As the snow falls (again), the Cruise to Run Caribbean is now a memory. It's a fantastic program, and Jerry/Jody Friesen do an outstanding job of integrating the local community at each island. I was pretty underwhelmed with the Princess Cruise Line (food, service, and the ship itself were fair at best, and a noticeable step down from Royal Caribbean), but for the most part, loved the Southern Caribbean ports. Here's the day-by-day story.
Puerto Rico Prelude
Arrived in San Juan on Saturday afternoon....I've never been here before, and wasn't wildly impressed, but enjoyed Old San Juan, a really vibrant spot for both the touristy stuff and a little authenticity (like a salsa band playing to retirees who were shaking their bon bons like Ricky Martin himself). Also, some great mojitos at J-Taste Sushi (who knew?!?!). Our attempts at Puerto Rican excursions were 0-for-2, unfortunately. Moonlight kayaking with bioluminescent organisms lighting up the water was scrapped after the tour company was a no-show. And, our search for Pinky's (supposedly a great brunch spot) was eschewed when we got close to some rough neighborhoods. I did see this super-cool graffiti, though.
The C2R orientation was really helpful, giving us a day-by-day schedule. Also, swag is nice; we got a black technical zip-up top, and a fuel belt (which will come in handy for me since I keep losing bottles with my fuel belt at home).
Day 1 (St. Thomas/St. John)
C2R kicked off with a "Prediction Run," a 5K, the goal for which was to predict one's finish time in advance. No watches allowed. As it turns out, I've done 2 holiday-themed 5Ks in the past two months, both within 30 seconds of each other, so I came into this with a fairly high level of confidence about my prognosticative (is that a word?) abilities.The race itself was a rolling-hilled out-and-back near the ship terminal and the airport (read: lots of exhaust fumes from taxis, etc.). Not the most scenic run, but the local schoolkids in their natty uniforms (and with their steel drum band) were cheering. Also got some "well done" cheers from the locals. The highlight was when we ran by what looked like a one-room open-air schoolhouse, when all the kids were at the windows cheering.
Soooo....Turns out I "misunderestimated" the slowing effect of intense heat. I predicted a 24:15 (giving myself less than a minute's lag from recent 5Ks), but I ran a 26:05. I am mediocre at best in predicting 5Ks. On the up side, though, I got 2nd of 9 in my age group. Running with a bunch of Canadians even less acclimated to the heat than I am has its privileges.
The rest of the day turned out to be a bit of a goat rodeo, albeit with a few bright spots. We busted butt to run back to the ship clean up, and get back into town to make an 11am ferry to St. John, only to find out the next one didn't leave till 1pm. Not gonna work when your cruiseship leaves St. Thomas at 5. So we took a taxi (driven by an Island mama who applied lipstick while doing 50 over roughly-paved mountain roads) to Red Hook, guzzled an Amstel Light in about 10 minutes (a new PR), got the mahi-mahi sandwich to go, and took the ferry.
St. John (2/3 of which is a national park) lived up to its reputation...unspoiled, lush, and generally dreamy. Another cab ride to Trunks Bay Beach, only to find out that (a) snorkeling was off limits because of rough surf, and (b) swimming was discouraged because of same. :( Still, lifeguards were plentiful, and others were in the water, so I flung myself in for a little open-water swim (OWS).
Made it back to the ship just in time for setting sail, and for free drinks with C2R.
Day 2 (Tortola/BVI)
Ran 6K up steep mountain, and our efforts led us to this view.
Joined a few others for another 4K to make it even.Sail/snorkel to Norman & Peter's Islands. Saw needlenose fish, ray, and lotsa coral. Rum punch!
Watched 500 Days of Summer under the stars on the ship....Loved it!
Day 3 (Antigua)
We hit the sweet spot today, pretty much from start to finish.Definitely our best day yet.Started with an 8-mile out-and-back from St. John (the "big city," and about the size of a small town in the US) to Fort Barrington.The local govt welcomed us, and our book donations to the library. At the turn-around point, we scrambled up Fort Barrington, which the locals used to fight off the French.
