Dubai for Fun

Amazingly efficient and comfortable mass transit in Dubai – the way to really see and experience this emerging desert oasis city

My fav airline whisked me up from my Quorn cottage to BHX and back in a classy, seamless travel flow…..

After blasting off 42kms to complete the Dubai marathon, I took a few days to hang out and get some R&R.

One of the coolest things about running marathons is that after the run, you are totally famished, and ready to gorge for a few days of well deserved gluttony.

After the race, I met up with my Egyptian pal Wael at the Hadoota Masreya Restaurant & Café. Wael and I worked together for 3 years in Nigeria. It was great to visit with him and go over the crazy times we had together. Lots of gossip about people. LOL!

An even bigger treat than the gossip was the spirited catch-up chat we had on world affairs. I’ve always valued Wael’s perspectives on mideast history and culture. It is very enlightening for an American to hear perspectives on US foreighn policy from an educated and thoughtful Egyptian. We’ve always had wide-ranging discussions on these things, and I hope we continue our dialogue. I think he equally enjoys hearing directly from a real American, who has various perspectives and beliefs regarding global affairs, which aren’t picked up in mass media outlets.

According to Wael, the country to pay attention to in the Mideast today is Turkey.

Wael treated me to an amazing Egyptian meal at the Hadoota Masreya Restaurant & Café, in Dubai. Can’t remember the name of this dish, but it is the Egyptian equivalent to English Bread Pudding

Silver Eagle Restaurant is not a lavish eating place. It’s more sort of a cafeteria style venue and produces delicious and worthy Pakistani and Asian food. Therefore, it has pretty casual settings, where staff provides decent service as well. You can find a good variety of Pakistani dishes on reasonable rates at this venue. The restaurant offers decent portions of karhais, handis, rice, bbq and etc. Because of the quality food and exceptional services, Silver Eagle Restaurant is quite famous among the locals especially among the working class, who keep this place busy often during lunch hours.
Contact: +971 4 265 0994

The race was on Friday, and after loading up on Egyptian chop that night, I took the the streets of Dubai on Saturday. Bought a day pass for the Dubai Rapid Transist System. A great way get around a very diverse and spread out Dubai.

My hotel:

The Mövenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach lies in the heart of one of Dubai’s newest dynamic and most lively urban locations, Jumeirah Beach Residence. This 5-star hotel is modern, chic and contemporary all in one, featuring lively dining and entertainment options, expansive recreational and modern meeting, conference and banqueting facilities and is only few steps away from the beach of the stunning Arabian Gulf.

Great location in a growing area of highrise condos hotels and shopping malls. I enjoyed strolling around in the balmy (24C/79F) weather.

I’ll end here, but came away with a much better feeling for the UAE as a nice place to get away for a couple days/weeks/months of sun and fun in the winter. Not sure I’d be a resident, especially in August (temps +50c!!!). But a great place, to meet up with global friends from around the world.

Thanks Emirates Air.

 

Another Year(s) Older

Happy 59th cuppa from Dr. Mike – click to see the classy Murray tartan around the rim.

Having just celebrated (?) a birthday, I found this recent posting from my fav blogging Doctor (Dr, John Mandrola, from Louisville, KY) thought provoking.

100 is the new 80…If you are good to yourself (and lucky)

Posted: 01 Feb 2014 05:45 AM PST

“There has been a change in your prescription,” said the eye doctor, a wise and bald man, who could have been mistaken for an economics professor at Princeton.

“It’s improved?” the 30 year-old cardiologist asked. Better, improved, always the reflex for athletic cardiologists.

“Doctor…you have been to the pinnacle and passed it. Your eyes, like the rest of your body, are on the downward side.”

Damn aging. The creases, the sags, the morning kinks, and the children on bikes who ride away from you as if they are on a motorbike.

Then there is Frenchman Robert Marchand.

The phrase I like to use when leaving the exam room of arrhythmia patients: “Be good to yourself.”

Likely, Mr Marchand is no Rabbit Angstrom.

JMM

http://www.drjohnm.org/2014/02/100-is-the-new-80-if-you-are-good-to-yourself-and-lucky/

Also, just saw a CNN story about a 99 year old Japanese woman who is a world class endurance swimmer. She got started in the sport while still a youthful 83!

Check out video at: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/09/world/asia/japan-on-the-road-elderly/index.html?iref=allsearch

I guess I wouldn’t mind living to be 100 years old. So long as I don’t run out of $$$ – and can keep running marathons!

