Ragnar Colorado 2016

Copper Mountain, Colorado
August 13, 2016


This place is definitely a favorite of everybody I know! Pedro and I competed in the Ragnar Relay for the 2nd year with our friends from Copper Mountain. This race is about 200 miles long split between 12 runners and 2 vans over the time of about 30 hours. The scenery was beautiful, the people were friendly, and the runs were strong. This year was better than last year since Pedro and I have become less afraid of the dark! 
Here is a post written by the captain of our team (her write-up is way better than mine!!)

Pedro's hair flying in the wind & Joking post-run

Zen Running :-)

The Copper Mountain Team 2016

Donkeys and Beer in the Carolinas

Asheville, NC
August 6, 2016

Asheville, NC was a pretty short trip. We visited a farm in southern South Carolina (played with some donkeys and chickens), Pedro ran a Spartan race near Asheville, and I ran the trails of Bent Creek nearby. We had a quick pit-stop in Asheville for some pizza and beer and saw enough to promise that we would soon return!

Marcahuasi, Peru

Marcahuasi, Peru

July 2, 2016

The best feeling in the world is a clear open road with the curiosity of what’s to come. Being out in nature leaves me with a strong sense of peace and clarity that cannot be matched in a meditation room. This week’s trip went to the Andes of Peru (a 4 hour drive east of Lima). Marcahuasi  is known for sightings of UFOs and the Stone Forest-- mystical, natural carvings of faces and animals into the large, energy-filled stones. When reading about this place, I was excited about the mysticism associated as well as natural super-plants found in the area to cure illnesses.

We rode in a bus up the dirt road carved into the mountain to a small town called San Pedro de Casta. After a nice lunch, we started up the 5Km path to Marcausai. Donkeys, horses, and locals moved up the path carrying campers’ gears, campers, or guiding the herd. Thank goodness for the resting huts along the way that gave us an excuse to sit, breath, and regain strength.

At 13,000ft above sea level, we reached the top and were welcomed by a flat ground for camping. The donkeys roamed around trying to munch on as much grass as possible and the campers set up their party spot. Pedro and I napped as soon as the tent was set! I woke up after the sun fully set to a sky full of billions of stars. We even saw plenty of shooting stars!!

In the morning, we climbed the stones to explore some of the area and then descended towards better oxygen levels. The car ride down the mountain was one of the most frightening experiences in my life (my trip in Haiti still ranks #1)! The driver never seemed to hug the mountain close enough or drive slow enough for my comfort. All in all, it was a great trip.

I recommend that you try exploring this area. Take about a day and a half to travel to/from the area, hike, and explore!

Cruising through South California

Temecula, California

January 29, 2016

Pedro signed up for a different version of Spartan Race called Hurricane Heat. This one is in Temecula, California and was Saturday 6-10pm.

Saturday early morning we arrived to Los Angeles, rented a car and drove south to Oceanview-- a cute beach town. After a nap, we drove along the coast to La Jolla admiring all of the beautiful sights. I loved the massive cliffs, waves, and architecture of the houses.

Saturday evening, I dropped Pedro off at his race and drove to Old Town Temecula to explore and eat. I ate dinner at a restaurant called E.A.T. They have a couple of locations and serve good, healthy foods.

Sunday, we drove to San Diego for a quick exploration in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. The architecture downtown was a nice mix of old-school historic and geometric modern. After a rainy drive back towards San Diego, we stopped at a pier in Manhattan Beach. Unexpectedly, a huge wind storm was brewing and produced winds that felt like we were in a hurricane! This was such a thrilling experience. We later learned that the storms from this day caused a lot of trouble for South California.  

Miami Marathon

Miami marathon 
January 24, 2016

I signed up for the Miami Marathon once I realized that I was becoming a scared, shy person in life. Also, running a marathon has been on my bucket list for 5 years...so what better time than now?
After some light strength training and running, I stood at the starting line Sunday morning with a calm, positive attitude. I was lucky enough to have in town my mom, my dad, Pedro, and his friend David as cheerleaders.

   

The first 10 miles toured South Beach, Pedro jumped in with me at mile 13. The race went down to Coconut Grove, near Key Biscayne, and finished downtown. My body tightened after about 20 miles. After finishing, the pain in my muscles was worse than I imagined.



Fortunately, I ate, drank, and stretched after and was recovered within 2 days. Pedro and I have signed up for next year’s race--- Jan 29, 2017!!

Exploring London

London, England
January 15, 2016

**Many of the photos below were taken by K. Latchford. She's a great photographer! 

I finally found my excuse to take another cool trip-- My long-time friend, Katie, was scheduled to work in London for about a month. I picked the best weekend, invited myself over, and planned to explore the city with my ol' pal! Getting to the airport was dramatic (as usual) but the plane ride on Virgin Atlantic was awesome. After a glass of wine and chocolates, I was able to curl up with pillows and blankets for the flight over.

Friday morning was fuzzy with jet lag, sleepiness, and unexpected cold. With my list of recommended things to see/do/eat, I walked around (while Katie was at work) and saw so many cool ethnic food tents set up. The London Eye looked pretty cool with the clear, blue sky.

Once Katie got out of work, we met up for dinner and drinks. We tried speaking in British accents for the weekend but mine ended up just sounding like a southern American lady. :-/
Post-drinks, we saw some sights at night and enjoyed the little alley ways.





Saturday morning, we set out to achieve some more touristy things.



Sunday, the trip ended with a cold, rainy visit to Buckingham Palace. :)