Korima Run Day 5 - Karine Burgess - My Motivation

"You don't wanna go? Come on, I'll run with you".

So we went. That's how simple and beautiful my life has been, for almost a year now. I could say she's my inspiration, or my dream girl, or the woman of my life. All that would be true. But what's most amazing, most wonderful and most uplifting is, she's my best friend.

She knows me inside and out, and has been in my life for many years. We've gone through a lot together, as friends, and last fall we decided to try and be together, together. And life has been so very good.

You are beautiful, compassionate, gentle and kind. You make living around you a real treat, with your little attentions and your good words. And you're funny as hell and you cook like a chef :) There's not enough words to tell you how much I love you. You're my treasure.

Karine Burgess, this run in the sun was as delightful as everything else we do together; it was simple, it was honest, and it was one more of these little things that make me yours, without a second thought. You're my red thread.

Korima Run Day 4 - Marc Seguin - El Kodiak

This literally looks like a bad picture
from a Walmart photo shop preset :)

This is one guy who doesn't need any introduction. He's been my running partner, adventure companion and friend for many years. He's seen the best and the worst of me. There isn't much he doesn't already know, and he's still around :)

Marc Seguin works hard and a lot. He travels North America, driving his big truck to pick up and deliver all sorts of things. Even in times of quarantine, he crosses the border back and forth to keep the supply lines going. And that means I hadn't seen him in a loooooooong time. So when he told me he would be parked overnight in an industrial area not too far, waiting for his early morning delivery, very bad plans involving ridiculous waking times were quickly made :)

Karine, always one to join in the adventure, said her foot was good enough to run a little. So we got up what felt like 15 minutes after going to bed, brewed some hot coffee and headed out before sun up, in what's starting to look like a weird habit of sleep deprivation over the past couple days.

Social distancing was unnecessary, since he never leaves his truck while traveling. So we hugged long and hard, in what seemed to be a waaaaay overdue little meet up, and the best possible occasion for him to finally get to meet Karine in person :)

Never mind that we ran between ugly industrial factories, empty parking lots and over highways. Running felt as good as it always did, and we still found a cool spot for a picture; an old beaten-up train track.

The Korima Run is in its 4th day now, and the connection is real. I got news that our friends in the Barrancas are running a Rarajipare, a traditional ball race, and it feels good to know that we all, runners from everywhere, are offering our footsteps in support :)

So, Andale! Let's keep going !

Korima Run Day 3 - Patrick Sweeney - Corona!

OK, I'd set out for my Korima Run with another friend in mind, but life seemed adamant on reminding me of another one. See, the day has been glorious here and the warm weather plus some heavy yard work made me pretty thirsty and running... for the fridge.

I grabbed a first beer, a suitably-named Corona, and a couple handfuls of nachos, thinking I'd get right back to work. But first thing I knew, I was two Coronas down and my pickax motivation had reached an all-time low.

"I better get my run in", I thought, knowing full-well that the best of my day was rapidly getting behind me. I found a pair of shorts, a t-shirt and my old beat-up Lunas and, as I was heading out the door, dragging my feet, my Karine asked "Does someone need motivation?". I knew she couldn't come because she slightly injured her left ankle running her first 5k earlier this week. "I'll just take my bicycle", she said, with that lovely smile. I was super happy.

A couple hundred yards in the run, my slouching belly full of beer started to bloat to maximum discomfort, and I was reminded of my always painful, but always fun, beer miles. So naturally, I started thinking of Sweeney :)

I love Patrick Sweeney because he chose fun and the enjoyment of life over material possessions. I love that he always wants to play something, to plan some shenanigans or to go out and do something fun. He is a wonderful chef, too, and a great friend.

Sweeney pretty much invented the beer mile, which consists of chugging a beer, running a quarter mile, then repeating that 3 other times to attain maximum stupidity. But he also invented the Leadville Rock Golf Invitational (I hope I got the name right) which consists of throwing rocks at various distances with an unclear purpose and following whimsical challenges along the way. And hundreds of other colorfully-named games like Shower Shots or Find The Chicken.

So as I was slushing around today, trying to look like a runner, I just did what Sweeney does and enjoyed the moment. And I almost heard him tell me "Corona? That's not beer! It's a yellow fizzy drink." And I smiled and I thought of my friend, who's always somewhere doing something fun. Run free, amigo, and see you soon!!