Tomorrow is my first day in the running club at my new job. I joined the coffee club last month, but this month I stepped it up a notch and joined the running club. There’s no formal membership (other than an inter-ILRI mailing list), but I did buy some shoes from the back of a woman’s car in the parking lot during the morning tea break. It kinda felt like I was buying something illegal, like drugs or guns. I had heard through a few people that there was a lady around who could get nearly new second-hand shoes. We communicated through email and she called me this morning, I don’t know how she got my number, but she told me to meet her in the parking lot. She opened the back of her SUV and there they were, a line of running shoes. I tried on a few pairs, found one I liked, and handed her a wad of cash — 2,500 Kenyan shillings, or about thirty USD. New ones go for 5 or 6,000 shillings.

There are some guys in my building who are pretty stoked on running, and I heard one of them plans his international travel schedule around marathons (Boston Marathon, etc). Tomorrow I have committed to running with those guys, let’s hope I don’t faint. There are a few groups who meet at the front gate just before lunch, so I’ll just show up and get a feel for who I can hang with. Probably the chicks. I’ve been running at the gym for almost two weeks now, but I’ve only been able to go five kilometers so far. I gave my trusty Nikes away when I was moving last month because I didn’t have room for them, so I’ve been running in a pair of knock-off Converse. Those blisters on my feet mean I’m working harder than I need to be, right? So I’ll be fine! … but running on a treadmill is easier than outside.

Oh dear, I hope I don’t faint.