Strides for Stubby

Hi everyone!!!

So we finished our first ultra and lived to tell the tale!! On Sunday we ran the Chatsworth Freedom 52km and did quite impressively, considering the morning lead-up and the MILLIONS of hills right up to the finish. Darl, toeless but still strong, ran a solid 3:37, placing 35th out of over 5000 runners, and I ran 4:30, placing 5th for the ladies. Not bad, considering we both had several bathroom breaks in the bushes during the race (because we were stupid enough to eat curry the day before the race), then we missed the start because we were sorting our bibs. AND to top it off, I did a massive tumble with 200m to the finish, with everyone staring at me! Quite embarrasing. But we still managed to have a GREAT time in the race! We both made a bunch of new best friends and Darl now has a training partner that came 12th last year in Comrades!! Our other new friend, a coach named Colin, drove us to and from the race, budged through the huge pre-race line-ups to get us registered, and took us site-seeing after the race! Colin was third in the Comrades previously and ran a 5:45!!! So pretty much, we are hanging with the rockstars of ultras here in Durban!!

We also have moved into our new beautiful home for the month. We have a room in an old colonial house, with a brick oven, a pool with palm trees, a million rooms including a bar, a piano room, kitchen with an OVEN!!!, and a great old dog named Bonnie. All for only $700 for the month!!! And we have great new roommates, a bunch of germans, that are all moving out at the end of the month, leaving us with the place to ourselves!!! Doesn't get much better than this!!!

Life is good, and things aren't that scary in South Africa afterall. So don't worry, Mom and Dad!!!

Love you all!!!