Taking the lead as we cross back over the Charles River into Boston just after the 9th mile in Boston's Run to Remember Half marathon
On one of (too) many planes in the last week
A bleary-eyed arrival in Lima
Despite this fairly similar schedule, there were some notable differences in this year's trip. First, the half marathon was no longer my final focus, but simply a fun way to cap of the end of a great track season after competing in the NCAA Dvision III 10,000m national championship just two and a half days before. It was a lot of traveling in this final week in the US (the meet was held at Claremont McKenna College, outside of Los Angeles), but it was a really great experienced and I gained a lot of knowledge about what it's like to compete on the national stage. This has been a huge season for me as I have really progressed from a regionally competitive runner to someone who can line up with the best in the nation. I have never been more excited for an upcoming season, but now it's time to take a few weeks to rest and recover before doing any more serious training.
Speaking of taking time off from running - that seems to be a good point to explain what I'm doing back here in Peru. Again, I have a fairly similar plan to last year. I'm taking most of the month of June off from serious training to let my body recover from 9 months of running 10 to 20 miles per day. During this month, I'm planning to do what I love most when not running - backpacking, hiking, climbing, and just generally traveling around the Andes and meeting new people. By the end of June, I plan to be settled down in Pisaq, Peru - a small, rural town outside of Cusco, where I'll set up shop for the following 8 weeks or so and begin my training for the fall cross country season. Starting July 15, I'll be working for Strive, where I serve as a leader, teacher, mentor, coach, etc for a group of high school kids. I have about a week after the program before I fly back to the States in mid-August.
So, that's pretty consistent with last summer. What's different? Well, first and foremost, I'm not traveling alone this year. I was able to convince my house/team-mate, Sam, to come along with me for the summer. It's his first time in South America and his first time trying to speak Spanish, so things are pretty new and exciting. It's great to have a partner in crime, though, and I'm sure both of our parents are pleased at the safety in numbers.
Tyler and Sam enjoying a night on the town in Lima
The trip started with two nights in Lima, the monstruous, sprawling capitol, which totally changed my impression of the city. I've always thought of Lima as a gross, grey, drizzly, humid mess (and I have been there many times to back this idea up). This time, though, we were blessed with two beautifully sunny and hot days - a huge anomoly this time of year. Moreover, we were treated to the amazing hospitality of Sam's family friends Tanja and Jose, who were the most gracious hosts imaginable. We visited some of the nicest restaurants I've been to anywhere (not just South America!) and shown a fun night out on the town. I never thought I would be so sad to say "Adios!" to Lima...
Looking out over the Pacific in sunny Lima!
Our wonderful hosts, Jose and Tanja
Enjoying a fresh lunch from the market, Lima
Tired and packing up for a long bus-ride to Arequipa
Where are we now? We're in Arequipa - La Ciudad Blanca - Peru's second largest city and situated in the Southern high desert. We took a night bus here on Tuesday and have been relaxing and soaking in the (seasonably normal) cloudless skies and hot, bright sunshine. Tomorrow, we'll take an early bus to Chivay and Cabanaconde where we'll go "off the grid" for a few days as we hike around in the world's second deepest canyon, el Cañon del Colca.
Arequipa's Plaza de Armas at dusk with Volcan Misti overlooking the city
Packing up for a trip to the desert
From there on, we have tentative plans - crossing into Bolivia and visiting La Paz and the Salt Flats and doing some climbing, but, as usual, nothing is set in stone.
The sprawling desert metropolis of Arequipa
Even with a similar schedule, it always follows that nothing is ever exactly the same. Travel in this part of the world always means having flexible plans and being able to make decisions on the fly. Despite some repeat stops, I have no doubt that this will be a new and unique trip. This is only the beginning!
Volcan Misti dominates the city skyline