“Anything worth doing is going to be difficult,” says Fauja Singh, the 100-year-old runner who this week became the world’s oldest person to complete a full-length marathon, crossing the line at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront event in eight hours, 25 minutes and 16 seconds. (And he didn’t finish last: five came in after him.)

 

 

Dubai Marathon

Due to camera angle, my image is not visible in this picture…..trust me, it was a battle all the way to the finish line!

Splits

	Time Of Day	Time	Diff	min/km	km/h
10km	08:02:06	00:58:15	58:15	05:50	10.30
HALF	09:04:38	02:00:47	01:02:32	05:39	10.65
30km	09:57:30	02:53:38	52:51	05:57	10.11
Finish	11:09:21	04:05:30	01:11:52	05:54	10.18

I got off to a slower than desired start, as the left hammy was talking to me…..once I fully warmed up, started to move out. I wanted to break 4 hours, but it wasn’t in me today. Training slacked off over Christmas break, and I didn’t get long runs in as planned.

Course was long, flat and boring (out and back). Temps were cool 15c, but humid. Legs are throbbing now, but a nice bath and some panadol should settle things down for my Egypt party tonight.

All in all, I’m happy with the result.

One of the most boring marathon courses I’ve run (yes, you were correct Barene).

closing in on the finish line

 

Lifestyle Updates

My trusty espresso pot has been all over the world with me. Some slight leaking at the mid seal has been remedied with a liberal dose of hemp oil applied.

My latest after run concoction is a tab of Kona Kola Nuun electrolytes with a splash of Rochester ‘Old Jamaica Recipe’ Dark Ginger. Very tasty…..

And to relax without too much decadance, I’ve started mixing Bikram Balance with the local brew. I’m hoping that the healthy greens from the Balance offsets the beer’s bloat. Let’s just say it is an acquired taste……

Yoga Toes – my latest attempt to take time off of my marathon results. Got these babies for Christmas. Strange to wear at first, but after a while, the stretch they give my toes is quite pleasurable.

Found this cool expandable table at IKEA and it works great in my cozy little cottage in Quorn.

 

 

Running into 2014

I see that I’ve got a few additional gadgets to add to my collection if I’m going to be at the top of my trot in 2014…..

 

 

Stu, my work colleague in the UK, sent me this amusing picture. As Stu’s an avid technology-wonk (and an extreme capitalist), I expect that he’ll build me a Bitcoin generator too…..

2013 was a mediocre year of running for me. Too much chaotic moving around kept me from settling into a good routine for training. Highlight of the year was running the Bayshore Marathon with my jockette daughter. The finish time wasn’t anything to brag about (4:02), but it is always a treat to run in the hometown event – and beat Hannah!

2014 should hopefully be a bigger year for running. Will start out with the Dubai marathon in late January. Barene, my ace running side kick from Lagos (via SA) tells me it is one of the least exciting races she’s ever run. Flat, boring course, with mediocre support along the way. For me, having the race in front of me has been a motivation to keep the training up during the holiday season – and to keep the food and drink under control. It also allows me to burn off a bunch of Emirate Air Miles accumulated during my numerous Lagos/UAE flying days in Nigeria.

I’m pretty excited at getting accepted to run the Berlin marathon on 28 September. The course is scenic and flat, with temperatures normally cool, so it has a reputation for being a very enjoyable run. Afterward, the party scenes of Berlin are supposed to be great fun – even for an aging old runner like me.

 

Berlin is one of the BIG 5 marathons (along with Boston, NYC, Chicago and London). Assuming I reach the finish line, I will have completed 4 of 5 (missing Chicago). Running the BIG 10 marathons (the BIG 5 + Paris, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Rotterdam and Honolulu) is on my Bucket List.

To fill in the running calendar, I’m looking for something(s) in spring and summer. Will try to get into The Great North Run here in the UK (Newcastle) and will look for something in June/July up in Scotland, as we’ll be attending  Wahala Boy and Petra-babe’s wedding in June. Maybe some of the Lagos running gang will be up for a little trot, wearing our festive kilts?

Kevin (aka Wahala Boy) and his lovely fiance Petra (aka Petra-babe).

 

 

 

 

 

Spechen sie Berlin?

