls

The two waterfalls
Drop into their swimming pools
Before they mingle.

Monday, May 25, 2015

The two waterfalls is one of those places that  you feel blessed to see in person. A picture will help convey the spectacular imagery, but it is one of those places that is well worth going out of your way for if you ever visit the Chiriqui area.

We would have never seen it if it weren’t for Phillip who took us there. And there’s a good chance we won’t see it again unless he’s kind enough to offer to accompany us. We could possibly run the half gravel half dirt road to the unmarked trailhead, but even with the maps Phillip provided us, following the fence lines and knowing that to cut across the last pasture to get to the trail, while seemingly simple to him, would be a challenge to our almost nonexistent navigational skills. I’m sure we’ll have at it one of these days.
And one of these days better be soon because, according to Phillip, one of the rivers that supplies the water for one of the falls is scheduled to be dammed as part of one of the many hydroelectric projects slated for this area of Panama. At that point the flow could be reduced by as much as 90% and the two falls become one fall and one old dude taking a leak.

As an aside; Phillip, whom we met at the Western Trail clean up on Saturday, drives an old brown Toyota Land Cruiser, Kimme’s favorite vehicle. I can somewhat understand the appeal given what these bruisers are capable of driving over, but the odds of us lucking out and finding a decent one are about as high as us finding the two waterfalls trail again on our own.    














 

Michael: Friends and Neighbors

The tarantula
Is the warlock’s severed claw
Seeking his revenge.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Yesterday we were in the company of good people as soon as we walked out the door.

We were up early to help clean up the nearby Western Trail with a group coming from Panama City. As we walked down the dirt road to catch the bus, one of our neighbors was driving by with his daughter in their old blue and white Chevy van. We’re always happy to see that van because our neighbor always has a big smile and warm greeting for us. He looks like the happiest guy on the planet. He’s also created  a Shangri-la environment on his property. Their garden with the pond and small waterfall is just beautiful.

But instead of just waving yesterday, he stopped and offered us a ride which we gladly accepted. We were running late and I was getting a little grumpy because I thought I might have to forego my usual coffee and sweet. But our neighbor, Eduardo, as we introduced ourselves for the first time, stepped in to save the day. So now there were two happy men, though I know I’ll never be able to make a lifestyle out of it like Eduardo has.

When we joined the volunteer group at the parque we met Phillip and his wife. He is a member of the Volcan hiking club that we were looking forward to joining. We road with him to the trailhead and Kimme, he and I made it the furthest up the trail and formed a small sanitation sub group until we re-joined the rest of the volunteers on our way back down the trail.

He and his wife have been in Volcan for 7 years and sound like they really  do what they can to see all of the beauty of this country. He’s offered to share his knowledge and help us discover new trails and adventures, like kayak camping around some nearby islands.  Today he’s going to show us a new trail, The Two Waterfalls Trail.

The volunteer hiking group was a 50/50 mixture of about 10 men and women ranging from there early twenties to late thirties. The leader of the group was a very charismatic and easy going world traveler that I hope we have the pleasure of working and hiking with again.

For a loner like me, I was a bit surprised at how enjoyable a day I had. I doubt I’ll make a habit out of it, but I can kind of see why some people could enjoy this social thing.

Michael: Volunteering

Poinsettia leaves
Dangle rain drops by their feet
Preventing there fall.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Today we are volunteering. Last week I was consuming. I wish I could say there’s been a healthy balance between the two in my life, but I have done considerably more taking than giving.

I was an elementary school teacher for 25 years; a job that definitely involved a lot of give and take that went well beyond the bounds of the formal requirements in my job description. So during those years I didn’t feel much of a pull to use what time and energy I had after work to do any volunteer work.

Now, when I have the time, I still feel there are worthy goals that I should pursue that require a great deal of focus. But I do hope that I’ll spend a little less time gazing at the net and a little more time helping to clean up this country’s beautiful trails.

Today we‘re helping a group from Panama City. With that city being at least 500 miles away I doubt we’ll get the opportunity to help that group out often. But we have pledged to ourselves to go out there on a regular basis and help clean up the trails on our own. I hope I can stick to that and bring a little more balance to my life in that respect.  

Michael: Dave and Stephen

The mountains roll down
To the coast like a fine silk
Robe ready to fall.


 May 22, 2015



This is to show, just like the comedians I’ve admired, how whimsical life can be.

Starting in high school, because my best friend was a big Johnny Carson fan, I started staying up late to watch The Tonight Show. When David Lettermen started to follow his program at 12:30 a.m., I’d watch at least the monologue and the first stunt that Dave had cooked up that night. I was in my early twenties and thought the irreverence that Dave brought to the late night format was a refreshing update to the enjoyable but very worn skits that Carson use to do, like the Amazing Carnac, or the grouchy little old lady.

I was working at May Co. at the time and often pulling a 1:30 - 10 p.m. shift so staying up late was routine. But that quickly changed when I became an elementary school teacher a few years later. With the shift to early morning work hours late night T.V., and Dave, were quietly forgotten in the fatigue induced slumber of my new career.

I never invested in a D.V.R. and don’t know when they even came into existence. Setting aside time to watch a show when it was scheduled was how it was done as I grew up and how I’ve always enjoyed watching television. Even now, with Hulu, and caving into watching programs a day or week later, the only sport I’ll watch as a re-broadcast is the Tour de France.

Being a teacher meant that I often got home pretty early in the day. Sometimes I’d flop on the couch and surf the channels to unwind. That’s how I discovered Colbert and quickly became indoctrinated into the Colbert Nation. The fact that he was now throwing a Dave like whimsy into the political arena, I thought was hysterical and surreptitiously brought me back to late night television.

When I first started watching Colbert I didn’t realize I was watching the re-broadcast from the night before. I really didn’t have any idea of when his show was on. It didn’t take me long to realize that at Comedy Central, Colbert was re-broadcast just about every other hour. But I was hooked and so long as I caught the show the next day without any idea of what was going to be on, I was happy. I now once again become part of the late night television audience without the inconvenience of staying up late.

Once I stopped teaching, to cut expenses, I dropped cable. Knowing that I could continue to follow Colbert on Hulu made that an easy decision. When Colbert ended his show I switched over to watching Stewart daily and have become a fan, though not with the quite the fanaticism I had as a member of the Colbert Nation. And now Stewart’s leaving in August.

But shortly after that in September Colbert’s going to return to late night and take Dave’s spot. I’m really hoping he’ll once again bring something fresh to the late night format and I’ll be able to find a way to watch him. Otherwise the whimsical late night comics and my roller coaster ride of finding and following them will once again dive into a dark tunnel without me knowing what I’ll see on the other side.

Michael: "Old man..."

They were on the porch;
The three of them keeping their
Feathers clean and dry.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

After our tour of the hospital on Tuesday, Kimme serenaded me with a twist on the Neil Young refrain, “Old man take a look at yourself. You’re a lot like they are.” The “they” being the older ex-pat men whose slouching posture concerns her. She feels I’m headed in that direction and she’d like me to take corrective action now so I stay strong and tall for the remainder of our lives together.  I’m with her on that.

