Rocky Peak Ridge traverse in the Adirondacks

The Malachowski-Bajak family plus four did the rather arduous 11-mile traverse from New Russia up Rocky Peak Ridge (4,420 feet) and then Giant (4,627 feet) mountains on Aug. 14. A clear, not-too-hot day, plenty of cheer and heavily laden with water. All good until that last mile coming off Giant on the ridge trail. Rubber knees and pounding quads. A sumptuous barbecue ensued at a house we rented for the weekend. Total elevation gain: 5,300 feet. Total number of blisters: 7.

Pictured above: The second generation atop Rocky Peak Ridge with Giant in the background.

Fiesta de corredores

My first road race over 10K in three decades reminded me why I prefer to run alone. The crowd was greatly supportive. "Adelante Colombia!" many yelled. A vuvuzela even blared. But a disorganized start put thousands of slower runners ahead of faster ones. So I spent the entire race dodging past the less-than-lithe, many of whom had passed me in the first-mile euphoria. But race organization was otherwise great. Gotta love those plastic bags full of water at the aid stations. Just bite and suck and pour the remainder over your head. Lucky for us it was overcast, with a brief but freezing five-minute downpour at mile 11. As hoped-for, I finished under 1:50, in 1:49.39. My NikePlus iPod gizmo for some reason declared my race over (i think the sensor's batteries are near gone after a year of use) when there was still more than a mile and half to go. It's a terrific pacing tool, though I must say I totally enjoyed the 1:55 pacer with the helium balloon attached to his back. Ran with him for awhile then smoked by after passing the wife, who snapped the featured photo at 7 miles (not far from our house) as I asked aloud, "Can I stop now?" I fear my jocularity was lost on my fellow runners. This is, after all, a Spanish-speaking country ...

Bogota Half Marathon 2010

I'll be joining a field of 14,400 (1,587 men in my over-50 category) in tomorrow's Bogota Half Marathon, my first competitive race over 10K since 1979. I've been averaging 35-40 miles a week for the last three months since getting back from Haiti, where running was intermittent and mostly on narrow paths in the hills over Port-au-Prince. Bogota altitude: 8,900 feet. The race is just one of 24 around the world this year with gold label status from the International Association of Athletics Federations. The Bogotanos are rightfully proud.

Bolivian musician at Tiwanaku

On the eve of Evo Morales' swearing-in to a second term, AP's Dado Galdiero captures a musician at Tiwanaku.

My aching lungs and Bogota's ozone

I got paranoid about the air quality in Bogota after exhibiting asthmatic symptoms for the first time in my life and visiting an excellent pulmonologist, Dr. Alvaro Morales. He prescribed Symbicort, which includes a a steroid that has rid my lungs of inflammation and that also opens the bronchial passages. Attempting to mitigate the effects of Bogota's pollution on my lungs, I did two things. First I researched the devastating health effects of ozone. And then I began monitoring the city's air quality to make sure I wasn't running when conditions were dangerous. Most serious Bogota runners go out early. Even if it is COLD at 6 a.m. (about 8-10 degrees celsius, or 50F).

La Brincha - Quimbaya, Colombia - Bird Paradise

The finca where we spent New Year's 2009-2010. Those are egrets that alit on a tree in what amounted to our front yard on the Rio Vieja.

Coffee country - Upping mileage

Back from six days in the Eje Cafetero, Colombia's coffee country, where I logged 30 miles running in addition to a few nice hikes. I also helped clear some lungs partially inflamed by Bogota's pollution, for which I've purchased a nose-mouth mask with a filter for commuting to work on my bike. The sulfur content in Bogota's diesel is poisonously high and nobody seems to care that the buses are spewing this stuff into cyclist and pedestrian lungs with a vengeance. Meantime, I'm boosting my mileage a bit as time allows, at least while on vacation. Check out this WSJ article about Dr. Paul Williams, who recommends that people who regularly exercise add more to their menu to significantly lower the risk of everything from stroke to prostate enlargment.