If I can stagger across the finish line at Berlin, I’ll have done 4 of the BIG 5 marathons……

A welcome arrival to my inbox this week…….summary translation: I’m accepted to run the 2014 Berlin Marathon!

Herzlichen Glückwunsch!

Liebe(r) John Murray,

die Vor-Registrierungsphase ist beendet, die Lostrommel wurde eifrig gerührt und die Gewinner unter 74.707 Bewerbern gezogen. Wir freuen uns Ihnen mitzuteilen, dass Sie für einen Startplatz ausgelost wurden und somit am 41. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2014 teilnehmen können!

Ihre Registrierung in 3 Schritten:

1 ) Wann: 04.11.2013 – 11.11.2013 / 24:00 Uhr

2 ) Über folgenden Link erreichen Sie Ihr Anmeldeformular: https://portal.mikatiming.de/event/scc-events/marathon/2014/de/

3 ) Anmeldung/Login:
Bitte geben Sie Ihre persönlichen Zugangsdaten ein:
Benutzer: john.murray
Passwort: xxxxxxx

Die Registrierung ist nur über den voran genannten Login möglich (nicht über Ihr etwaig vorhandenes Teilnehmerkonto). Sie werden automatisch in Ihren vorbereiteten, personalisierten Datensatz weitergeleitet – die Weitergabe Ihres Startplatzes an Dritte ist weder möglich noch erlaubt!

Wichtige Hinweise:

– Ohne eine Registrierung im oben genannten Zeitraum ist keine Teilnahme am 41. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON möglich!
– Wenn Ihre Anmeldungen nicht bis zum 11.11.2013 / 24:00 Uhr durchgeführt worden ist, werden Ihre Login-Daten gesperrt und Ihr Startplatz an Nachrücker weitergegeben.

Für Rückfragen wenden Sie sich bitte an: info@scc-events-com.

Wir freuen uns, Sie am 28. September 2014 zum 41. BMW BERLIN-MARATHON zu begrüßen!

Ihr SCC Events-Team

Bleiben Sie auf dem Laufenden über unsere Veranstaltungen und abonnieren Sie unseren Newsletter:
http://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/news-und-media/newsletter.html
Im Anschluss erhalten Sie eine E-Mail, in der Sie dann die Anmeldung des Newsletters bestätigen müssen.

Running by the Numbers

Finisher Medals from around the world……

Race bib numbers since coming to Nigeria……..

2012 was a big year of running for me.

I started 2012 a little pudgy after a fun Christmas / New Years in London and Tanzania. During the year I polished off 2 Ultra marathons – 2 Oceans (Cape Town) and Comrades (Durban). Both are iconic ‘bucket runs’. Knocked them both down with respectable times (5:55 and 10:47) for an old oyibo.

Did a fun 1/2 marathon in Ghana, that was tougher than it was supposed to be. Finished the year with the Amsterdam Marathon, cranking off a 3:59:59. Wifey flew across to party down with me and the Lagos runners after the event.

I want to thank my great running friends here in Lagos. Without our commitment and encouragements, I don’t think I could have pulled this off.

Ghana Margaret – produces screams of pain and occasional pleasure out of the aging oyibo sportster almost every weekend.

And Ghana Margaret gets credit for keeping the wheels loose and spinning with her regular SPORTS massages.

No serious injuries, a few embarrassing bouts with sickness – probably my biggest challenge was maintaining a running schedule while traveling frequently. But like most addicted runners, I’ve mastered the art of packing with running gear, and slipping in runs, no matter where I’m visiting.

Those who know me, won’t be surprised that I very anally log all of my running and fitness time. Also track my weight daily (first thing in the morn, buck naked, after relieving my bladder…), my heart rate (average) and calorie burn rate (both coming from my Polar Heart Rate Monitor – I don’t run without it!).

From the tables below (top = 2011, bottom = 2012), it is clear I ramped it up a bit in 2012. The trick for an older runner is to keep the momentum moving, without going too hard/too far, and causing an injury.

I’ve learned that running in the Lagos heat/humidity makes you tough! If you can run for +3 hours in temps greater than 28C/86F, you can do a lot of things that you didn’t expect (like run the hills of South Africa).

In late 2012 I started swimming and biking. The swimming builds core / upper body strength and feels great. Biking is just a blast to do around Lagos. Urban trail riding. Doesn’t do much to my aerobic fitness, by my thighs are stronger (and stiffer).