This was our Antiguan pace car, blasting reggae the whole way. Pretty nifty.
Then it was back for a quick lunch, and watching the first 30 minutes of "Up" on the Lido Deck big screen.I tagged along with pro triathlete Lisa Bentley, who led a group of about 20 on a beach/OWS jaunt to Dickenson's Bay. Amazing swimming, and such a nice change of pace from the black line at the bottom of the Providence pool. Also, a Wadadli Beer (the Antiguan/Barbudan national beer, advertised everywhere) made it Irie.My friend/bunkie Lynn did our laundry (thanks Lynn!!), which was a huge help at the halfway point of this laundry-intensive jaunt.
Day 4 (St. Lucia)
Started the day with a shoe donation, then a 5-miler from the busy port/capital city of Castries to Vigie Lighthouse and back. Great views from the top....Laid out a bit too much today....Got a little burned....Angela, Julie and I took a jaunt to Reduit Beach, which started by us getting accosted by about 10 aggressive gypsy cabbies. Not fun. Reduit turned out to be a dud....Reminded me of Jones Beach or Ocean City (wall-to-wall chairs, tacky tourist shops). Again, aggressive vendors, and locals puffing funny-smelling stuff, but we made the best of it with the local Piton Beer.Even a bad day at the beach is still pretty good.Had a C2R group photo, then went to a talk by Lisa Bentley (11-time Ironman champ, and a person living with cystic fibrosis). She has such a fantastic outlook about the transformative power of sport.
Day 5 (Barbados)
The last official C2R, the Barbados 5K, was today @ 10am, with the tropical sun already beating down & temps in the 80s. Still, my legs felt relatively fresh after 4 runs, and I was hopeful that acclimating to the heat would help my time.The race was the real thing, with a certified course, a finish line clock, and lots of locals (schoolkids and adults) joining us.I misunderstood the starting instructions & didn't set my watch (vacation brain clearly settling in by this point), so I ran comfortably hard. I passed Lisa Bentley slightly after the halfway point; surely she had already put in a full workout before the race. Also passed a few of the Bajan schoolkids. I finished in 23:48, the same as the Turkey Trot almost to the second, and about 2 minutes faster than Monday's Prediction Run 5K in St. Thomas.It was terrific to see how the Bajan schoolkids put the shoes C2R donated to good use........and I made new friends among the Barbados Defense Force athletic team........and with a local Caribe warrior.
Hobnobbed with a running celebrity....
(that's Runners' World Chief Running Officer Bart Yasso; we said "Yasso 800s!" instead of "Cheese!" when this shot was taken. You can see that I was very happy to finally use that line after waiting all week; a little marathon humor....).
Turns out I got 3rd in my age group....Here's marathon great Dick Beardsley giving me a medal. (with Bart Yasso and Lisa Bentley at his sides).......
...And here I am with my friend and Zmate Julie, who won her age group (go Julie!)....
After a quick sandwich in downtown Bridgetown, we went to Carlisle Bay for a 1.5K OWS, the longest of the trip. No photos from this one, but (a) the water was turquise and beautiful; and (b) the rum punch was strong!!I picked up some last-minute souveniers for family, colleagues, and myself, and said goodbye to this lovely island.I got a mug for myself. The Bajans have a super cool flag & it will be a great reminder of this fantastic place with my morning coffee.
Another race to keep in mind....Barbados Marathon, anyone?
Bart Yasso gave a super talk about his "life on the run," and seems incredibly excited to conquer Comrades this spring with his wife. I have a feeling they will.
http://www.bartyasso.com/Day 6 (at sea)
Time to relax, get a last bit of sun, and say goodbye to our new friends....Lots of Canadians, plus Michelle and Becca from PA, and Jill and Mark from Maine.
Big thanks to my friends Angela, Julie and Lynn for organizing, and to the Friesens for putting on an amazing tour.
