GO! BUG! GO!

6:00 AM, the alarm sounds and Linda rolls out of bed. I pull the covers up and roll over. It's the morning of the annual 10k that Linda runs in and she busies herself getting prepared. It's been raining steadily since yesterday morning and it doesn't look like it will let up at all.

Getting to this point for Linda to have a number and run as a participant in this 10k was somewhat of an ordeal. When she went in to register and pay her entrance fee, she was told that the run was full and they had stopped taking any more runners. The gentleman (Gilberto) she talked to knew Linda from past years and he could tell she was disappointed. This was the 6th annual running of this event and she had run in all five previous races.

In classic Mexican fashion, the fellow did not want to disappoint Linda. He took her name and phone number and told her that he would see what he could do to get her registered.

Two days later Linda was running and she heard her name called from the other side of the street. She looked and there he was waving his hands, smiling a big smile. He told her that he had found a number (someone had canceled) and that she was in the run. He asked if she could go and get everything into the computer right then and she said of course.

He tried to explain where she had to go but with his broken English and Linda's broken-er Spanish, he finally took her by the hand and loaded her up in his car and drove her to the business that was taking care of race entrances. All this happened right in the middle of Linda's daily run, so there she was dripping with sweat and smiling. In the end, she got registered but had to run home and gather her entrance fee, which she ran back and paid.

Last night, the night before the run, it was pouring out. Larry from next door had told Linda that he would drive her into town to pick up her packet so she would not get soaked.  It took Linda about two hours to pick up her packet. Half way through the process she sent Larry home because it was taking so long. Her description of the organization was "pure chaos".

 Linda left the house at about 7:30 AM today, I rolled out of bed about ten minutes later. The race started at 8:00 AM and it was pouring.  I waited about ten minutes, found an umbrella, and then went out onto the playa to watch the runners go by.  Within about two minutes the first lead runners came onto the beach and headed my way.  I was joined by Maggie as the race progressed. We scanned the runners and Linda appeared, she was wet but looked determined to conquer the beach. As she went by I took some pictures and yelled my traditional "GO! BUG! GO!"

As she moved on down the beach I returned to the house and waited for her arrival. The rain subsided and soon I heard her at the door. She was wet, she was tired, but she had finished her 6th Costalegre, Jalisco, Mexico 10k!