Half marathon

Video of the Nike 100th Media Maratón de Lima 21K race.

Map of the route.

I did it! The course was great and very flat. We started on the narrow streets in El Centro de Lima and it was amazing to see thousands of red shirts contrasting the yellow and white colonial buildings. There were fans and musical entertainment along the whole route and the police stopped all car and combi traffic so the air was clean. My friend Miranda came out to cheer us on as we ran by her apartment near the Malercon. It was so nice to have a fan.

I paced myself well and when everyone else was dying in the final 4 kilometers, I passed a lot of people. I find great satisfaction running with kilometer markers rather than mile markers as you feel a greater sense of accomplishment as you pass more of them (even though the distance is the same). The final stretch was beautiful though the Circuito Magico del Agua where you weave between these 13 amazing ornamental fountains but you are looking (or dying) for the finish and the water is blocking your vision until you come around the main fountain and 100 yards ahead is the big red banner with the clock ticking and a 10+ person orchestra entertaining the thousands of fans.

Last year at the Earth Day Half Marathon in St. Cloud I finished in 1:50:31 but yesterday and ran the Media Maratón de Lima in 1:49.22. Whohoo!!
A couple of Kenyans won it.

After the race I went to get a bandaid for my quarter sized blister and while I was chatting with the paramedic a girl got thrown into the truck who had collapsed. Having had some experience working with Dr Bill Roberts at the Medtronic TC Marathon, I helped check her vitals and her hands were freezing. I put her feet up and took her socks and shoes off and covered her in blankets as the paramedic was setting up oxygen by nasal cannula. After a few minutes she woke up and I gave her my gatorade and water while I went to turn in her timing chip and get her medal. She was about my age and she thanked me. It was great to get a little clinical medicine experience and practicing my medical Spanish (not quite up to par but working on it).

Final results: here. I was 31st in my age group 18-34, 563rd overall. Anyway, there were over 3000 people (about 800-1000 women) so that's not bad.


My friends, Beto and Kara, after running 13.1 miles (21 kilometers). Go us!

Today, I think I need a massage since my IT bands are killing me and stairs are a little difficult to descend. Ciao!

Paragliding in Miraflores

The classic view 5 blocks from my apartment of Larcomar (the big shopping mall in the cliff) in Miraflores with a nice view of the neighborhoods, Barranco and Chorillos, along the ocean.

The weather today was wonderful and sunny with a cool breeze off the ocean. There were lots of paragliders and surfers and it reminded me why I love it here. It's amazing how sunny weather can change your mood!



Eliot Brown, a friend of mine from Macalester, stayed with me for a few nights. It was fun to have my first visitor in Peru and we discovered the airmattress had a small leak so I'll have that fixed for the next person who comes, don't worry. We played ultimate frisbee at the US Embassy and ate delicious cerviche (raw fish and seafood marinated in lime with some picante) and tacus tacus (beans, rice, and lots of seafood) and drank chicha morrado (delicious juice made of blue/purple corn), mmmm. Ciao Eliot!

My Lima half marathon is tomorrow morning and I'm not quite ready, oh well. The weather should be perfect - 60s and overcast. My friends Beto and Kara are running with me and I'll post photos tomorrow.

LimaKids

LimaKids is a great non-profit in Peru that was started by a previous Fogarty scholar who's mission is to support for children and adolescents living in orphanages or in socially risky situations. Basically kids who are either living on the streets or in extreme poverty or both, and who are highly vulnerable to violence (physical, psychological and sexual), sexual exploitation and substance abuse. LimaKids runs a medical clinic and soccer clinics but their biggest project is organizing a soccer league for over 20 orphanages around the city.

I went to the coaches meeting last night where we discussed the rules for futsol (5v5 soccer played on a cement court with a heavier ball) and then all the coaches played for two hours in the park nearby. There were dozens of futsol cement courts, filled with people playing pick up, and a few grass fields with men's teams playing under the lights. There was a skateboard park and a few basketball courts as well but the action was on the soccer fields. It gave me the chills to see so many people out in the park late at night (9pm) playing my favorite sport ever - futbol!

