To Be Broke, Brown, and Barefoot

Recently the conversation came up with my mom about the title of my blog. She asked when it started and I laughed, remembering exactly when it happened.

In 2009, Costa Rica was home base and I was traveling up to Nicaragua for a quick, one-week trip. The day before we were supposed to head back to CR, the border shut down. Fantastic.

I had $5.00 to my name until the border opened up three days later (no ATMs in Popoyo, FYI). In the meantime, I snuck into the internet cafe to assure my family I was safe, the surf was pumping, and I had plenty of money (uh-huh that's right).

Business was done, I snuck out, got halfway down the dirt road, and heard a man yelling after me, "You pay, you must pay!!!" All I could do was yell back "I'm soooorrrryyyyy!!" as I ran down the road in my bare feet with such guilt that I stole two minutes from this man's internet cafe.

While guilt struck, yet laughing, I realized I was literally broke, brown, barefoot, and I was happy. I spent the last $5.00 on a bottle of Flor de Caña (which I shared with the hostel staff in exchange for meals), got some of the best waves of my life and I wouldn't have done it any different.

The End.

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air." -Ralk Waldo Emerson

Groms, Kooks, and Creepers

Pascuales.
Big, heavy, hollow, fast, did I say heavy yet?

This wave is not for me but I've enjoyed watching Andrew and 10 year old "Pols" and his friend Alan.
Where Pol's name originated:
Rolando
Rollie Pollie
Pols

Yes, that's right, two 10 year olds surf this wave and I want nothing to do with it unless it's small (still throws me on my ass).

I've become quite fond of Pols, who is Kiwi Dave's son (the guy we're staying with). Dave is from New Zealand, married a Mexican and Pols is fluent in both languages.
Right out of a nap, Pols will stumble sleepily over to his bow and arrow, and when he's bored with that he'll come over to me and say in his kiwi accent, "Boom Boom Becca, do you want to go surfin' board ridin' or body wompin'?" Every day, he paints his face a different color with all 8 Zinkas we gave him.

Top: Pols, Andrew and Alan (10 years old!)
Bottom Left: Pols playfully snaking Andrew
Mid Right: Andrew being selective
Bottom Right: Pols and his war paint 

The rips here are unreal and they don't take long to sweep you out. The other day, Pols and I were swimming when I heard the whistle blow and I looked to the beach to see Pol's 16 year old brother sprinting towards the water with the other two life guards. I looked out and saw two guys being swept out to sea so I yelled at Pols to go in, then sprinted my way over to the guys
...on a full stomach and rum 'n coke. Fail.

I swam out to Juna (Pol's brother) and he told me to grab the guys arm and this guy just had a look of terror on his face when I told him we had to go "abajo" because two set waves were about to hit us.
I'd never been gripped onto so tightly.

Once we got them in, they told me it'd been 6 years since going to the beach and they weren't the best swimmers (ya think?) The lifeguard Carlos and I gave them a quick lesson on swimming out of rips and I tried not to throw up.
Don't want to waste a good rum n' coke.

I never realized some people don't know how to swim in the ocean (thank you, Mom for teaching me about rips at a young age!)

The thing about rips here, is they're super wide so it takes awhile to swim out of them. On my evening "body wompin'" session with Mr. Pols that same day, he got swept out super quick and I swam after him. Somehow, he scorpioned his little body out of it and passed right by me. By the time I got out, we were both exhausted but laughing about the irony of me saving someone from a rip earlier, then being taken away myself. Humility at it's finest as the ocean reminded me of it's unpredictable nature.

Top: Mexican fisherman, Dave and Pols
Bottom: Creepers watching me take photos, Lifeguards Simon and Carlos

I haven't left a quote or Bible verse at the end of my recent blogs so I'll leave you with one of each! Hasta luego amigos.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there'd be a shortage of fishing poles."
-Doug Larson

"Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds." - Matthew 6:25-26 MSG

Sugar Cane and Plantains

Running through sugar cane fields in San Luis Potosi is now a memory as I get acquainted with banana tree paradise in Tlapacoyan, Veracruz. The amount of open land in Mexico is beyond what I ever expected to find. At Minas Viejas in SLP, I could run as far as my legs would take me through sugar cane fields and hills overlooking green fields with horses and cows. One of my favorites there was through the fields at Rio Salto, and on our way out of town, we pulled over to the side of the road so I could capture this photo as a memory of that run.

