Welcome to the ninth episode in the Out Of Breath series! This run occurred 22nd July, 2017.
For the time we've been in the Barrancas del Cobre (Copper Canyon) area, we've been doing lots of hiking so I don't have a lot of interest (or energy) in running as frequently. However, as we decided to spend a few days in Creel I felt the need to go out and get some exercise and sweat a little bit. It's interesting how I get sort of "antsy" after not doing much physical exercise for a few days, especially when I don't have a lot of other things to keep me busy.
I decided to run towards the San Ignacio Mission, which is one of the first places in Mexico where Jesuit missionaries were active. There is a long history between the Jesuits and the Tarahumara (native Americans who have lived in this area for well over a thousand years). Speaking of the Tarahumara, if you enjoy running you may know these people are rather famous for their long-distance running ability. They first received some fame with the book Born to Run, and it was common during our time in the Copper Canyon area (especially outside of the towns) to see them (especially the kids) running around. Not for fun really, just how they got from one place to another. It was impressive.
On the way outside of town, I came across a covered basketball court. These seem to be in every village, small or large; and in this particular court it seemed the cows were getting ready for their practice. There were lots of animals everywhere we went; cows, horses, dogs, cats, all just hanging out wherever they felt like it. It made for a number of interesting encounters.
Besides the animals, the scenery in this area is breathtaking. Everything is green because we are in the middle of the rainy season and the contrast with the brilliant blue sky, white clouds and dusky gray rocks was beautiful. It's not as easy to see in these zoomed-out pictures, but the horses in the field there are just hanging out. No fences, no hobbles, just chilling. Of all the animals, horses are my favorite and it was wonderful to see them so well taken care of and relaxed.
As I turned around at the mission and began running back towards town, the skies started to get a bit darker. As it is the rainy season here, it can rain at any time during the day or night. Usually it's an hour or so in the late morning/early afternoon and then at night it starts again for a few hours. I was hoping I wouldn't get a morning thunderstorm, and as I got closer to "home" (where we were staying a few days) I was happy to see I'd avoided any precipitation.
I also enjoyed a small break with a friendly horse who seemed as curious about me as I was about him. Great way to finish the run!
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