Long Run
There was a rally car race in Nicosia today and so the crossing I usually use to go the North and run in the Kyrenia mountains was closed. That being the case, I decided to revisit one of my favorite routes just outside of the city where I did a couple loops and had the place all to myself. The heat is really ramping up here in Cyprus, but by being on the trail by 7am I had a good head start on the sun. Here’s the course:


One part I hate about the trails here is that there is a lot of litter. Shotgun shells, cigarette packs, and even gels from previous races. C’mon guys, I expect this from the hunters but not the runners! Whenever I go out, I try to pick up what I can and dispose of it properly. Here are today’s finds, only limited by the amount I could carry in my hands:

Weekly Jam
Although I was relatively late to discovering Nas, his old raps are on another level. I’ve been listening to this one a lot lately and am loving it. If only we heard this kind of flow more often!
Summary
I took it pretty easy this week so I could recover from the marathon last weekend. It took a bit longer than expected so I really didn’t feel up to doing any kind of running until Wednesday when I got back into it. My long run this week felt alright, but I know I’ll be pretty sore tomorrow.
In the next couple of weeks I’m going to start incorporating morning runs into my routine in an effort to escape the heat. Instead of doing them in the afternoon and lifting weights in the evening, I’ll shift everything down and run in the mornings then lift in the afternoon in order to avoid being outside at all from 1-5pm when the sun is at it’s hottest.
Until next week!
This website is supported by affiliate links, whereby for referral traffic I receive a small commission from select vendors at no additional cost to you. See my affiliate disclosure here.
Brandon Chase is a writer, endurance athlete, and guide based in Maine. He is a former Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and spent nearly a decade overseas serving at embassies in Egypt, Cyprus, and Pakistan.
Along with a 98-day thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, he has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, hiked the West Highland Way, fastpacked in the Himalayas, and trekked around New Zealand and South Africa. He also regularly competes in ultramarathons at the 50k, 50-mile, and 100-mile distances. He is a Lead Guide for Andrew Skurka Adventures and the New England Outdoor Center.