I was not prepared to play; I was wearing my glasses, a nice shirt and dress pants since I had come directly from my clinical research training course at the pharmaceutical company, Merck. I played anyway because this was an opportunity I could not pass up and within 15 minutes marco cuatro veces (scored four times) and needless to say they were impressed and I had myself a small fan section from outside the park fence. I had a great time and I can't wait to help coach Eduardo's team, San Franscico (15-17 year old boys). Eduardo has never coached before but he is the only coach that speaks English which is why I got put on his team. I think we'll make a good team.

So I've never coached boys but I've coached pre-teen and teen girls for over 6 years so it can't be much different, right? Let's hope so...

Our games are every other Saturday and we train on Friday and Saturday's, which will keep me busy and get me out of Miraflores.

FYI. A group of us will be running a 10K in October and will be raising money for LimaKids. Any amount that you can contribute at that time would be amazing and really make a difference for the street kids in Lima.

Serving sizes

This is the popular Minnesota Lions Tap burger and this kinda stuff just doesn't exist in Peru! I ordered the mediano or medium burger from Bembos (the fast food chain here that's across from the McDonald's) and the serving sizes just aren't the same. The patty was like a normal size, the fries were definitely a US small and the drink was like 12oz (definitely a small). Next time I'm going to order the grande but it's no wonder we have health problems in the US.

My new job!

I am very excited about my new job at the Center for Excellence in Peru. My advisor is Dr Jaime Miranda who recently finished his PhD on the Peru MIGRANT study, which looked at the effects of migration on cardiovascular risk factors. Interestingly, migration from rural areas to Urban areas contributes a lot to obesity, especially in women. We have been approved from the NHLBI to enroll 2000 Peruvians in our epidemiological study on cardiovascular disease project and we'll enroll 1000 for the chronic COPD study. We will start field work early next year in Tumbes and Lima. I am currently working hard on developing some proposals for a few abstracts using the previously collected PREVENCION and PERU MIGRANT database, among other large databases in Latin America that our group has access to [the Latin American Study of Obesity (LASO) database]. I will help our group (of 4 people) apply for more grants to enroll more people or start other projects, like national stroke and myocardial infarction registries.

Today I am going to a clinical research training course at the Merck offices in Lima. It's two days of intensive training on biostatistics, research design, protocols, running clinical trials, etc. but in SPANISH! Eeeks! I'm bringing my medical Spanish dictionary in my bag, just in case :)

Altitude cares very little about your fitness level

The 4.5 hour hike to laguna rapagna in the central highlands of Peru was a moderately difficult hike, except given that we started about 11,000 ft, I'd say it was by far the hardest hike I have ever done. I hiked Bartle Frere in Queensland - 10 hours with leeches covering my legs and falling from trees - and that was nothing compared to the heart pounding, head throbbing, breathlessness that I experienced after hiking only 5 steps at 14,000 feet. I can't imagine ever being able to climb Everest (over 29,000ft).

From the moment we stepped off the coach bus from Lima I was dizzy and cold. It was a mere 2 hours from sea level driving on a beautiful winding road that reminded me of the drive from Loveland to Estes Park, CO, along a nice stream surrounded by sharp mountain peaks. This drive went through more mining towns and the road was very narrow that make it difficult to pass slow trucks and took twice as long as it would in the states. The sky was perfectly clear: baby blue and sunny. I had forgotten what the sun looked like living in Lima for the past 3 weeks where there is always a haze. I'm glad I had sunscreen today!

We packed headed up a rocky road that had endless cut-backs but passed a few farms with hay roofs and rock fences. Generally, I felt out of breath after about 25 steps and had to stop to slow my heart and sometimes find a rock to sit on to catch my breath. I even took my acetazolamide as instructed.