Totals		3,721	10,755	1,297		136,154	14,476
Average	172.69	71.56	206.83	24.93	144.23	2618.35	278.39
Min	168.40	0.00	0.00	0.00	133.00	0.00	0.00
Max	177.40	180.00	378.00	45.00	155.00	5399.00	528.00
2011	weight	other	run mins	run miles	hr ave	tot cals	total mins

Totals		2,967	10,874	1,315			13,841
Average	169.58	57	209	25.29	145	2645	266
Min	164.23	0	0	0.00	132	0	0
Max	175.80	165	467	63.00	151	5875	567
2012	weight	other	run mins	run miles	hr ave	tot cals	total mins

One Running Shoe in the Grave

My running Hero: Fauja Singh (age 100) running Toronto Marathon

 

Today’s WSJ had an article about the potential problems that older endurance athletes may encounter. Little problems like they may die sooner than expected because their bodies get worn out from all their endurance training. It’s a pretty interesting read. Click on the link to check it out.

http://professional.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323330604578145462264024472.html?mod=WSJPRO_hpp_MIDDLE_Video_Third#articleTabs%3Darticle

One Running Shoe in the Grave

New Studies on Older Endurance Athletes Suggest the Fittest Reap Few Health Benefits

In a five-kilometer race Thanksgiving morning, Ralph Foiles finished first in his age group, earning the 56-year-old Kansan a winner’s medal.

Or was it a booby prize?

A fast-emerging body of scientific evidence points to a conclusion that’s unsettling, to say the least, for a lot of older athletes: Running can take a toll on the heart that essentially eliminates the benefits of exercise.

“Running too fast, too far and for too many years may speed one’s progress toward the finish line of life,” concludes an editorial to be published next month in the British journal Heart.

Until recently, the cardiac risk of exercise was measured almost exclusively by the incidence of deaths during races. For marathoners, that rate was one in 100,000—a number that didn’t exactly strike fear. Moreover, data showed that runners generally enjoyed enormous longevity benefits over nonrunners.

What the new research suggests is that the benefits of running may come to a hard stop later in life. In a study involving 52,600 people followed for three decades, the runners in the group had a 19% lower death rate than nonrunners, according to the Heart editorial. But among the running cohort, those who ran a lot—more than 20 to 25 miles a week—lost that mortality advantage.

In the reader’s comments section, I felt obliged to say the following:

• John Murray Wrote: (your comment)

So what? DNA, total lifestyle, geography, etc….all have some impact on when ‘the last day comes’. Who cares! As a 57 year old endurance athlete, I accept that I’m slowing down (but still can keep up with a lot of runners 10 – 15 years younger than me). I do my running/biking/swimming because it’s fun, it makes me feel good, I can eat/drink with relative abandon, and it diverts me from other much less healthy activities (i.e., drinking, television, smoking, etc…). I don’t do this stuff so that I might live a theoretical 234.8 days longer. When the big guy decides to throw the ‘off’ switch on me, I’ll be ready……..and smiling!

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The Runners Party

The Lagos Road Runners had a big year of running this year, so it was time to celebrate. Invited everyone over to my place to celebrate our successes. We had about 50 peeps show up, not all of them runners. The food was superb, the entertainment excellent (Yinka sang on and off between DJ music), the the gist was hilarious. The Runners all look much different when they’re not drenched and wearing silly clothes.

Chocolate Gurls Rule! from left, Bukky overcame numerous obstacles to get herself across the finish line at this year’s Amsterdam marathon; Patty Gurl impressed everyone with her first half marathon in London. Ebeli tackled Dubai earlier this year, and is now chomping to take on 2Oceans next year. These girls are tuff and don’t let anything stop them.

Always ready to roll, Rickety Bridge Rick, did 2 Oceans, Comrades and Amsterdam this year. He must be running from some demons?

No

Darek (the Polish Wunder) did a nice 42.2 in Gdansk this September. His special ‘Polish medicine’ (cures whatever you think you need!) was the secret to his success.

The unbeatable E Gurl (aka Esther) smacked all the women at this year’s Ghana marathon, by winning the event….no wonder she’s a celebrity here in Nigeria!

Abdul ran his first ever marathon in Ghana. He learned a few things about ‘pacing’……LOL!

Rickety Bridge Rick’s lovely wife mBecky cracked off a PR at Amsterdam this year. Not too shabby for someone who swore off marathons a couple years ago, eh?