Though I have other concerns about aging that I’m reminded of when I see older gentlemen. One is the changing dynamics of marital relationships. Men age quicker than women. Often I see once strong men now being taken care of by their spouses. I feel this has got to have distressing consequences for both spouses. Kimme is 12 years younger than me. I don’t ever want her to become my nurse. She’s my mate and I intend to keep it that way.

Another concern is to avoid ever having to take a Lazy Susan array of drugs.
I don’t take drugs. I’ve never taken drugs of any kind outside of a few aspirin and a couple of Vicadin capsules after a hernia surgery. I’ve never inhaled an illegal substance. I’ve never exhaled an illegal substance. I did get sick on a few Tiparellos and some alcohol once in high school. I’ve tried to develop a taste for a glass of red wine, but that never seems to last long. And a glass of red heart conditioner is about as far as I’m willing to go.

There are other small vanity age related concerns that pop up not only when I see older men, but when I look in the mirror and gaze at the aging dude staring back at me. I intend to fend those off for as long as I can without resorting to drugs or surgery as well.

Aging is inevitable and I suppose every one must face up to making a few concessions to the consequences of that process. But I intend to do everything reasonably possible to avoid walking up to the pharmacy counter and having a prescription filled. 

Sounds: Michael

We’ve conquered the peak
Before, but today the peak
Triumphed over us.



Sounds: Wednesday, May 20, 2015

One of my major concerns throughout my life has been noise. When a neighbor had a loud party it wasn’t my mom calling the cops, it was me, her teenage son. And age has definitely not mellowed me out in that regard.

But the sounds we enjoy, are willing to tolerate, ignore, or feel like are torture are a very individual matter. To me, a bird call that resembles a dripping faucet is  beautiful. Whereas an actual dripping faucet feels like Chinese water torture.

Since moving to Volcan, Panama, I have noticed that it is a very different auditory experience here.  In Southern California, unless you’re rich, you’re going to have neighbors, maybe a bunch of neighbors. I always tried to minimize this potential problem by living in a building where I only shared one wall with a neighbor. I was also fortunate enough to have quiet neighbors.

Here, we live in a cottage with our landlord as our nearest neighbor. She’s very quiet. There are a few other houses scattered nearby. The house behind us has been unused for a few years. An elderly gentlemen lived there but has recently moved a couple houses down back in with his family.  The house across the farm road from us is only used for the occasional family gathering by a wealthy doctor who owns the dairy farm adjoining our cottage.

On just a few occasions, on weekends, we have heard fireworks and music from a distant party. When we walk into town we notice that, just as in the states, some people enjoy listening to very loud music.  So when we do build our own place here we’re going to have to be selective about our location. If we were willing to live out in the boonies, we could buy enough land to isolate ourselves. But I’m not a misanthrope. I just want quiet and respectful neighbors.

There are natural sounds that are common to both L.A. and Panama. Birds are everywhere. But there are definitely a greater variety of birds here. I like the sounds they make, even the roosters who purposefully ignore the fact that they’re only suppose to crow at sunrise. These roosters crow sporadically whenever they please. There weren’t any roosters where we lived in L.A. but they’re pretty a common sight here in Volcan.

Dogs are another common animal in both countries. I don’t like the sounds they make. Fortunately they don’t bark that often around here. We like dogs. If we ever have any they won’t be constant barkers. A polite “You have company, sir.” will suffice.

When we walk through the rainforest we sometimes get to hear howler monkeys. I’m sure I never saw a wild monkey in L.A. I love the sounds they make, but I’m not sure I’d want one for a neighbor.

There are man made sounds that we almost took for granted in L.A. that are rare or don’t exist here. A siren is rare. There are no helicopters circling over head. There are no beep-boop, beep-boop street crossing signals. People do use their car horns here, but rarely do they lay on their horn L.A. style. It’s more often used with a light quick double tap as a friendly greeting.

And then there are the sounds like my jump rope and bicycle that I create and hope to take with me wherever I go. I do miss my guitar and should pick up my native flute more often to help fill the void until I can retrieve my guitar from the states.

When I asked Kimme what sounds she missed from the States she said she missed the sound of the phone ringing.  She received a lot more phone calls from her friends when we lived in the states. It’s difficult to figure out how to call us, so we make the calls.  But I do agree that I miss the sound of our phones ringing and hearing the voices of my friends and family.

Michael: News

Alone on the wire
Without the colorful feathers
To attract a mate.

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

We toured the new hospital in Volcan yesterday. I don’t have much experience with hospitals but it seemed very state of the art to me. Right now we know the emergency room is open from 7a.m. to 3p.m.  daily and the general health clinic is open from 7-5. By the end of the year the emergency room is scheduled to operate 24 hours a day. Eventually the hospital is slated to be a fully operational class 4 hospital, the highest level, which means it will also provide surgical services. Right now it’s considered a class 2 facility.

From what we could glean from our visit, it appears that many Panamanians go to the local clinics or to a local general practice physician. The hospital clinic was largely being used by the indigenous population that must not be able to afford a family doctor. Hopefully we’ll learn more about how the health care system here operates at a meeting tomorrow.

The other big news is that the Panama City hiking club is making the long drive here this weekend to clean up the Western Trail. Kimme and I just hiked that trail last week and were talking about how cleaning up that trail  was going to be our way of contributing to the local community. The Panama City group and any other volunteers that want to help are going to start at 8 a.m. Saturday.

Today Kimme and I are going to head up to the peak and back down to scout out how we feel it would be best for us to contribute to the clean up operation. We wouldn’t mind hiking to the camp near the peak, but feel an 8 a.m. start is a little late given the weather forecast. If the weather turns ugly that camp might not be cleaned up so we might start out earlier on Saturday to make sure we can get there in time to at least start to clean up that camp. We know it’s going to take us close to 5 hours to reach the uppermost camp. Very shortly we’re going to find out how long it will take to come down from that area. That will also help me figure out the logistics of a marathon over the peak and into Boquete and back trip.

Michael: Experiments

We were the only
Large animals lumbering
On the trail.
Monday, May 18, 2015

Kimme and I both feel we’re fast packers at heart. Not only do we enjoy carrying a very light load when we camp, but we also feel if it’s done intelligently, it doesn’t have to significantly sacrifice comfort. One area where the fast packing ethos crosses over into our trail running adventures is nutrition and hydration. We try to get by on as few calories and water as seems reasonably safe to carry.

For example, on our hike on Tuesday of the Western Trail we got by on two candy bars and one flask of sugar each. That works out to 900 calories for over 7 hours of hiking. We’ve done most of our three day hiking trips with similar caloric restrictions. We’ll eat our usual small breakfast and have a decent dinner, but don’t gorge either beforehand or after to try and compensate for the limited calories we’re taking in while moving. Once a grand adventure is under our belts, we generally do allow ourselves a few indulgences, but I wouldn’t say we ever sit down to a king’s feast.

Similarly when we run, we’ve gone out for three to six hour trail runs on just one 400 calorie flask of sugar. I‘ve done that for the most part during my last 15 years of hiking and running. For safety concerns, I will often carry a small provision of extra food. On Tuesday I had a snack bag of trail mix on hand that I didn’t eat.

