Tempo and Floating and Hiking oh My!

Wow was yesterday a long day! Up before 6 to get to the track, and back just before midnight from our day of touring. I guess its a good thing that my next two days are relatively easy, at least running wise.

Yesterday morning we headed back to the Olympic stadium where I had my first of two pre race workouts while in Israel - a 20 minute tempo. Usually I do tempos on the track, but with a really nice path at my disposal and my garmin to tell my pace, I considered going on the path to keep myself controlled. One of my roommates - Jordan, offered to join me for part of my tempo. Jordan is one of if not the best athletes here on the Men's side. A Haverford graduate, he is headed out to the Oregon Track Club as soon as he gets back and has run 13:59 for 5k and 3:45 (4:03 mile equiv.) for 1500. I was happy to have him join me as I expected he would be quite a bit better at knowing pace than I.

Jordan took the first mile, and we were a little quick especially for the first 400-800 but then we settled in. I took the second miles and he was right on my heels, I could tell he wanted to go faster, so when he took over for the third mile I just let him go. I finished the 20 minutes on my own, feeling good and having averaged a bit faster than I initially planned (under 5:30s). Overall I am very happy with my workout and it shows I am adjusting to the weather etc. quite well.

When we got back to the Kibbutz, we had a little bit of time before heading out for a very long day/night. We left around 12:30pm and would not get back till just before midnight. Our long journey to and through the desert was set to begin.

We traveled through the west bank on our way to the dead sea which while I am sure I have done before, I never really recognized. It was an interesting feeling, but like most places our bus was let through security rather easily knowing we were with the Maccabiah. Finally after 2+ hours in the bus, we arrived well below sea level to the Dead Sea - the lowest place on the earth. There was even a sign signifying when we went below sea level, but I couldnt catch it in time...oh well.

While I have been to the Dead Sea twice before, there is one thing I have never done...put on the mud. This time, I was not going to let the experience escape me. I covered everything except my face (I had to draw the line somewhere) and then floated around in the Dead Sea. It is so cool everytime. You just take a few steps out and then just lay back and float. For the runners out there, this would be the greatest place to aqua jog in the world. The sea is 35% saline...this compares to a normal sea/ocean which is just 3% saline.

It was getting later into the afternoon and hotter as well...the perfect time for a hike around a moutain in the desert. But this was not just any mountain, this was Masada so the fact that it was 40 degrees C (104 F) would just have to be ignored. Thankfully we took the cable car up the mountain, which was new to me as both previous times, I had hiked, this was a welcome first for me. We toured around to see all of the former palaces and other building that once stood on Masada and saw some of the most beautiful views I have ever witnessed.

Finally we ended the night at a Bedouin Camp. This was quite a bit different than on Birthright (although very possible it was the same place). It seemed like I was in the Israeli version of Colonial Williamsburg. It appeared as this place was very commercial, as it had shops and electricity etc. My assumption was that it was an Israeli owned tourist attraction (the business cards on the tables helped with this hypothesis). Never-the-less it was a fun experience. Being a picky eater I only nibbled at the main meal but was able to snack on some bread, and cookies and dried fruit while looking at Camels (no riding them this time around). The night was finished with a dance party with a Bedouin band (playing some Israeli songs I actually knew/remembered) and then off for a long bus ride (aka nap time) back to the Kibbutz.

Today we did not go to the track because of the Holy Day Tish B'Av which means 9th day of the Month of Av. This is basically a day when many terrible events in Jewish History have occured. In fact both Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed on this same day, many years apart. It is appropriate that we head back to Jerusalem today to visit Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial) and other somber sites)

Let's not forget the word of the day from yesterday...Mahyeem - this means Water. Water was very important yesterday. I had to drink a lot of it and I swam/floated in it. I will be drinking a lot of Mahyeem everyday because it seems the cold spell (80-90 F) is over.