At the beginning, the group of 30 (half Peruvian and quarter Americans working at the Embassy and a quarter Fogarty-related people) were very slow moving as some people could only make it 15 steps before stopping. Two people had to turn around after 30 minutes. Basically for the next 6 hours, the group spread out based on how many steps (30 vs 20 vs 10 steps) you could go without resting. There were three Peruvian guides and their three beautiful guide dogs spread out to make sure everyone knew where they were going.

We hiked along a deep valley and passed over small waterfalls and streams. As we skirted around a number of mountains we were constantly climbing in elevation. As I reached the final clearing before the last big climb, one of the guides was waiting and we had a quick conversation in Spanish. My Spanish comprehension isn't great but I swear he said that it would only take about 30 minutes, maybe even only 20 for me, to get up over that "wall" to the lake (see tired-looking photo below). An hour and 15 minutes later after stopping every 4-6 steps to catch my breath, I made it and it felt great!





I finished my lunch and took a long siesta while I waited for my friends. In the end we all made it to the beautiful turquoise lake at 14,000ft surrounded by snow-capped Andes mountains. It only took about 2 hours to get down and we were very entertained by the llamas and sheep along the way.



It was a beautiful day! The views were unbelievable and my legs are unbelievably tired. I guess it's good cross-training for my half marathon next weekend, eh?


Llama's chasing Christina down the trail.



Llamas and sheep are skeptical of us and hesitantly pass us on the trail.

Picarones!

Leora, a Fogarty from NYC, is trying her first picarone "pee-ka-ro-nay".

The food in Lima is fantastic! I did get a little sick last week but I am over it and back to eating all the comida peruano that I can find. My favorites are the postres (desserts), including arroz con leche, churrios (filled with wonderful creams - see below), tres leche, and picarones. Here's a video outside the Monasterio de San Francisco where we saw the catacombs. We explored El Centro de Lima and ate some more delicious picarones (basically a funnel cake dough but made with sweet potatoes and fried in a ring-shape served with honey).





My friends Miranda and Jenni have been keeping an excellent blog about our trip in Peru and have lots more about the delicious food here with photos! Check it out: Pinas Peruanas.

Futbol in Lima

I went to see the #1 club team, Universitario, play the worst team, Bolognesi, at the HUGE municipal stadium in Lima. Unfortunately, the better team, despite played most the game 11 vs 10 and having lots of crazy fans with flags, drums, and torches, could not defeat the hard-working team from Tumbes (by Ecuador). The game ended 0-0 but not without some excitement. A Bolognesi player was thrown out for tackling from behind and injuring a player and at least two others did the same and got yellow cards. The field and stands were lined with policia wearing helmets and holding shields (you can see them lined up below the fans). They don't serve cervezas, which is probably a good thing, but they do serve Inka Cola (tastes like bubble gum and is florescent yellow and everyone here loves it) and U-kola (a cheap, rip-off, watered down Coca cola). Overall, the quality of soccer (futbol) here isn't great, which mi amiga Romina warned me about, but being in the outdoor stadium, having a little boy shine your seat and a woman bring you coffee and a chorizo sandwich (after overcharging you because you are American), and hearing all the dedicated fans yelling and banging their drums, it was totally worth it!


Tomorrow we are going to hike Laguna Rapagna. It's 11,000ft at the base and the 6 hour hike goes to 14,000ft. I took my acetazolamide and I'm bringing a gallon of water. Should be fun!

When to visit Peru?

I asked my friend Romina and this was her reply:
"November to March is rainy only in the mountains, that time of the year is perfect to visit the coast. You can visit Machu Picchu by bus whenever you want, but it may be a little bit rainy on your way there. The perfect time to come to Peru and travel is April-May and September-October."

So what are you waiting for?

