Ever since we landed in Kuwait we have heard "Be ready for March -- sandstorm season." We did not spend too much time thinking about "sandstorm season" nor what that meant. Now, all of a sudden, it is March and we are fully realizing that we have entered the season that gets so much hype in the middle east -- the sky is a continued orange color, there is always a wind blowing, and the booger count has greatly increased.
Last week we set out on a Friday morning for a nice 12 mile run. It was an "out and back" along the gulf that we have run many times before. This time we noticed that the wind seemed a little stronger than usual and the gulf which is usually calm and tranquil had actual waves. As we reached the turn-around point, we were fully engulfed in what Adam named "Hurricane Abdulaziz." The wind was so strong that no matter how much we pushed forward, we made very little progress. We often looked like cartoon characters with our legs spinning and no forward progress made. We also received a sand-blasting with each gust of wind. At times, the sand was so strong and painful we had to turn our backs into it until it passed. And, we had 6 miles to go running into this wind.
By the time we got home, exhausted and yet very proud of surviving the storm, we got to laughing. Our bodies were covered in sand and dirt and we were digging grime out of our hair for days. We guess we now understand the concept of sandstorms and how to check for them before heading out on long runs.
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| Adam's face was black from the dust and sweat. Good thing he was not wearing his contacts because we have heard horror stories of contacts + dust. |
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| No, no. That's not a tan. That's a dirt line from after taking off the socks. |
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| Once again, Heidi wishes her legs were nice and brown but more from sun than dirt. |
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| Every part of our bodies were dirt crusted. You should have seen the eye boogers that kept popping up for the next few days. Classy! |
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