Howdy from El Paso, TX!

Run Stats:
Day: 400
Miles Completed: 1401.8
Miles to San Diego: 698.2
Avg Miles/Day: 3.5
Marathons Completed: 53.5
Longest Run Streak: 15 days
Shoes: Skora Fit/Skora Tempo
Playlist Favs: Chicago Greatest Hits, FM Static
Guest Runners: Molly Donovan

Bible Verse of the Day: "Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." - Isaiah 41:10

Run Reflections: Hey folks, lots to talk about today so I'll get right to it. Had a great run this morning with Molly who was home for the weekend from UF. We decided to do a "destination run" and got in a 6+ mile run to a cool little barista bar (Finns) located in a surf shop on the beach. The run and the company was a nice change from a solo run on one of the main loops or out and backs I normally do. Did I mention they have local craft beer on tap there too? Jody met us there and brought us home after. Overall it was a pretty good running week and I covered enough mileage to pass through the town of El Paso, a target I've been aiming for since the fall.

I also got an email this week for an upcoming virtual run that is being put on by World Vision in May 2017. It's called the Global 6K for Water and the participant entry fee ($50) goes to support World Visions water initiatives. Per their web site, "the 6K distance (3.72 miles) is the average distance that people in the developing world walk for water -- water that is often contaminated with life-threatening diseases." On Saturday, May 6th, 2017, people form around the globe will walk or run the average distance to support this important and extraordinary cause. I'm planning to sign up to support this and would welcome the opportunity to share this experience with others - either locally or virtually. Let me know if you'd like to participate. I've included a link to the event web site in case you have questions and/or are ready to sign up.

Global 6K for Water - Team World Vision

I haven't really run through a large city in quite a while so I was a little overwhelmed by the volume of information that was available. Provided below is a little info about the history of El Paso and some info on a really neat running club.

El Paso, TX: The texas escapes website states that: "The history and culture of El Paso dates back to 1598 and earlier. El Paso and Cuidad Juarez are the largest border cities on the Texas/Mexico border. The battles fought for control of Juarez during the Mexican Revolution were observed with great interest by El Pasoans who stood on freight cars to watch. The story is told that the victorious Francisco "Pancho" Villa (after accepting the surrender of Federal troops) invited the defeated General to dinner in El Paso. The defeated General accepted but they starting fighting again - this time over who would pay the check.

The El Paso of the 1870's and 80's also provided many chapters (many of them final chapters) in the lives of some of the most well-known Texas gunfighters. Dallas Stoudenmire, John Wesley (JW) Hardin, his assassin John Selman and Bass Outlaw to mention a few. JW Hardin is buried in El Paso's Concordia Cemetery."

Wikipedia reports that: the name "El Paso" is short for "El Paso del Norte" which is Spanish for "The Pass of the North." It is named for the pass the Rio Grande creates through the mountains on either side of the river. el Paso is located within the Chihuahuan Desert and the Franklin Mountains extend into El Paso from the north and nearly divide the city into two sections. I've included two pictures of El Paso from wikipedia, one a panoramic view and another of the downtown skyline - both provide views of these nearby mountains.

One of the things I like to look for when passing through a new town is the options for local races or running clubs. In reviewing this for El Paso, it looks like they have a very active and diverse running community with lots of local races of all distances and many options for clubs or groups. One of these is called "Run El Paso!" Per their web site, they describe themselves as: "a loose and friendly organization of people from the border area who share a common love of running." The group has training runs every day of the week and occasionally sponsors races. Group members range in age and ability "from beginners to regional stars" and "nearly all of us [them] run 5K neighborhood runs, half-marathons and marathons." They advertise that anyone is welcome to join them on any training run and also identify that: "we're a firendly lot, so don't be surprised if we [they] invite you to coffee or breakfast after our run!" I think if I were looking for a running club, this is exactly the kind of group I'd be looking for. I've included a link to their web site if you'd like to check them out.

Run El Paso

I hope you've enjoyed learning a little about this town and some of my recent running adventures. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to read these posts. Let me know if you're interested in the global 6K run in May.

Have a great week!

God Bless,

Pat