This is about the only area that I believe the paleo people have a sound leg to stand on. Physiologically, we just aren’t geared to be taking in a lot of calories while we’re moving at a steady clip. That’s what fat is for. Our  bodies are very efficient at storing it and metabolizing it while we’re moving at an efficient endurance pace.

Hydration is another story and is a puzzle I still don’t feel I’ve resolved. Kimme and I have been doing our weekly three hour outings on only a liter and a half of water. For myself I feel that works, but I wish she’d carry more. I realize that’s a double standard. But I’m not sure I’ll ever be comfortable with how little water she carries.

Michael: A Mission

The day won’t wake up
Her grey eyes turning away
From the morning sky.

Sunday, May 17, 2015

There is one glaring negative about some of the trails here. At campsites, or where people gather to relax, like at a swimming hole or hot spring, there is usually an unsightly amount of trash. The pack it in; pack it out ethos doesn‘t seem to have taken hold here as strongly as it has in the states.

I don’t feel we’re capable of doing much to influence peoples attitudes about cleaning up after themselves. Instead, we’ve decided to help by cleaning up the Western Trail.

Logistically, the majority of that clean up is going to have to wait until we can camp overnight. Several of the campsites are near the peak and are going to require an overnight stay to give us the time we need to clean,  carry the trash to the cans at the peak by the transmitters, then scramble down to camp.

And camping overnight is going to have to wait until we bring our camping equipment here from the states. We’re actually excited about that. It’ll give us a chance to test out how waterproof some of our equipment is. In our nearly three years together and 10+ overnighters we’ve only been caught out in the rain once. That was early in the morning near Ojai a couple of years ago. Our lightweight ponchos worked great keeping us and our packs dry. But we haven’t been rained on overnight or while we set up camp. That’s a strong possibility here.

As a trail runner I’ve also been concerned, as have many others, about accidentally leaving gel wrappers or their rip off tabs out on the trail. That’s why I make my own gel and use a flask. Gels are expensive and not as popular here as they are in the states, but flasks aren’t used as an alternative. In fact none of the bike shops or sporting goods stores around here or the bike shops or stores in Panama City had flasks. People here pretty much rely on old fashioned store bought sweets. And just like in the states, parts of those wrappers sometimes get left behind.

So many people here find a way to contribute to the community. Now Kimme and I have a mission we feel good about and know we can accomplish.

Michael: Alternate Routes

Today is quiet
And light; a weak breeze carries
A few drops of  rain.



Saturday, May 16, 2015

The Western Trail to the peak of Volcan, Baru is stunning, difficult and almost deserted and we love it.  Fortunately the trailhead is very close to where we live in Volcan, Panama. We liked it so much we are planning on doing it again this week, but this time we’ll just do an out and back, to the peak and then head back.  On Tuesday we went up the Western Trail and descended from the peak on the jeep trail into Boquete.  By doing an out and back hike we’ll save time by eliminating the hassle of a long bus ride back to Volcan from Boquete which is on the other side of the volcano. We’ll also get to experience what the descent is like on the Western Trail.   

Some people may feel that going out and back is a bore, but for me, going in the opposite direction of the same trail often feels like I’m experiencing a completely different trail. Hell, for me, doing the same trail again in the same direction I’ve done previously often feels like I’m on a whole new trail. 

And there are other permutations beside a one way hike, or out and back hike, I‘m considering. I’d like to do a grand out and back; take the Western Trail to the peak then head into Boquete on the jeep trail like we did on Tuesday, then turn back around and go up the jeep trail and down the Western Trail back home. That would be a brutal marathon of a day involving 12,000 ft. of elevation gain at altitudes ranging from 4,000 to 11,000 ft.

Why? Why do people like the opera? Because it hurts in some bizarre satisfying way, and they can afford to do it. The opera hurts me as well. Just plain hurts, and I can’t afford it anyway. But I can hike and run all day. And though it can be a struggle, I find it very satisfying.

Let me try to explain it another way. When I was a kid, sometimes a kid would grab another kid’s arm and twist their skin to inflict pain. This procedure was called giving someone an “Indian burn.” Surprisingly, this was usually done between friends. Heck, often you wouldn’t even wait for someone to try. You’d be sitting next to friend and just hold out your arm and asked to be burned. That’s what people are like; like Indian burns, they’re twisted. But now as an adult, sometimes our friends are busy or we’ve discovered that twisting our own skin is kind of interesting. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but I don’t want to recline on the couch and go through all that. That’s also probably a bit painful. But not in a way that interests me.  I’d rather get outside and twist my skin a little running and hiking.

There are also other trips that could incorporate the Western Trail as either the starting or ending path of a long loop hike. One would involve the Quetzal Trail, but that would involve either a lot of road running or a bus/taxi shuttle to the different trail heads involved. I’ll work that out later. Right now I’m really looking forward to hiking to the peak again with Kimme and discovering what the descent of the Western Trail is like.

Michael: Western Trail Timeline

The cacophony
Of afternoon bird whistles
Signaled the rain’s end.

May 15, 2015

Today I’ll present a timeline with a few brief comments of the Western Trail hike to Volcan Baru we did this past Tuesday. We would love it if any family or friends would come and join us on a future hike to the peak. This will give you a glimpse of how you’ll spend your day.

The day before: Layout your gear, nutrition, and clothes. Test it out. My hydration pack bladder had a small leak that required patching; kind of a pisser but better to find out beforehand than on the trail. And far better than my own shrinking bladder beginning to leak, which probably isn’t too far away. 

5a.m. - Wake up, eat, dress, go to the bathroom, write and relax.

6:30 - Leave. Ran into neighborhood brother and sister, maybe 8 or 9 years old, in their school uniforms also headed to the bus. We raced to the bus and the old man surprised his younger competitors again. The boy and I smiled at each other several times on the bus and I believe we’re both hoping we’ve created a friendly rivalry.

6:45 - Stop at parque to transfer buses, get coffee and chocolate, eat my small cornflake and honey cookie.

7a.m. - Start up the farm road in Nuevo Bambito to the trailhead. Flat, slightly up hill walk on a beautiful country plain.

7:30 - Hit a junction in the road and head left. We jogged this section to the trailhead sign.

7:45 - Hit the large sign marking the beginning of the off road trail that begins slightly downhill before becoming a single track trail heading into the woods.

8a.m. - 1k and the end of the flat trail.
8:20 - 2k and we’re going steeply uphill sometimes grabbing on to roots to climb up.
8:30 -  Run into small camping area.
9:00 - 3k.
9:18 - Myriad of trees with fine witches hair moss draped over the branches;     magical.
9:40 - 4k; It’s either getting steeper, higher altitude, more fatigue or all three     because we’re slowing down.

10:30 - 5k; We’re no longer in the woods but out in the open. The footing     changes from a comfortable red hard pack, to loose volcanic sand and     rock. We’re on all fours at times and adjust our estimated time to the     peak given the changing conditions and how slow we did this     kilometer.

11:30 - Arrive at large flat camp area under the very visible transmitter     towers near the peak. The peak is marked by a large white cross.
    We followed a trail around the camp for a short distance before     doubling back and resuming our trek up the Western Trail.

11:50 - 6k.
12p.m. - Hit the junction with the jeep road that skirts around the towers         before descending into Boquete. It’s beginning to cloud over so we     descend a little bit before taking a Snickers/Mars Bar break.

