This week, the STRIVE Peru crew finished up discussions about service learning and started to discuss potential options for doing service. Some of these include re-establishing the STRIVE Center and teaching English to local children, forming a running club after STRIVE Center meeting times, helping excavate ancient Incan ruin sites, helping at an animal sanctuary, creating a recycling program in Pisac, running the 2nd annual Pisac 5k, hosting a field day for the local youth, and several other options in the works.

In terms of running for the week, most of the interns bumped up their mileage this week, and did short hills again this Friday. Per usual, Scott was the first one up on all of them. We also listened to Tyler’s STRIVE talk this week. He talked about how, in life, there are things you can control and things you cannot. Control the things you can, and be at peace with the things you cannot. At the beginning of the talk, everyone was shown how to tie their shoes a certain way so that it would be impossible to come undone in the rain or mud during an XC race. The analogy made at the end was that, during a race, one may not be able to control the weather, but instead can control their shoes from becoming untied. The interns all came up with topics the next day to give their own STRIVE talks with the high schoolers when they come to Pisac in a few weeks.

The Peru crew has a big weekend coming up. Saturday is a planned long run and chill day, with unlimited pancakes following up the long run. On Sunday, we plan to wake up before dawn to hike Pachatusan, a previously STRIVE-unexplored mountain nearby. It should be an eventful and exciting weekend.