The Big Sweaty Weekly: December 2012

Listen to me now! Physical gifts are great, but really, who needs more stuff? Unless you're buying at a nice local shop (which I strongly encourage), most likely you are giving your money to China or an old white man who sends that money to people clamoring to take your rights away. This is why, to avoid headache, the best gifts are ones that will make your money DO GOOD!

Gavin and I like to use the holidays as a time to wrap ourselves in weighted blankets of guilt and remember to contribute to a few charities. It's tax deductible too! Here are some personal favorites:

The Markham-Nathan Fund: This one is blatant nepotism on my part. Let me tell you though, this is a small organization that does big work. All of your money will go towards serious justice.
Chesapeake Bay Foundation: If you don't know the importance of this lil bit'o water, get learned.
Conservation Fund: Preserving natural heritage in America so that it doesn't just become a quaint (boring) story we tell our kids.
Environmental Working Group: I don't do anything without consulting them.
Democracy Now: Amy Goodman is my co-pilot!
Center For Biological Diversity: "Works through science, law and creative media to secure a future for all species, great or small, hovering on the brink of extinction." WHAT IS BETTER THAN THAT?!
Earthjustice: The Perry Mason of the natural world.
Conservation International: "People need nature to thrive". Tell me about it!
Any and all local animal rescues. This year I dropped a money bomb on PPAWS, right here in Phnom Penh.

As you can see, I am more interested in plants and animals than people. Now you know. For those of you that are a bit more geared towards humans, there are tons of great initiatives all around you. Give them money and you will live forever! Well, probably not, but at least you'll feel better the next time you buy the same shoes in multiple colors... I hope the eight people that read this will also share some of their favorite charities/organizations in the comments.

I guess this concludes the "Gavin and Leah Holiday Card, 2012"! Love and miss you all. Do us proud out there!

This weekend we went to Siem Reap for the 17th annual Angkor Wat Half Marathon and 10K. Gavin registered for the 1/2, and I signed up for the 10K. We have been trying to train, against Phnom Penh's best efforts to keep us inside and on the couch. The main obstacles have been the total lack of green space and "sidewalks", the heat, solid concrete roads, and the exhaust from congested streets. Despite all that junk, we've done some good early Sunday morning runs and made a couple of trips to Olympic Stadium. To be honest though, and this comes from the President of the tidy ranks of the Gavin Ford Fan Club, I really didnt feel good about his chances of staying alive through 13 miles of running. More about that later.

Beyond Gavin ultimately not falling apart at the knees and dying (spoiler alert), I was surprised by how much we loved Siem Reap. They have done a very nice job of keeping the city green and inviting for tourists. Under the guise of being Olympic athletes, we spent all non-race time being super lazy and "saving our legs" for the big game. We got two days of massages for $10 or under (I really dont know how we'll ever move back to the States), had delicious cheap food, took lazy walks, and sat by the pool. Our hotel was, true to Cambodia style, not perfect. Every hotel here has to have some imperfection, usually in the form of a drain issue or toilet that just smells like pee all the time. Ours had both, but also had a sweet staff and bangin pool setup. Trade offs.

Race day was fantastico! A tuk tuk picked us up at 5:15am to head to Angkor Wat, about 20 minutes away. The ride there was almost worth the whole day. A caravan of hundreds of tuk tuks in the pitch black morning zooming up to the temple grounds, which is one of the few places in Cambodia actually protected from deforestation and general destruction. Super-fun-giddy time! As we pulled up and walked to the main race area, the sun had begun to rise over the main temple of Angkor Wat. Pretty awesome way to start the day. Gavins race took off at 6:30, and mine followed at 6:40.

Here's what I'll say about the racing. Running is the worst. It's really terrible stuff. I did the 10K, didnt walk at all, and thoroughly enjoyed the incredible feeling of running with close to 2,000 other people around one of the worlds most magical places, but my body wasn't thrilled about it. Regardless, I finished in a respectable time and had a great day. Gavin also made it! For a guy that hasn't run more than 5 miles in at least three years, to just knock out 13 in under 2 hours was pretty impressive. I will keep him as my bread winner.

Lots of other stuff is happening as well, but I cant remember any of it. I think I'll have a job one day! Maybe the title of that blog will be "The day Leah was voted President of an island off of coastal Cambodia". The possibilities are endless.

Pictures! Disclaimer- most were taken from phones, sometimes while running so they aren't the greatest...