After another full week of training at 9,700ft, lesson planning, and the STRIVE Center debut, the Peru Crew flew to Lima for a whirlwind weekend highlighted by an appearance in the Surquillo 7K race. We were all amazed by the differences of the big city and our proximity to the Pacific Ocean! Our hostel, located just a block or two from the ocean cliffs, was the starting point of our Saturday afternoon shakeout runs. Afterward, a pre-race pasta feast was in order, followed by a comical showing of “Tour de Pharmacy,” thanks to Will’s suggestion.

The next morning commenced with at 5:45 a.m. wake-up call and everyone’s pre-race rituals before catching an Uber to Surquillo, a district of Lima. We picked up our race bibs and free Tshirts and made camp at a nearby gas station that also agreed to hang on to our things. The weather felt good for running, fairly cool and a little drizzly and the STRIVE team showed up with 3 podium finishes and overall great races or workouts in a race of over 1000 finishers! A lot of runners and spectators flocked to take pictures with our group right up until we drove away.

Once again, a solid run calls for some re-fueling so the crew geared up to take on a fancy buffet right on the ocean. We attempted to get our money’s worth full of rich foods like ceviche and chocolate truffles. Nice and stuffed we embarked on a long walk along the shore and back up through the neighborhoods and along the cliffs to our hostel. The group frolicked in the waves for a little while, tested out our basic beach jumping photo skills, and took in the sights. To our disbelief, the sun actually showed up in Lima in the afternoon- a very, very rare occasion this time of year. Flying in the day before, most of the city and landscape was shrouded in a cloudy haze.

By late afternoon, our time in the city was just about up, so we spent some time enjoying some Lima airport food! The big decision for most was whether or not to purchase the ritualistic Lima airport Big Mac or a really tasty sandwich. Obviously there was a lot at stake. By around 9 p.m. we found our selves back in the comfort of a small town and the cozy Chaska Wasi hostel. Somehow Pisac has begun to feel like a home.

Once Monday arrived we were back on the grind for week 4. Lesson planning hit full swing, but unfortunately our STRIVE center afternoon English class was only attended by one student. However, his engagement was still encouraging and we continued to move along as planned. Surprisingly, our numbers increase 10-fold on Tuesday as we had our largest showing yet and enjoyed an hour of running, warm-ups, tag games, races, and stretching with the kids. It was so exciting to get a much larger group and we are looking forward to working with everyone in the upcoming weeks!