12-2:15p.m. Jog the 13k jeep trail to the trail’s end at the junction of the     ranger’s station and the paved road in Volcancito. At points, the jeep     road was more of jeep tunnel with very tall dirt walls on either side.     We wondered how we’d get by a vehicle if it was on it’s way up. I     figure there must be some kind of gentleman’s agreement about     driving on this road, like only go up in the morning then wait to     descend until afternoon, but I’ll have to talk to a tour guide to find out     what the exact protocol is.
    We walked 2k on the new pavement surrounded by coffee plants with     jasmine like flowers before a very young and friendly bus driver     stopped for us.

Around 3p.m. - We stopped at Romero’s grocery store in Boquete for some     snacks that we ate while waiting for the bus into David. We arrived in     David at about 4:30 and hopped on the Cerro Punta bus.
6:30 - We had vegetable fried rice and I had a pineapple batido ( a fruit/milk     shake) at     Mary’s Restaurant in Volcan.
7p.m - We take a taxi home.

Another great adventure and long day of travel here in Chiriqui, Panama. Kimme’s seems to be a lot more excited to get out there and do it again, than I am. I can see maybe twice a month, though I am dreaming about variations of this trip and wondering about how much I could cut the time down if I pushed it.

Michael: Thumbs up

Exposed and alone,
I sunk into the powder
Of the volcano.

May 14, 2015

Yesterday I outlined our mistakes on our Western Trail hike. Today I’ll list  what we did right. Tomorrow I’ll give a timeline of our journey along with a brief trail description.

1. We went by ourselves. Last week when we walked to the trailhead the sign said don’t proceed without a guide. That was discouraging and not because we wouldn’t appreciate the knowledge a guide could provide us. But when we first do a hike we like to take it in with a heightened sense of exploration that walking into unfamiliar territory brings.

2. We did some basic research. We discovered a guide was more of a suggestion than a requirement. The trail was opened and marked. There is no water.

3. We kept a positive attitude. The trail was much more difficult than we thought it would be, but we were both enjoying it and never became discouraged.

4. We kept moving. Without available water and with the possibility of a storm moving in, stopping to rest or to take pictures can push a long hike into darkness and misery.
5. We started early. Having as much daylight to work with is always a big help.

6. I took the pictures while Kimme kept moving forward. Kimme, being an ex-photographer, can sometimes get caught up in the beauty of what she’s surrounded by and wants to get good pictures to document the images that enchant her. She can do that on our next hikes of this trail when we’ll do less of it or camp out.

7. We had realistic expectations. The map and trail reports suggest to expect the hike to take 6 hours to the peak and about 3-4 hours on the jeep trail descent. I knew we could do it faster, but we were hiking, not racing, and we’re not super heroes either. I thought 4 hours up, 2 and a half hours down. Close; we took 5 hours up and 2:15 on the easy jog down.

8. We were flexible and adjusted our expectations on the fly. The first kilometers moved very quickly, but as the terrain changed and the difficulty of the hike increased, we slowed down. We have enough experience to allow for that.  

9. We brought the right gear. We expected rain. We had ponchos. It was suppose to be cold at the peak; we had another layer with us. It didn’t rain; it sprinkled, and was only cold for a brief moment on the descent. Kimme also listened to me about bringing and using gloves. They were a great help in our crawls through the trees and our scrambles through the sand and rocks near the peak.

10. We kept our head up and paused long enough to pay attention to the trail signs and made sure we were headed in the right direction. That was a major accomplishment for the two of us.

11. We’ve kept in shape. Not only were we able to do this hike, but we were able to work out the next day and will be hiking again this weekend.

12. We had a blast. We’ll be on the Western Trail again soon.

Michael: The Western Trail

The branches were arms
Flexed and strong, lifting us up
To the mountain’s peak.


Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Yesterday we took advantage of favorable weather and hiked the Western Trail to top of Volcan Baru, Panama’s highest peak. It was one of the best adventures we’ve ever had in our very adventurous nearly three years together.

Our day began with a 6:30 a.m. race to the bus and ended with dinner at Mary’s Restaurant at 7 p.m. Over the next several posts, I’ll describe the trail and other factors of the hike and day that made our long day’s  journey so special. Today I’m going to outline our mistakes. 

We committed one of the mortal sins of hiking; we didn’t leave our itinerary with anyone. This trail is far too isolated and dangerous for that. We were fortunate this time out, but it was negligence we’d be wise not to repeat.

We didn’t establish a turn back time prior to starting out. Given that it gets dark at 6:30, allowing for a couple hours of leeway for unexpected delays, and also factoring in that the descent was on a far easier jeep road than the single track ascent, we should have set 12:30 as our turn back time if we hadn’t reached the peak by then. We corrected this error early on, but it should’ve been discussed and understood beforehand.

Accompanying the last mistake was not carrying all of the 10 essentials; particularly a head lamp, a cavalier decision on my part. We’ll have them with us on this hike next time.

Given the title of our blog, it’s also a bit embarrassing to admit that we didn’t go over our list together and check to make sure all of our equipment was functioning properly. I did test out my almost new Osprey bladder and discovered a small leak on a seam on the twist top side; a defect I hadn’t read about in any reviews but would be surprised if I were the only one that suffered from this problem given its location. I repaired it with a bicycle  patch, filled it, and let it sit over night to test it out. It worked but I carried spare patches just in case.

Another faux pas was not having an established plan in case we became separated from each other during the hike. We planned to stay together during the entire hike this time out, but not having done this hike before and therefore not knowing how treacherous it was or how easy it would be for us to become separated, it was foolish not to have a contingency plan in place. On previous hikes, it’s been understood that I’ll set my watch timer for 15 minutes and when it buzzes I’ll stop and wait for Kimme to catch up. If she doesn’t, I’ll go back and check up on her. It was very cavalier of me not to have that plan in place this time. We should also have established a protocol to head back toward Volcan if we were unable to make contact after a specific amount of time.

Related to the above mistake was not carrying whistles. Shameful under the circumstances.

Those were all big mistakes that shouldn’t be repeated or have been done even by a novice hiker. Sometimes we let experience go to our heads and  take the dangers of hiking for granted. That’s what internet blurbs or movies are made out of. But I don’t want Kimme or I, or anyone else for that matter, to blunder our way to fame.  

Michael: The Light Show

The small green leaf walked
Walked silently away on stems   
Of  orange and brown.


Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Many websites, books and blogs say there are only two seasons in Panama; a dry and a wet, but that’s a very misleading simplification, at least here in the highlands. Early Monday morning was a prime example of what a meteorological freak show Panama can be.

At 3:30 a.m. I saw some flashing white lights through the downstairs’ windows. I told Kimme but she seemed willing to sleep through what might be a Martian invasion. At first she claimed it was my eyes. But when I insisted my vision, although fading, was not the culprit, she suggested it might be a passing dairy truck, cow transport, or some other working vehicle that comes by early in the morning. No, I insisted, the lights were too sporadic for that.

When she did sit up to take a look, she admitted that the lights were odd and that I, being the gallant male of our tiny cottage, should investigate. I did. It was an electrical storm producing flashes of diffused light high up in the clouds without any lightening. Back to sleep I tried to go.

