Marathon Training with a European

    Yesterday I was out for my last long run before race day. The Marrakech marathon is this coming weekend. It was a simple, nice and slow 14 mile run and as I set out I had no real route in mind. I normally like to map out my route and know where I am going to run so this is unlike me. As it turned out, this lack of planning turned out to be a good thing. 

    About three or four miles into my run I caught up to a a guy who is from Europe and we ended up running for about six miles together. While running, I found out that this new European friend of mine 

was on vacation in Marrakech for a week. He said that he came to Morocco for a short vacation and to be able to do a weeks worth of longer runs in a warmer climate as he trains for a 100 kilometer ultra marathon in Europe. Being an ultra marathoner myself made our conversation even more fun.

Check out my awesome photo skills

    Since I have started running I have learned that it is very easy to make friends while out on a run, whether that be a long training run or a race. Some of my favorite runs of all times are the ones where I started off by myself and ended up running for a long time with someone I met on the run. In a half marathon I ran this past December I ran for the last 6 miles with a guy from California who flew across the USA only to run that race. Over a year ago in my first ultra marathon, a 50k, I ended up running for about 4 hours with a husband and wife couple from Alabama. My point is this, i

f you are new to running, one of the things you will learn quickly is that it is easy to become friends with someone out on a run. And, if you are in Morocco who knows where some of those people will be from.

    Running by myself is fun, but running with someone even if you have just met the person can often make a run very enjoyable. Morocco has given me the opportunity to meet many people while running and something I have discovered is that for the most part the people that share this hobby/addiction/healthy lifestyle are some of the nicest people out there. 

    If you are living in a colder climate like the friend I met yesterday, I do recommend a getaway to Marrakech! Not only will you enjoy the warmer weather to run in, you can explore the exotic culture of Marrakech!

Marrakech Marathon Race Poster

    I was out driving around Marrakech this morning, running some errands, when I began to see posters for the Marrakech Marathon posted on some light poles along one of the main roads which is part of the full marathon route. 

Here is the poster

    Upon inspection, I do not see anything important that I left out of my last post. The race is on January 27, 2013, with the full marathon starting at 8am and the half marathon starting at 9am. I did learn that this is the twenty fourth (24th) annual running of the race. Also, after using my amazing French translation skills, (Google translate) I discovered that the phrase under the runners reads, "A sport, a hobby, a challenge, Come and experience all the emotion, A great international competition."

    Well, I guess that as the city begins to gear up for the race, all of us runners will begin our tappers, after this weekend, preparing for a wonderful race next weekend.

The Dust Storm that Ruined My Run

    These are sad times. I was all ready to go on my last, if not short by comparison, long run (14 miles) before next weekends race. However, when we woke up this morning we found a storm on its way into town. Normally this would not be a problem, I would grab my rain jacket as a precaution and hit the road. But since it has not rained in almost two months here the wind that came in before the storm kicked up a lot of dust, dirt, and trash.

On a normal day you can see a mountain line from here.

    I do not mind running in the rain. I do not mind running in the cold. I do not mind running in the snow, and I do not mind running in the heat. What I do not like to run/cycle/hike/walk in is a dust storm. Now that would be different if I were to ever get the chance to participate in the Marathon Des Sables, a race in the Sahara of Morocco then I would be more than happy to train and race/run in a dust storm. 

    That's life, I am just happy that most of the year there is great weather for running here. As it stands now, my run is postponed until tomorrow and after that begins my one week taper before the Marrakech marathon.

Morocco Life: Snake Charmers

I know that I started this blog as a running blog. However, I would also like to post now and again stories, videos, or pictures of some of the other interesting and awesome things there are to do and see here, for your enjoyment. Do not worry, running in Morocco will still be the main reason for this site.

Yesterday, I had just a little bit of free time in the late afternoon (I did my run during lunch), so I decided to head down to Dejmaa El Fna to practice my Arabic. Dejmaa El Fna is a historic square (its on the UNESCO World Heritage list) and the focal point of the old Marrakech market. There is so much to see and do, and eat. Below is video that I got of one of the famed snake charmers that performs there. I would tell you sit back and relax but it is only 40 seconds long. I hope you enjoy.

The International Marathon of Marrakech

    The 2013 edition annual Marrakech International Marathon (International Marathon of Marrakech) and half marathon in Morocco will be in less than two weeks. This will be my first year running the race, so as of right now my knowledge is limited to what I have read and heard from others, which isn't much. Also, remember that all this information is for the 2013 race and could be different in the future.

What I do know (most of which comes from the organizer's website marathon-marrakech.com):

• The race will be held on Sunday, January 27th
• The full marathon beginning at 8 am and the half marathon at 9 am
• Race number pick-up will be on Friday and Saturday
• They are expecting about 6,000 runners to participate this year (according to the official race website)
• There are aid stations with water ever 5 km (3 miles)
• You can sign up for the race on-line, there is a link on the organizers website for this
• The weather is currently on the chilly side in the mornings (high thirties, low forties degrees  Fahrenheit) and warms up over the morning. Perfect racing weather

There are three levels of race fees:

• If you have Moroccan citizenship it is 50 dh (Moroccan currency)
• If you are a foreigner but have residency within morocco it is 50 Euro
• For every one else the cost is 70 Euro

    The city is very flat and only has a few "inclines" that can't really even be called hills. If you are looking for a personal record this is probably the course to do it on and get a great vacation at the same time. There is also a course map on the organizers web site.

    After race day I will post a race report and hopefully provide some better information about the race. If you have ran the Marrakech International Marathon, have any questions or things for me check on, or other info please leave a comment below.

    Well, as I said the race is less than two weeks away so I better get out and do my training for the marathon.