Aye – Commander Kevin cracked off 2 Oceans this year, then came back for strong 1/2 marathon in Ghana. He’s one tuff Scotsman!

the supporting crew Chef Extraordinaire Benoit (from Rick and Becky’s house), his assistant (can’t remember name???!) and Benoit (my guy). All from Benin Republic. The country that fuses fine French cuisine with the best of West Africa.

The entertainer singer Yinka Davies(on right) + her manager (Oyiza) playing Oreo with the Oyibo….can you tell – it was just about time to shut this party down for the night……

Ghana – Must Go!

A subset of the Ikoyi runners decided to slip out of the country for a weekend of fun in Ghana to run the Accra International Marathon. It proved to be a great experience, even considering the usual chaos that comes with doing things here in Africa.

The trip started on a strained note. Simon picked me up at 5:30am on Saturday to take me to the airport for my 7am flight. No one was supposed to be on the road at that hour. But guess what? Things were bustling! Lots of drivers sneaking out to find petrol, made the journey stressful.

But made it to the Arik boarding gate with 15 minutes to spare – w/o dashing anyone! Met my fellow runners Kevin and Nitin at the gate. Soon we were skyward, heading to Accra. A 45 minute flight.

Landed and cleared customers w/o any stress and were met at departure by my old driving pal Ralph. We met a year ago when Henry and I toured Ghana. Ralph’s a great young Ghanaian, who I treat like family. He had a nice 4×4 dual cab pickup truck ready to haul us around.

First stop was to check-in at the Central Hotel in the Osu area of Accra. A clean and safe place right in the heart of fun town Accra. As soon as we checked in, into the lobby walked Abdul, our Nigerian running pal. Abdul was traveling lower class (read: bus) from Nigeria.

Nitin, showing off his finisher’s tee shirt – his first international running event!

Always upbeat, Kevin’s ready to roll!

abdul, a bit weary from the long bus ride, getting some Ghana chop

With check in sorted out, we headed to the marathon registration center, at Labadi Beach. A minimum of hassle, and we were done. This is a small affair. 3 events – full marathon, 1/2 marathon and 10k. Abdul was running his first full marathon. The rest of us were running the 1/2 marathon.

classiest sports bar in west Africa – Don’s Place

After registration, we headed back to town. I took the guys to Don’s Place. It’s a nice off-the-beaten-path pub that Henry and I found. Walked in and were warmly greeted by the locals, and we sat down to watch Chelsea squeak out a victory over my Gunners.

The rest of the day, we took it easy, not wanting to strain ourselves for the race in the morning.

From left, it’s Kevin, Abdul me and Nitin, up way too early in the morning…..

The start time for the marathon was 5:30am, so we were up @ 4:00am to get Abdul ready. Ralph, showing up a few minutes late, had to haul balls to make it to the start on time. we got there, and met the one and only Esther (aka E Gurl). She had come, with her entourage of supporters. More on her later.

maybe 100 runners in the marathon? Pretty basic – and not much in the way of support along the way.

Kevin, Nitin and I then drove to the starting line for the 1/2 marathon. Milling around the starting line, a white guy asks me if I’m from Traverse City. Small world – he’s from Sault St. Marie!

The starting gun goes off, and away we go. There’s probably 200 runners in the race? Kevin, in typical fashion, races immediately out of sight. Nitin and I hang back. Nitan asks me whether we should try to keep up with Kevin. My response – ‘naw, we’ll catch up with him after mile 10’. And I did…..

The course was tougher than anyone expected. Rough, uneven terrain, through construction sites. Much more elevation gain that we’d expected. And it got HOT (28C/86F) with 70% humidity.

Eventually I crossed the finish line, totally knackered. Was aiming for a 1:45, but didn’t want to be slower than 2:00. Made it just in the nick of time, with a 1:59:33. Whew…..after talking to a couple of runners, with GPS, we think the actual distance of the race was closer to 14 miles. So a 2 hour finish wasn’t too bad. I bet I won my class – old white guy!

But the most exciting news was that E Gurl actually won the women’s event! Incredibly strong performance. No one knows her time however…..the men’s winner, from the Benin republic, came across the finish line at 2:39. Very strong considering the course and conditions.

at the finish line party, we’re joined up with Esther and her ‘body guard’

We chilled out for a while at the post race party, then went back to the hotel for a shower and some snoozin’……we had serious partying to do later that night!

More to follow.