Next up, just about an hour later the winds started gusting at between 40 - 60 m.p.h. This rattled our house and my nerves for the next hour. Winds like that were common in January and February, but fortunately have been few and far between since.

After only four months here, I’m doubtful the weather won’t hold any more surprises. I’m sure there won’t be any tornadoes or snow storms, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a decent quake rolled through or the nearby volcano rumbled a bit. And I am certain that saying the Panama Highlands has only two seasons is very misleading.

Michael: Delayed

The rat a tat tat
From the distant woodpecker
Is a beat that works.


Monday, May 11, 2015

We had to postpone our play date with the volcano yesterday. We’ve been keeping our eyes open for a forecast of late afternoon thunderstorms so we could be well away from the peak and on the descent by the time a storm arrived, but on Saturday the forecast shifted and had the storm coming in at 1p.m. Not enough margin of safety for us. The weather does look good for Wednesday or Thursday so hopefully we’ll gear up again in a couple of days.

So yesterday it was back to the gorgeous but always challenging Quetzal Trail. The Quetzal, as a running trail, has proven to be an invaluable learning experience for me.

Looking at the trail from a runner’s perspective, going from west to east,   the first two kilometers are on a steep, rocky but runnable jeep road on a grade equivalent to the Bull Dog trail in the Santa Monica’s back home. That section ends at an ecological station and the single track begins. The next kilometer and a half is pretty level and the easiest running section.  The next kilometer and half after that is over a section that includes many tall steps that requires more of a bounding/jumping motion on the descent and a power hike on the way up. The final two kilometers to the road are on a gradual grade and are runnable in both directions but is rocky and rooty so a moderate pace is risky but manageable.

The trail also includes one or two thick branches that you can swing under and a few large downed trees that can be pummel horsed over. There are a few wood plank bridges, one wide steel bridge with wood planks and one suspension bridge, some stump steps with chicken wire to short step across if it’s rainy or muddy, and a river crossing that’s been becoming easier to step across as the months have gone by. But I expect that to change as the rainy season picks up.

I strongly advocate wearing gloves on this trail in particular. They allow me to one; grab on to things as I swing through the forest two; lobster crab walk up some of the steeper steps, and three; prevents shredding my hands when I stumble. But I always wear gloves on trail runs. Previously, it was for reasons one and three. No one has seen me yet crawling up the trail, but I’m sure I’ll hear some pretty hardy laughs when I clutch onto some tourist’s or guide’s ankles to boost myself up. 

In the almost 4 months that we’ve been here, we‘ve run the Quetzal almost every Sunday. On those runs I’ve only seen two other runners, and that’s Kimme and a lady that decided to run with her toward the end of the trail once. But running the sections of the trail we can has proven to be a very rewarding experience. If there’s something out of the ordinary we’ll stop, look and listen. We don’t treat it as a race, but as a treat.

It’s that one and half kilometers of tall steps that have given me a very humbling but rewarding lesson in trail running. Outside of the temporary joys of crawling like a big kid, I’ve discovered that after a grueling walk, I can gather myself and run again, sometimes even at a pretty decent clip. Until now, stopping to walk once I’ve started running was mentally debilitating. I’ve DNFed my share of ultras shortly after walking.  During a race any amount of walking would just take the wind out of my sails. I felt that walking was like getting off your bike and walking up a hill. If you’re rider, you just don’t do it; and if you’re a runner, you don’t walk.

 I’m hoping that the next ultra I run where I feel I may be required to walk, I’ll reflect back on how quickly I’ve been able to recover from my Quetzal crawl/walks and joyfully began running again. I’m not sure if I’ll ever work up to a run to walk ratio strategy like I know many ultra runners do, but if I can lift my head up and get my head back into racing, that change in mindset will largely be due to my many experiences doing so on the Quetzal.    

Michael: Surprises

Today there was life,
Dusty and red resting on
Our weathered wood bench.

Sunday, May 10, 2015



Every morning I walk out onto the back porch to see what’s belly up and needs to be swept away. Yesterday I was surprised by a healthy large moth resting on one of our old wood chairs. He sat next to me while I prepared for my ride and was there to greet me when I returned. I felt seeing him was a good omen and it was.

About half an hour into my ride a motorcyclist slowed and pointed down to the road. I thought he was pointing out an upcoming hazard; very courteous. The hazard turned out to be a tarantula the size of my open hand scampering across the pavement. I’d seen one a couple of weeks ago but it wasn’t in very good shape after being hit by a car. This guy was healthy and on the move. It was fascinating to see how such a large creature could blend into the roadside fauna once he had crawled just a few steps off the road.  That was an early adrenaline booster shot.

Shortly thereafter I caught the best glimpse yet of the three buffalo some fortunate landowner has. I see them every Saturday ride but they’re usually off in the distance, or hanging out near some trees. Also, because  the light is so bright when I see them and they are so shiny and black, it’s been hard for me to get a decent picture. But yesterday they were near the fence and out in the open.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a picture of the last surprise of the day; a tayra sighting. I didn’t even know that tayras existed until I got home and did a little research. All I knew at the moment was a very sleek black animal between the size of a large cat and a medium sized dog with a long straight bushy black tail had jogged across the road in front of me. Tayras are gorgeous, even if they are part of the weasel family. They’re only the third large wild animal I’ve seen out here. I’ve seen wild boars once and their scat often. I’ve seen howler monkeys high up in the canopy, but get to hear their raspy threats almost weekly. And now I can add a tayra to the list.

I’m not sure what else is out there or when we’ll bump into each other. But when we do there will be that exhilarating moment where we both hesitate for an instant to figure out how we will react. It’s at these times I realize I’m no Zen Master and am not one with the universe. In fact I have the distinct feeling that the universe is hiding in the shadows and ready to pounce.

Michael: New adventures

The white angel moth
With the fine brown striping
Is beheading the fly.


Saturday, May 9, 2015

Tomorrow we are heading up to the highest peak in Panama, Volcan Baru, on the Western Trail. From what we’ve read it is a very sketchy single track trail. And that’s only one of the variables that should make this journey an eye opener.

Volcan, the town we live in is on the western side of the volcano sitting at approximately 5K ft. and Boquete, a town twice the size of Volcan, sits on the eastern side at a slightly lower altitude 3.5K ft.  After we hike up on the western trail, we will descend down to Boquete, via the jeep road.  Once in Boquete we will refuel and then take the bus to David, the third largest city in Panama. It's a straight roughly 30 mile shot due south of Boquete near the coast. We will connect at the bus terminal there to take the Pan American Highway due west to the small town of Bugaba, then head due north to Volcan, completing our jagged rectangular route.

This time out, we at least know where the trailhead is and have done the first kilometer and a half of the single track trail that we expect will continue be a very gorgeous grind to the top. The 14k jeep trail on the other side leading into Boquete should be easy to follow and runnable.

Now for some other knowns/unknowns that will make this outing new for us.