Interestingly, the Estudio Nacional del Fenómeno El Niño (ENFEN) is predicting this will be another El Nino year. If you forgot about the 1997-98 El Nino (or if you are a big nerd like I am), I highly recommend you read this National Geographic article. Lima's climate is generally quite mild and dry yet the relative humidity is very high so every morning there is a brief fog in the summer and persistent low clouds from May to November. It is cloudy, damp and cool in the winter (Jun-Oct) and sunny, moist and warm in the summer (Dec-Apr). Inland locations within Lima receive around 2 inches of rainfall, mostly in the winter months. Summer rain is mostly isolated light and brief afternoon showers. The Andes are a different story. The peak of the 'rainy season' however, name which really does not apply, occurs during winter when late-night/morning drizzle events (locally called 'garua', 'llovizna' or 'camanchaca') become frequent. All these climatic phenomena arise from the combination of semi-permanent coastal upwelling and the presence of the cold Humboldt Current just offshore. A complete breakdown of the weather can be found here: Undercovertourist.

Medicine jokes

For anyone in medicine who doesn't know what they are going to do, this is a great chart to help narrow down the possibilities! What do you think I should go into?

Also, the following was emailed to me and I had a good laugh and so I thought would share it.

"The American Medical Association has weighed in on the new Obama health care proposals.

The Allergists voted to scratch it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

The Obstetricians felt they were all laboring under a misconception. Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, "Oh, Grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.

The Internists thought it was a bitter pill to swallow, and the Plastic Surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter..."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

The Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and the Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the [insert bad word here] in Washington."

Machu Picchu in a day

It was a rough day of hiking but we did it!

From left to right: Miranda, Leora, Jenni and me












Just kidding!

This photo was in the Parque de la Muralla (city walls) where the original city walls have been excavated and there is a museum with other artifacts. We paid un sol to take our photo here and all the Peruvians were staring at us. The park was fun and packed with families. There were kids learning how to ride bikes, enjoying carnival rides, taking a trencita (small train) from the Plaza de Armas to the park and dancing to music and much more. We were the only gringas and we were sporting the National colors - red and white.

Free lessons

The top of the bronze fountain in the Plaza de Armas, built in 1650, in front of the Catedral de Lima, which was reconstructed after the 1746 earthquake.

Everyone here wants free English lessons and the best way to get it is by hanging out with native speakers, like myself. Luckily for me, it works both ways. When they get stuck in English (usually because after asking "Where are you from?" and I reply "Minnesota" they are dumbfounded since their geography of the USA doesn't extend much beyond Miami and California), then I slip into Spanish and continue the conversation. I'm by no means fluent but I'm a gringa (slang for American girl) who hold a conversation with a taxi driver or at a club. Last night, I went to a fiesta de cumpleanos (birthday party) for a Peruvian friend of my Peruvian running buddy. I was the only non-Peruvian in this very Italian-Peruvian family party. I held my own and was able to understand what people were saying except I could not, for the life of me, understand the drunk Italian-Peruvian father who slurred his speech. It was impossible to understand! At the party, I also got offered free surfing lessons if I agreed to only talk in English.

I have one more week of Spanish classes at El Sol and I'm learning a lot. I moved into a nice apartment in a central location 4 blocks from Parque Kennedy (the center of Miraflores) and 6 blocks from the Malercon (by the cliffs and the ocean). My roommate is Peruvian and we speak only Spanish on even number days and English on odd number days. It's free lessons for him and great practice for me. Enjoy the Northern Hemisphere weather as it's been in the 50s and chilly here. Adios!

The infamous combis

My first combi (mini-bus) ride on my first day in Lima was to the Book Festival at the National Museum and I went all by myself. Combis are private mini-buses that have various routes and they compete with each other for passengers so they drive like maniacs on the roads. They are the main form of public transportation and during rush hour they are packed like sardines. So on my first, completely overwhelmed day in Lima, I decided to take a combi. I watched a few people get on and off the combis and I decided to jump on the next combi that stopped at my bus stop. The driver was yelling in Spanish so fast that I'm not sure any of you who took college-level Spanish could even understand. Needless to say I couldn't understand but my Peruvian friend told me to ask, "Todo Arequipa?" which is the main street I needed to go down. He nodded so I jumped on.

