Getting Back to Cycling in Marrakech

  It has been a long time since I spent any quality time riding my road bike. A few years ago, before I came to Morocco, I was training for my first ultra marathon. I quickly realized that if I did not start doing some cross training I was going to be in trouble so I started cycling. I really began to enjoy cycling both solo and in group rides. So, almost immediately after arriving in Morocco I went to a bike market, bought a 

used

 bike (notice the emphasis on used), fixed it up and then realized finding somewhere to ride away from lots of traffic was very difficult. Due to this fact the bike was set aside. 

My old steel frame road bike I bought for $35

  Well, since I recently discovered the

Palmeraie area of Marrakech

I decided that I had no excuse not to get back on my bike (that and an old knee injury creeping up on me). So I cleaned up the bike, got a new inner tube, put my kit on and went for a ride. 

This was going to be an awesome picture but the camel would not look up

  As I mentioned in a previous post the Palmeraie really is a great place. I love to run there and so do lots of others, and now I can say it is an excellent place to go for a medium length ride. It is not pancake flat but since it is in Marrakech there is by no means any great elevation change and there is very little traffic. Probably the best part of riding out there was having to dodge all of the sheep and goats hanging out either in the road or close to the sides. The first flock I came up to I almost hit one of the sheep because I was ridding into the sun looking for cars and was not expecting sheep.

Video I took while riding of camels and goats

  I can not say how great if felt to get back on the bike and after that first day I went back out there the next because I had such a good time. It was a great feeling getting back out there even if there is a noise coming from my old bike that kind of terrifies me. If you have ever ridden in Morocco or know of any good races or rides here let me know below in the comments and then get out there and go for a ride.

Another Tall Truck Sighting

  As proof to substantiate my claim in my last post that the highly stacked van phenomenon was not exclusive to our neighbors, here is another sighting. Just after I posted my previous article on this topic I was down near Jma El Fna and I was lucky enough that a traffic light stopped this van for a photo op.

The Van

  The material this van is carrying is used to stuff the cushions on the Moroccan style couches. 

An Unconventional Move

  Things in Morocco are often done differently. This is not a bad thing it is just different. Like in the U.S. other than pizza or burgers we really do not eat food with our hands and never from a communal dish in the middle of the table. However, because of this we do not have Tajine or Couscous. 

  So, I cannot say that I was surprised when I looked out the window of our apartment and saw that our neighbors, who were moving, didn't have a U-Haul but were taking a different approach. They were using the tempting physics approach with a van.

The moving van

  It is always interesting driving down the road and seeing trucks piled so high occasionally tall trucks will even have cows, sheep, or goats on top. 

"Running" Errands

  Recently I have read several blogs discussing cyclists, not commuters but guys who really only use their bikes for exercise, using their bikes to run errands rather than just for training. I love this idea and have even occasionally run errands on my bike. However, as I was reading these blogs I began to think why can't I do this with my sport. Yeah I walk to the grocery store occasionally and walk to buy our fruits and vegetables from the guy who sells on the street here but why not actually do what the phrase says you are doing, "run errands?" I mean throw on my Sauconys, my shorts, dry wick shirt, grab a back pack, turn on the Garmin and run some errands. There have been occasions when my wife knew I was heading out for a run and she would ask me to pick up some things during my cool down but that’s not what I'm talking about here.

  So the other day I had something I needed to pick-up from a store on the fringe of the old market here in Marrakech and I had a six mile easy run to do but not enough time to do both. As I was thinking about whether I could put off this little errand one more day, I realized why not just run there buy what I needed and go home? This would be the perfect opportunity to try out my new excuse to go for a run.

  When I got home I grabbed a small running back pack that I bought last year in Spain (something like this), some money and headed out the door. I knew a route that would take me three miles to get to the store so off I went. One of the places I occasionally run is down by the old market, there is always so much to see. What I don't normally do is run down there after 5pm when everyone is driving or riding home. Traffic is nuts! But that is about what time my run was.

This is the kind of traffic I have to deal with all the time. Buses, taxis, cyclists, and donkey pulled carts.

One of the entrances to the old market

  I made it down there taking an easy pace and without any problems. After about a minute of looking for the store then explaining to the man what it was I needed I secured my purchase in my bag and headed off back home.

The store where I bought what I needed

 An old gate

Bab (Gate) Doukkala

  So how would I say my little experience in "running an errand" go? I'd say it went great. But I have come to realize the limitations associated with this kind of endeavor. Let me list a few:

1. Just as with a bike you are limited by the size of your bag. It is unlikely that you would have a pleasant experience doing this kind of shopping with a 35+ liter hiking pack (like this).
2. Carry something liquid and your likely to have problems especially if that something is a soda... think about that for a second.
3. People in the check-out line will think you're crazy, but many people already think that about your running already so who cares what they think. Just don’t use a towel in the store to wipe your sweat unless you plan to buy it.

  Well, I hope I've given you something to think about. Now get out there and run some errands.

Running Motivation

  Sometimes it is easy to get caught up in the excitement of doing something big, like your first half or full marathon or maybe your first ultra marathon. This is great but never forget that the process of training is a huge part of the experience and will either make or break you on race day. Miles upon miles (kilometers upon kilometers, for anyone outside the USA) you will spend more time training than you ever will racing so enjoy it. Now, get out there and run.