Hello from Pisac! On Thursday we woke up to a rainy morning (unusual in the dry season) and the full STRIVE group focused on prep for the 2019 Pisac 5k in the morning. We broke up into stations including start/finish line, registration, snacks and bag drop, and marking the course. We all went to the market for lunch and the high schoolers continued exploring the myriad of food options available! Thursday afternoon involved more service learning for the high schoolers while the interns went to Maribel’s community just outside of Pisac and taught English to around 30 women who are involved in a weaving cooperative there. It was a very rewarding afternoon and one we are sure not to forget. On Thursday night Dana gave her STRIVETalk about the importance of being unique and being more than statistical accomplishments. It sparked a great discussion about things that make each one of us unique and different. The interns then ventured out to the streets of Pisac and tried many of the late night Virgen del Carmen snacks, such as chocolate strawberries, mate de haba, and popcorn.
On Friday morning, a majority of the group hit the roads early – some for short hill sprints and others for steady state runs. We finished up 5k prep and then had a few hours to relax. It was another crazy weather day – this time involving high winds and a hail storm! In the afternoon, the interns led their private English lessons again, while some of the high schoolers got to shadow and help out. Soon after privates, we had the opportunity to talk to Marielle Hall, a former Strive Intern and now Olympian who runs professionally for the Bowerman Track Club. She gave us a lot of advice regarding training and fueling well, as well as some insider information on the life of a professional runner.
Saturday morning was a busy one, with an early wakeup call in order to load everything up into the van and get set up for the 5K. We arrived at around 8:00 am and began to set up snack stations, registration, the Pisac 5K banner, and prep the course. It was exciting to see the locals show up and begin to register! The race was a success and there were many smiling faces (especially after the snacks). The kids race was also a blast, with lots of cheering from nearly everyone. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and the evening was rather busy, with yoga and a talk from Sanan about our future service on Monday at a cultural center in Pampallacta. We have the opportunity to take part in building a cultural center, which is very exciting! The last part of the night was spent listening to Grace give her STRIVE talk, which focused on enjoying things in the moment rather than waiting until after to see them in a positive light.