I paid him one sole (Peruvian money) and he put out his hand and wanted more money but my Peruvian friend said it only costs uno sole and I couldn't understand a word he was saying and eventually he gave up. I opened my phrasebook and practiced the phrase, "Puede decirme donde tengo que bajarme?" (Can you tell me when I need to get off?) but as soon as I closed the book I forgot the phrase so I looked it up again, and again, and finally got the courage to ask. He said "Donde?" (Where?) and I knew that phrase so I told him the street.

Fifteen minutes later after a whirlwind ride through roundabouts and nearly crashing a dozen times he said, "Seniorita" and I got off. So it wasn't as scary as I thought but still an adrenaline rush. Rather than taking another combis, I decided to walk to the museum. Forty five minutes later and after inhaling more auto exhaust than I have living in Minneapolis for 25 years, I finally found the museum.

Getting back to Miraflores was a different story but I'll save that for later.

Photos of Local Peruvian Artists at the Ferria del Libro at the Museo de la Nacion in Lima. Note that most people in Lima dress like we do (nice pants and a shirt) but there were a few artists from smaller villages in their beautiful dresses.

Rough life

Above: Miranda and Jenni at Parque del Amor in Miraflores.

So we decided that life in Lima is not so bad. First and foremost, the food here is wonderful! There will be a future post on the various dishes that I've had in my first week, including antechuchos (cow heart - my favorite!), aji de gallina, cerviche, raw oysters, calamari, churros, tres de leche, etc. and my digestive system has handled it quite nicely.
The Fogarty program sends students to developing countries. I, as many of you from a developed country, had preconceived notions about what it means to be going to (and living in) a developing country. However, I was wrong. Miraflores is not at all developing and I'd argue that it's more developed than many places in the US and Europe. The streets are spotless. Lima must employ like 10% of the population who dress in "Oompa Loompa" outfits with masks and are out every morning sweeping every sidewalk crack and street. Our personal trash gets picked up by garbage trucks daily (more often than Minneapolis). There are lots of street dogs but you never see or step in doggie you-know-what. There are smokers but no cigarette butts. Since it's winter, the Peruvians believe their dogs are cold and so most dogs, including the street dogs, wear little doggie outfits. Mind you it's a mere 60 degrees (50 at night but still). There are plenty of fancy dog breeds too: schnauzer, weimeriener, english sheep dogs, shar pei, poodles, afghans, etc. but I haven't seen any cocker spaniels.

There are many parks and parkways that are green and full of interesting plants including cacti, aloe, evergreens, flowers (including bird of paradise). There is even a Parque del Amor (super cheesey make out area along the cliffs with Parc Guell/Gaudi-imitation mosaic benches)


The neighborhood security guards ride around on scooters and segways. Yes, segways! Can you believe it? There are fancy taxis, too, like Mercedes and BMWs, parked outside the Marriott Hotel. The taxis we take are of a much lower quality with no shocks and worn-out breaks but we haven't been in any accidents, yet. There are bike paths and roundabouts that don't have potholes or major gaps. We have 24/7 wireless internet, cell phones, 24 hour McDonald's, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc. and much more.
Don't get me wrong, Lima has its rough areas and slums with lots of poverty, disease (namely tuberculosis and HIV), stray dogs, trash, broken buildings, huge pot holes, etc. But in general, Peru is a wonderful place to be living for the year. I'm very happy here. Please come visit!

Leaving Seattle and getting settled in Miraflores

Seattle
I forgot to mention last week that my wonderful cousins, Molly and Sara, came to Seattle and were so kind to let me stay in their hotel room when it was 100 degrees. We took the ferry to Bainbridge to the Public House Pub by the marina, again, and enjoyed a very memorable going away dinner. Thanks girls!

The Blue Angels were practicing their routine for the SeaFair and it was amazing to see and then a few seconds later hear them roar by.




It's been a busy week being the only blond in Lima (as far as I can tell).