It’s going to rain. We’re going to get wet. When it’s going to rain and how hard, we won’t know until in route. We’re hoping to at least be well on our way into Boquete by then. It hasn’t rained before noon since we have been here and though it’s poured at times, that hasn’t lasted very long. We are somewhat prepared. Our ultra-light ponchos are back in the states, so we purchased the old school yellow ones. If I had my circa 1960s black mid-calf galoshes and took a brown bag lunch, I’m sure I’d look like I was headed into a Twilight Zone time warp episode.

Having been born and raised in SoCal I remember walking and playing in the rain. In the last few years, running in the rain in L.A. has been a rare treat. But I can’t recall ever running in a deluge for long, which is a real possibility tomorrow.

We could also run into some booming thunder and lightening. Or, to be more accurate, running away from some booming thunder and lightening. If a storm comes in early, we’ll be headed back into Volcan; if later, into Boquete. Either way, I’m not enchanted about the idea of being part of a light show near the transmitter towers at the top of the volcano.

It’s going to be cold. I doubt it will be intolerably cold, but from past experience I presume that all depends on how long we linger at the top. We’re not planning on dawdling so we should warm up on the way down. We’ll also be carrying at least a partial change of clothing for the long trip home.

We have no idea how long it will take to get home once we hit the road to Boquete. Getting a bus into town will just be a matter of walking and waiting for a bus to come by.

If all goes well, we make good time and aren’t completely exhausted, we hope to go shopping at the Super 99 the biggest supermarket in David on the way home. Now that’s an experience that will wear a person out.

Michael: People

The clockwork ticking
From the rain drip, drip, dripping
Slows to a heartbeat.

Friday, May 8, 2015



After nearly four months here we’ve met a few people that put a little wider smile on our faces and extra bounce in our step every time we run into them.

First on our list would have to be Luzmilla, our landlord and neighbor. She is not only very responsive to any problems we have, but wants to help us and goes out of her way to make us feel welcomed. She takes care of us and is always willing to share information about planting or bugs or any other questions we have. On Tuesday when she saw me getting out of a taxi with a full propane tank, she wondered why I didn’t ask her to go to the store and get it. Now that’s just got to brighten your day.

Next up was our usual trip to the Mollek’s Panaderia where I can count on Melissa to steer me to the good stuff. When I use to ask for an item, she‘d shake her head no, indicating it was old. Now I just go with what she recommends. But Tuesday she wasn’t there and I ended up with a few very dry pieces of chocolate cake. Kimme stepped in and suggested to use them as biscotti and that worked. But very happy to see Melissa hand me a delicious, moist coconut pastry yesterday.

Right after that while Kimme started our grocery shopping, I headed to the bank where the guard told me about a bike race from David to Boquete - 80k - on May 17th. He keeps me up to date on all the local races.

Someone who doesn’t recognize me, but you couldn’t shake from your memory once you saw him in action, is one of the local bus assistants. He was holding a child’s hand; I presume his or at least one of his, because he’s the most flirtatious assistant of them all. He’d never make it for more than a day stateside, but I’m envious. I never had that chutzpah. I saw him while walking back to the store from the bank. 

And that’s how our casual off adventure days go now at the tip of the rainy season here in Volcan.

Michael: Maintenance

The thunder rumbles
Without demanding life stops,
Only that it listens.

Thursday, May 7, 2015



Just passing a birthday and being ecstatic about being pain free and running a race well had me thinking about age and it’s effects on two of my daily routines; stretching and oral hygiene. Whether the two are intertwined, I don’t know, but they have both arced from the very simple to the ludicrously complex at the same time in my life.

When I was 16 and in high school track, I knew the basic muscle groups and did basic stretches for them. I had pecs, glutes, quads, hamstrings, biceps and forearms. For equipment I had my body and grass. We sat in a circle, told stupid jokes, wondered where the cheerleaders were, and did what the coaches told us to do.

Now I have muscles and bands and sinewy creepy sounding things like a miniscus I never knew existed until I was well into my 40s. And it’s my growing responsibility to make sure they all continue to flex and bend and get the lubricants, fuel and maintenance they require to keep this 58 Corvette Viper body of mine in classic car show condition. My body and grass have now been supplemented by a well padded mat, stair step, massage ball, massage stick, and foam roller. My coach is now a ghost talking to me through the net. But at least I know where one of the cheerleaders are. She’s right in front of me demonstrating how inflexible I am.

I now do three distinct phases of stretching: 1. 4 sets of two types of Achilles stretches; straight leg rises followed by straight leg stretches, then bent knee rises followed by bent knee stretches. 2. Plantar, calf, quad, I.T. band, hamstring, and hip flexor stretches using the ball, stick, and roller and 3. 8 back stretches doing what the coach tells me and what the cheerleader shows me. And that’s it. This is where I draw the line. If anything else needs attention or snaps, I’m just going to get out some duct tape.

Similarly my teeth have gone from a simple brushing to a whirling military precision parade dress performance that is so astonishing my wife and I applaud every night after I finish. In this order, and it must be done in this order, I floss, use a small bristle brush, brush with a toothbrush, massage my gums with a massage stick, then rinse with a non-alcoholic mouth wash. Again, parade rest. That’s all I’m going to do.

I know there are other major concerns and maintenance issues related to aging that I should investigate and deal with, but I’m already worn out from all this stretching and cleaning and need a nap.

Michael: Puzzles

With a lively step,
The cows pranced by our front door
And into the field.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Last Saturday we ran a race and I felt remarkably good. I used a shoe, the Salomon Sense Ultras, that I hadn’t raced in and barely worn the last two years. I brought them here to use as road speed work shoes, but quickly decided they weren’t very well suited for that purpose, so back into the  shoe dungeon they went.

The puzzle to me isn’t why I used them during this last race, I didn’t feel I had much of a choice. If my Kinvara T.R.s weren’t beaten to death, I’d have used those.

 But the Salomons worked great. So why did I abandon using them for so long?

The last race I remember running in them was two years ago at the Mt. Baldy Challenge. They worked great and I ran a good race. But shortly after that I started developing heel pain. Initially, I thought it was the shoes, so whatever trainers or racers I was using, were replaced. I’d get some short term relief, but then the pain would return.

During the next year and a half I went through several self-diagnoses concluding that it was either age related (heel pad being worn down), possibly a bone spur, or perhaps bursitis. Maybe some deadly witches brew of all three. Regardless, the pain was persistent and ranged from annoying to intense enough to have me questioning how much longer I would continue running.

Given what I could glean from the net, there wasn’t going to be an easy fix to any of these possible problems, so I thought I’d try to self treat before seeing a doctor. The first step I took was to go to a more cushioned shoe, the Hokas. These did seem to keep the pain at bay for longer than other shoes, but not for more than a couple of runs.

Next up was stretching. I bought a Knotty Tiger acorn to massage my plantar fasciitis, a foam roller for my I.T. band, hamstrings, and hip flexors, and started using a massage stick on my calves and quads. I also went back to doing the Achilles stretches my Sports Medicine physician had prescribed for me about 4 years ago but I thought, or out of laziness, I could abandon since my Achilles tendonitis had largely subsided. I also started experimenting with different sole inserts.

