Running in Ecuador

So next weekend I am running a marathon in Peru. I have been planning this for a while and have been training for about 4 months. Check out the website: www.maratoninternacionanldepacasmayo.com Pretty huh?

The race is in a small village called Pacasmayo in Northern Peru along the coast. Only 18 hours away… :)

I am traveling to Machu Picchu after the race (another 24 hours on a bus). I am really excited… My next blog will talk about this.

There are 5 volunteers from Ecuador traveling to Peru to run in the races. We are making t-shirts for the race. The back says “campo running (v.) – The act of running up and down the most beautiful hillsides in Ecuador while dodging dogs, livestock and drunks and continuously answering the question – "Where are you going?"."

There are three ways I can (inaccurately) measure my running distances. The first way is just by time (for example, I know I run a mile in 9 minutes, I can run for 27 min hence 3 miles...but as I run further and further those times lag and it is less predictable), second is my Nike + Ipod thing…which is terrible (only works on some roads and not others) and is out of battery after 6 months (my mom mailed me a replacement chip 6 weeks ago..I am still waiting for it), and the final way is by using the scale on my topo maps. See the video…

The roads I run on are mostly dirt or rock. Cobblestones are frequently used in towns and asphalt is used on the main inter-city roads. I don’t tend to run on the asphalt roads unless I have to, they have heavy traffic and usually have a ton of potholes which makes the already dangerous drivers swerve, the larger trucks and buses emit a ton of nasty black exhaust.

The smaller country roads may be dusty and hilly, but they are incredibly beautiful. And I am far more likely to pass livestock than have a car pass me.

Training in my site is relatively easy for me, compared to other peoples' towns. I do feel safe, and I have many options of roads to run (4 run-able roads leaving my town and they split after a few miles to more options). I would go crazy if I had to run the same road everyday. Another great advantage is that I am training at 9,500 feet and will be running the marathon at 50 feet.

There are many differences in running in Ecuador versus Illinois. First is the obvious altitude, second is the hills and mountains. I really love running on hills. Which is funny...because I despised them in Illinois. Hills here reach grades of 20% (really steep) and at times I will run uphill for two miles before I get a downhill break. Of course, this is very difficult, but when you get to the top and get to coast down for a little while, it makes running really fun. Another thing is the vistas, I will look out at rolling mountains and wheat fields, in Illinois it is either flat corn fields (central Illinois) or endless crowded blocks (Chicago). Chicago does have the really beautiful lake...that I miss.

People generally do not run long distances. Many will for soccer practice, but would never just go out and run several miles. On-road and off-road biking is really common among Ecuadorians, they have a beautiful country for it too.

I do think I have introduced long distance running to my town. When they ask about it I compare it to Ecuador's only gold medalist, Jefferson Perez, who is a speed walker and national hero. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Perez Then I quickly explain that I am not that good and just do it for fun. Many kids have now taken to running with me for short distances and a couple grown men have tried to show me up by running past me (really fast) - one in his dress/work clothes and shoes.

The one thing I can't run without is my Ipod...and "This American Life" episodes. http://www.thisamericanlife.org/ Music sometimes can make a long run feel like forever because the run is broken up into 3 minute songs. On my last long run, which was supposed to be 20 miles...I ran for 3 hours and 45 minutes (with plenty of walking thrown in...my goal is to finish... not achieve a specific time). During this run I listened to 3 hour long episodes of "This American Life" which somehow seems to transport you to another place and you forget that you are running at all. The great thing about running is that when you learn to let your mind go and stop thinking about the act, it is very relaxing and inspirational. (During running I tend to think out solutions to problems with my projects and even think about improving my Spanish and what to write on my next blog. Needless to say, I have been planning this blog for a while.) At one point, I was listening to a story about small Georgian towns, where the interviewers were asking people who the most memorable person in town was. One minute a 90 year old woman with a strong southern drawl was recounting her memories of FDR visiting her father's store during the Prohibition, then I would look up and see the snow-capped Chimborazo in the distance and realize that I am, in fact, running in the Andes mountains on a rural dirt road in Ecuador passing a llama...Sweet.