Now in Tlapacoyan, we’ve unloaded the van to get cozy at Adventurec which is the most amazing place for kayakers to post up. Sleeping outside hasn’t been bad, but it’s definitely a treat to have a room with shelter from the rain. Weather here is cooler, yet still humid so the mosquitoes are most abundant and find every exposed part of my body to leave their mark. Besides my unmanageable curly hair, and pink calamine lotion on every piece of clothing, I really like it here and found a run I could definitely get used to. 

I dropped the boys and our new Australian/Kiwi friends off at the top of their kayak run, Big Banana, then parked it to go back and run the trail. It’s 6 miles of straight incline on dirt road surrounded with banana trees. An old lady picking bananas stopped me to ask where on earth I came from and why, the next guy told me I must be a gringa because only gringos were crazy to run, then a truck stopped and the asked if I needed a ride somewhere because apparently no one in these parts has seen people run without running from something. On my return back down the hill, the second guy was waiting for me with two oranges and insisted I ate them to stay nourished. As I ran by with a quick “gracias,” and a giggle, he shook his head in disbelief. I love Mexico. 

When the Boys are Away

If you’re wondering what I do while the boys are kayaking, here it is: drop them off at put-in, wait around for a few hours, pick them up at take-out, drive back up if they want to make the run again, wait another few hours, pick them up. This will go on for the next couple months, and yes, I do it for free with no complaints. Why? Oh please, let me tell you. 

Not only do I get a break from living with boys, I get to explore Mexico. Between yesterday and today, I’ve hiked to secluded pools, ran through sugar cane fields, and right now I’m drinking an ice cold Chelada overlooking a 100 foot waterfall. All these things done in peace and quiet (minus one crazy dog that chased me down in the sugar cane fields yesterday). Rabies shots-- check. 

“To sit in solitude, to think in solitude, with only the music of the stream and the cedar to break the flow of silence, here lies the value of wilderness.” -John Muir

Runaway Lunch Hour

Sometimes I need to check myself onto the asphalt. I've been super irritable lately and I seem to have forgotten a simple solution to my madness. I was out a couple months due to my hernia and I forgot how much running takes off the edge.

Today I decided to remember what makes me happy so I put on my dusty shoes and ran 6 miles on the LA river trail while adopting some epic new tan lines.

What's the best part of running at lunch you say? No one comes into my stinky office for the rest of the afternoon. GREAT success. Happy Friday!

February Love

Happy 30th Mom!! 

"you guys eat cake, I'll eat kale"

Love the Wine You're With

The photo to the left got me thinking about all the multiple meanings and while I love the connection to wine, it made me think about all the people in my life.

This last weekend, I went back up to San Francisco for a run put on by the SF Runner's Club. My friend Mike is trying to meet new people so the running club is a great tool.

We were running late after breakfast and in such a hurry to get to the starting line, we left Zeke and Christina who were lagging and told them to meet us there (which we all knew was unrealistic). About 3 miles in, trying to catch up to the club, it dawned on me: we had the only company we needed.

Zeke and Christina ended up doing the run on their own pace, enjoying the scenery and each others company while Mike and I were running a 6:30 pace, barely speaking to each other because we were trying to catch up to a bunch of people who we didn't know. By the end of it, we didn't even feel like meeting the rest of the club for beers and ended up with the people we originally left.

Sometimes the people we have been looking for are right in front of us but we're too busy in our lives trying to find them, we're blind to that realization. One of my pastor's back home taught me "the grass isn't greener on the other side; it's green where you water it."

When the Training Gets Tough, Bring the Baby

Nothing is worse than hitting a wall during training. I'm tired, grumpy, sore and unmotivated. Babies don't care when you're tired, they are always up for an adventure so my niece was enough motivation to get me out for a run. We went up behind sis's house in La Verne which is such an awesome place to train for hilly courses. I've been training for Wildflower and Vineman which both have a lot of hills so I figure with the hills combined with added stroller/baby weight, I'd have a good workout. Here's a few photos with my coach and I ;-) 

You can do it Uncle Buck!

Giving me a pep talk before I charge a hill

Long gradual hill that goes for miles

This guy didn't make it to the top

One day she'll be my running partner :-)