I can’t be sure what worked or even what the specific problem ever was, but about 6 months ago I went on a 13 mile trail run and was pain free. I thought it was a fluke so I approached my next several runs with that keep your fingers crossed, don’t get happy too soon, anxiety that the pain would return and I’d have to go the expensive, possibly laborious, and likely fruitless physician route. But for over 6 months now I’ve been running in various shoes over differing terrain for some very long runs (except on pavement - those I still keep short) without any heel pain.

And that is the curious story of how a man used a shoe, abandoned it for two years, but eventually was happily reunited. 

Michael: Jungle Shoes

Inevitable
As the fall of a tear
She lays down to sleep.


Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Sunday I took my new birthday shoes, the Asics Fuji Gel Runnagades, out for a stroll on the mucky steep treacherous Quetzal Trail. Swinging through the jungle are what these shoes are made for and it turns out that they serve that purpose very, very well.

Buying a new model of shoes from the states and having them shipped here is a risky venture. If they don’t work, you’ve just bought a very expensive pair of gardening shoes. And given a few of the reviews I had my concerns. Some were suggesting sizing up half a size because of a tight toe box. Another concern was possible Achilles or back of the heel soreness because of all of the stitching and material that comes together there. It was also suggested that the lack of a pronounced toe guard might cause some bruising. Until I’ve run in a shoe and know that the laces won’t unravel, or dig into the top of my foot (I like to cinch my laces down pretty tight), lacing is always a
worry.

But after the 4 hour adventure on Sunday and the three hour break in before that, my only concern now is their durability.

I bought my standard size 10 and the shoes are a little tight in the forefoot, but are comfortable for me with thin socks. Thin socks make sense for these shoes anyway. These shoes are designed for sloppy trail conditions. And here in rainy, muddy, rooty, leafy Panama, water is going to be sucked in through the socks. Thin socks will hold less water and dry out quicker, ergo - use thin socks with these shoes.

But does using thin socks mean putting up with achilles irritation? I thought if these shoes work, maybe I’d have to use moleskin or tape, but no problem, so one other concern down.

The sole also curls up enough over the toe to function as enough of a toe guard to keep my little piggies nice and pink and content.

The laces are on the thin side but didn’t loosen and the neoprene anklet/ integrated tongue served to soften the blow of my usual strangulation of my foot. Another possible worry checked off the list.

Now with all my doubts eased, the answer to the big kahuna, do these shoes do what they’re designed to do; keep me upright and as comfortable as is conceivable through the mud, roots, slosh and crossings of a trail like the Quetzal? Yes.

I’ll start from the ground up. The lugs on the sole work great. Does that mean you can close your eyes and not worry about your next step? Try it.
No, I still managed a decent skateboard slide across a sizable rock, but I don’t blame the shoe for that. Still got to keep your head up and use some smarts. But they stick as well as any shoe I’ve used on the run.

Aiding in that forward movement is the overall lightness and flexibility of these shoes. These are racing flat light and almost that flexible.

Next up, the upper. It’s a very tight weave and along with the fantastic neoprene ankle/tongue practically repels debris from my feet. Because it’s so tight, I could see these shoes as being a tad on the warm side in plus 80 temps and/or dry trails. But use your head; that’s not what they’re made for.
And they’re not waterproof, which I’m happy about. Waterproof shoes are the Raid bug motel of footwear: water gets in but it never gets out. With thin socks these shoes dry out reasonably well and prevent that “dam it, I’ve got to stop and squeeze out my socks,” annoyance.

These shoes are meant to replace two of my favorite trail runners, the Saucony Kinvara TRs and the Salomon Speedcrosses. They have the lightness and flexibility of the Kinvaras though a shade less breathable, and the tight weave protective upper and very similar lugged sole of the Salomon's. I was debating between these and the Reebok Wild, which seem to have very similar attributes, but I’ve had Asics before and been pleased, while it’s been quite a while since I’ve worn Reeboks. I might have given those a go if I could’ve tried on a pair stateside, but I’m very happy with what Asics have brought to the table.

Lastly, the looks of the Runnagades. I like it. I’m not sure what Asics is going for, combining fluorescent orange trim with dark green and black cammo splotches, maybe some type of safety conscious survivalist chic?, but I enjoy it. Maybe that’ll be my next field of endeavor, a Rorschach shoe psychiatrist. 

Until I nail my doctorate though, I’m just going to lace these up at least once a week and get out there and play in the muck.

Michael: Birthday

 Monday May 4, 2015

Walking down the road
With another west coaster
Was like being home.

Today is my birthday, but since Monday is a stay at home and relax day, I cheated and took a couple of my birthday presents out yesterday for an extended play session. Joining me for a 4 hr. jog/hike on the Quetzal trail were the Osprey Rev. 1.5 vest pack and the Asics Fuji Gel Runnagade jungle shoes. They were both so much more functional and fun to play with than prancing around a tasteless cupcake with a mylar balloon. I’ll talk about the Osprey today and the shoes tomorrow.

This is by far the most comfortable pack I’ve ever used. It carries the water high up on the back where I like it just like a Hydrapak. It cinches around the upper back and chest with two sternum straps that breathe with you that  slide on guides allowing for plenty of adjustment. Two straps in the back  can be cinched down on the go to pull the pack tight against your back as the bladder empties. It also has a bit of a skeleton formed by the foam backing and the plastic brace inside that supports the bladder. That is a great feature because 1.5 liters of water is pretty hefty and many packs just let the bladder sag inside the pack.

This design feature also makes the bladder easy to remove and fill through it’s large twist on top. The ease of removal is aided by the hose being divided into two sections so you don’t have to play with one long hose when filling the bladder. The mouth piece section stays with the pack while a short section is secured to the bladder so it doesn’t flop around or get in the way or get mucked up while filling. After filling, twist the top, slide in the harness, snap the hoses together, and away you go; very, very, simple.

Still not quite as simple as a bottle though, and for that reason at races where there are aid stations less than an hour apart, I’ll stick to using the Hydraquiver. But if I ever do sign up for a race where the stations are spread thin, this pack is set up to be stripped down and race worthy; either one or both of the sternum straps can be removed along with the convenient and ingenious digi-flip phone pocket, making the Osprey just about as light as any 1.5 liter bladder vest out there.   

At the other end of the spectrum, it has nowhere near the capacity to function as an over-night fast pack unless indoor beds and re-supply posts are on the itinerary. And even in the summer, with a minimum amount of spare clothes and essential gear, that would be a stretch. But I like this pack so much that if it’s compatible with my MSR filter, I’m toying with the idea of using a two pack system for some fast packing outings, particularly if I could map out a lollipop route where I could set up a base camp, drop my size-able lumbar pack that would carry most of my gear, than throw the Osprey on for long day runs around my base camp.

My only quibble with the pack is the same as I have with all bladder systems except the Hydrapak bladder. They’re difficult to clean. The Hydra pak’s bladder turns inside out so it’s easy to clean, but all bladder system hoses, at least to my knowledge, are difficult to clean and dry out particularly relative to the ease of washing a bottle.

Otherwise, this pack is a dream. It carries everything I want to take along for a good 3-4 hr. jaunt and could go much longer if re-supply points are available or you’re willing to jerry rig a water filter attachment harness. I even like the lemon lime green color. All this for just over the price of a $50 gift card to wherever. I don’t know how I’m going to top this present any time soon. That’ll have to be part of my wondering/wanderings through the net on the rest of this lazy birthday Monday.

