Running in St. Maarten

Well, I've been here now for 6 days and don't want to leave. Well, part of me does ~ I'm ready to get the last 6 weeks of residency over ~ but I am enjoying doing nothing. But nothing can only go on so long.

So first, I'm going to talk about the run I've been doing in St. Maarten. Then I'll talk about who I ran into last night...

It's the same run every day, and here are the times:

May 4: 12:04 (that was right after the rain/in the rain and includes a slip down the hill)
May 5: 10:57 (and that was wet after the rain)
May 6: 11:18 (normal weather)
May 7: 10:42 (cooler than it's been, so it was really nice)

So here's the route:
Out of my timeshare, to the left, past 8 apartments, and up the stairs, up the stairs, up the stairs. Then up behind B building and around the parking lot. Then back down the hill, past the B pool, and into the next parking lot - out and back. Then down-down-down the hill, past the Red Piano to the Marina building and around the corner and up...but not far. Down the stairs by the Marina building and around the corner, down more stairs, and across the Aqua Marina deck. Over to the Marina Residencies and down and back around the pool. It's probably the most flat part of the whole area. So back across the Aqua Marina deck, then across the sand next to Choi, formerly los Gauchos, and I'm sure to be a different restaurant next year. Across the SAND. Then up the stairs by the Marina pool, down the ramp, through the parking lot, and now starts the uphill part. Up the hill on the Red Piano side, then across that parking lot, then up the hill on the Peli Deli side, then across the shortcut by Hollywood Casino, and then up-up-up the hill, er mountain, back to my timeshare. I'm sure I'm running over a mile, given my time (I'm usually at 7:30 minutes running around the Marina Residencies and 9 minutes by the time I get to the pool's parking lot, and since the beginning is more downhill than up, maybe I don't HAVE to run up the hill. But I'm getting faster, and I'm having fun.

So now, who did I SEE in St. Maarten? Scott and Leigh, at the bar last night. SERIOUSLY? I haven't seen them...probably since right after their wedding. So I'm sitting, reading my book, and I guess Leigh walked all around me to see if it was really me (they looked for my tattoo) and then, at some point, I looked up and saw them. And it took a while to register that it really was them...I mean, in St. Maarten? Of all places? So we had some drinks and some dessert and talked. It was nice. Made me miss Drew. He's the fourth of the foursome. And the love of my life...too bad our timing was always off.

So I've got two more runs in St. Maarten. Two more days on the beach (under the umbrella...I'm sufficiently sunburnt). Two more days in paradise. Until next year. :)