Mazoezi kwanza

Today is a very good day. I just returned from my first run in Tanzania. I have been here over 4 months now and just last week really got an itch, feeling like I needed to run. I have been rather faithful in Yoga and Pilates in the mornings, but with my bum ankle was worried about running here because there are so many rocks and holes. Also, I have been at kind of a low point the fast few days (partly attributed to 4 days in a row of waiting for elephants without seeing them) and really felt like I needed an endorphin fix. So, I set out. The plan was to run 15 minutes out and 15 back for a 30 minute total run. Well, the first 15 minutes I felt like I was flying even though the majority was uphill, so I thought, why not 20 out? I am sure glad I decided to go farther because at 19:37 on my watch, I saw elephants! So, I stopped running, watched them (from down-wind, of course) and stretched a bit before going back. As soon as I turned around I realized why it seemed like I was flying before. The wind hit me like a wall. On the way back, I must have stopped to walk 3 or 4 times to walk a bit and catch my breath. So, total running time=37:19. Not bad for the first time in 4.25 months. And now, I am going to rush to the waterhole in hopes that the group of elephants I saw were heading in that direction. There will definitely be a repeat of today's activities. The endorphins are hitting me just now :).