 

Michael: Great Fun

 Sunday May 3, 2015

Running up the trail
I felt young and powerful,
Alone and alive.


Yesterday’s race was a blast and a much better experience than I was expecting right from the moment we got off the bus and walked to the Mercado to pick up our bibs and get the show going.

First there were a lot of people, enthusiasm and organization typical of races we’ve run back in the states. Not knowing what to expect, that was a relief and quickly got my spirit, mind and body churning into race mode.

Without much information about the course I sketched out a plan to start out relaxed and ease my way into the race once we left the pavement at about 3 km., then I’d pick it up on the trail and try to pick off as many runners as I could one by one.

That plan was modified before we even turned off the road. There were two races being run yesterday, a 5k with perhaps a few hundred runners and a 21k with 35 runners. I thought we were going to start at the same time and I didn’t want to get caught up with all the rabbits in the 5k and flame out early. But the 21k started first and the small field quickly spread out. In fact I lost sight of the elites as soon as they turned off road. That left only three guys in front of me that I could work with. I passed two of those on the asphalt leaving only one other runner to possibly work with on the trails.
That didn’t happen either because I left him as soon as we left the rolling fields and the trail started pitching more aggressively upward.

So after the first 10k I ran the rest of the race completely alone. And that was an almost giddy experience I’ve been lucky to enjoy in a few other races and on many of my trail runs.

Adding to the experience was the course; unlike any other I’ve raced on. After the brief pavement start, the next 7 miles were just a wild trail ride of mixed rolling fields and steep rocky muddy pitches before ending with 4 miles of predominantly downhill and flat roadwork.

The trail work is truly what set this race apart. It was just begging for people to either get lost or hurt or both at the same time. Lucky I was with another runner at the start or we both would’ve gotten lost. The trail segment was never very clear except at the beginning and end. In between much of it was a vague crisscrossing of tire tracks covered in grass so you really had to be on the alert for the orange flags and volunteers spread through out the course. I’m sure just about every small group ran a slightly different course. Once I was by myself I was constantly making corrections. I’d start following a track to the left then catch a flag over to the right and think, “Oh, better cut over that way and see what that’s about.”

Toward the end of the trail section, on a long downhill segment, I went quite a few kilometers without noticing any flags or volunteers. I presume the organizer figured that by then, if you hadn’t gotten lost, you should feel comfortable that you’re headed the right way. Wrong. that was rarely clear to me and even when I reached pavement I had no idea I was on course or even where I was in the world outside of somewhere in Panama. Again, fortunately, a volunteer truck was driving up the dairy road and handed me a bottle of water. Now on pavement and on course, I just had to hold it together and finish a race that I had very low expectations of Saturday when we signed up but ended as one of my most memorable races to date.

I finished in 1:49:20, ninth over all and first in my age. Kimme also won her age group. She won a very funky lamp and I won a 2 night stay at the Quetzales Lodge where we’ll be in just a couple of hours to call for a taxi to take us to the Quetzal trail.

This run really brought the joy of trail racing home to Panama for me. I’ve missed that and hope we get the opportunity to participate in more events like this one here, in the states, or wherever we our fortunate enough to be so long as we’re alive and running.

Michael: Race Day

Saturday, May 1, 2015

The leaf cutter ants
Are weaving their ragged path
Through our garden’s weeds.

Success. We were able to sign up for the Volcan Eco Xtreme 21k yesterday at the Mercado. We received our very nice shirt and a pretty decent swag bag.

The people who organize the event were signing runners up in David, but the very nice lady volunteering at the Mercado did pull in a former participant to try and answer some of our questions about the course; like is there a course? He only spoke Spanish but he did it with enough confidence and body language that it sounds like we’ll be running in a loop partly off the main road with a few hills thrown in along the way.

There’s also going to be water either at the 8k mark or every 8k. Either way I should be fine without carrying any myself, which is nice. Without a website to take a peak at the course and past results, though, I’m just going on my bravura that no half marathon will take me over 2 hrs.

We’ll pick up our shoe tags and race bibs sometime between 6:30 and race start at 8:00. Without our own vehicle, we’ll either end up walk/jogging the two miles to the event or hopefully be picked up by the bus somewhere in route.

The other minor annoyance of traveling to a race without our own vehicle is that we have nowhere to secure any extra gear, like spare clothing. If I knew and felt I could trust the organizer, or even spoke the same language, I would’ve asked if someone could keep an eye out while we run. But given that we’re in the dark about that, along with many other details, like if there will be porta-potties, we’ll sit out the darkness here and try to get our business taken care of in the comfort of home so we don’t have to take any excess baggage with us, if you know what I mean.

Otherwise it’s race morning as usual. Up early after a pretty decent night’s sleep. Got up a few times to pee, but that’s just because I’m getting old and nothing to do with jitters. I do set an alarm on race days, though I’m almost always up before it goes off. That is pre-race nerves. I like to get up at least three hours before event start to give myself time to eat, digest, sometimes put on heat…That usually has me up before my normal pre-dawn bio-rhythm eye opening.

Outside of applying my warrior potion on any tight or exposed muscles and joints, I don’t go through any bizarre rituals or chants or wear my high school sweetheart’s g-string or what not. I do like to have a race number that revolves around the numbers 4, 5, 8, or 0. But there’s almost always a way to manipulate whatever I’m given to work in one of those digits without stretching past the 4 basic mathematical functions.

Light’s coming up and it looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day for a run.
Time to lather up and go see what we can do, or at least discover where we’re going.

Michael: Local Race

Friday, May 1, 2015

That damned little bird
Walked into our house and pooped
All over my book.

Tomorrow we might be running in only our second race in Panama; a 21k run partially on a very rough road. And that information came from a bank guard last week. The posters for the event only give the date, location, distances, prize money and an email and phone number. There is no website, or directions on where and when to sign up, or what time the races begin. Somewhat baffling given its cash prize awards of $200 for first, $150 for second, and $100 for third in both the 21k and 5k for both genders. Decent dinero for even a local stateside race.

Today we’ll go to the Mercado where the event starts to see if we can still sign up. We emailed on Tuesday but never received a response. This is both baffling and new to me - a race that’s trying to keep it low key, I can understand, but when you’re waiving that kind of money in front of some very good athletes, I’d figure you’d want to whoop it up a little and put on a good show.

And I’m sure this has nothing to do with Panama. The other race we ran in was almost up to stateside standards for availability of information and publicity. We’ve searched and found other race sites that we’re pretty decent as well. No, this is just a single race probably organized by a single person that for whatever reasons just doesn’t want to put much effort into publicizing her event.

I’ll let you know tomorrow if we’re in or not. What I’m really waiting for is our F.B.I. background checks to come back so we can plan a visit home and I can enter some stateside events. I can’t wait to see how moving here will have impacted my performance on familiar grounds against familiar competition. Plus I always like to throw in a new race to see a different part of California. I’m also somewhat of a tactician and really involve myself in plotting out equipment, clothing, nutrition and hydration. But I can’t do that unless I can gather information about the race and stateside I’m almost positive that information won’t be coming from a chat with my local bank guard.