Lima
My luggage arrive on Monday which was lucky and I found a nice apartment to move into next week with a Peruvian, Johnny. I'll live on the third floor (up two spiral staircases) with a private bedroom and bathroom. We made a trip to the Metro, Peru's equivalent of Target, to buy household items and thanks goodness for my handy pocket dictionary (thank you Lizz) to ask where "hangers" and "hair dryer" were located.

Miraflores

I have been running in the morning in Miraflores with panoramic views of the ocean and often surfers in wetsuits (see above). Larcomar is a fancy outdoor mall along the cliffs. I love it! It's winter here and so the temperatures have been in the 50 and 60s and overcast which is great for running, and that's about it. I guess it can't get any worse and compared to a Minnesota winter I really can't complain. The only problem is I haven't found anyone to play futbol with yet but it's only my first week.

We've been meeting with important researchers here the past few days: the head of the Navy research center, NMRCD, head of the IRBs in Peru, and my mentors in Lima, Dr Jorge Alarcon and Dr Silvia Montano at San Marcos University. Most of our daily conversations and training are in Spanish which is challenging for me. I get the gist of it and thankfully my fellow Fogarty friends, Miranda and Christina, can understand. The hospitals are only an hour and a half away from Miraflores on the combis, the crazy minibuses that are like a $0.30 roller coaster ride. Oh well!

Spanish class
Hable un poquito espanol (I speak very little Spanish) and so I have been working very hard to improve. I have a private tutor three days a week and she's wonderful. Very patient and only speaks to me in Spanish. I also bought five childrens books (reading level 6 years old, seriously). The nice lady at the Feria del Libro at the National Museum was so kind to recommend her favorite books but laughed when I said that they were for me. I basically look up every other word in the dictionary but I'm learning. I am on level 2 of my Rosetta Stone and it is way harder than level 1! Last, but not least, I am taking three weeks of intensive small group lessons at El Sol which is only a few blocks away. I take my placement test tomorrow and I'm crossing my fingers to pass out of beginner and into pre-intermediate. I would love to talk to you on skype if you know Spanish and would like to teach me or brush up (you might want to give me a week or two).

There are a few things that we've got planned.
Aug. 22 - Hike laguna de rapagna. It's only 4500m (14700ft) - you may be thinking that we're crazy and you're right! We probably will get massive headaches but it will be fun!
Aug. 30 - Media Maraton Lima (half marathon through Lima and along the beach) Wish me luck!
Sept. 5-8 - Go to Arequipa. Romina and I are flying down to Arequipa for the weekend to meet my project co-investigators so I can get started with the data analysis on the PREVENCION database.

Adios!

The adventure begins!

Well we arrived in Lima. Unfortunately, our luggage from Seattle did not. Thank gooodness we were traveling with the Peruvians or I would have broken down at 5am in the airport, balling, when my luggage did not show up on the carosel and hardly anyone spoke English. Welcome to PERU! It looks like Seattle in December - chilly and a light rain. The ocean looks great for surfing but the driver said it's very cold! I guess it's the ocean.
Anyway, a few hours of hassling at the airport and being flexible was essential today. I just woke up from a nap at my friend Miranda's, since that's where our luggage will be mailed - tomorrow! Now we get to go shopping! Luckily, my luggage was overweight and I had to carry-on/drag around a couple airports my stupid, heavy (25 lbs), big blue laundry bag (with clean clothes)! Yeah, the adventure begins!

Orca watching on San Juan Island

The Peru crew, Miranda, Romina, Bruno, and I (with the binoculars) on the Washington State Ferry to the beautiful San Juan Islands. We rented a car for a day and drove up to Anascortes to catch the ferry.
It was a very scenic ride to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. It was a nice town with a high school and everything! We drove to the other side (~10 miles) where the orcas typically swim by and waited, and waited, and waited for the J, K, and L orca pods to swim by...
and eventually (5 hours later) they did (we was about 20+ orcas over the next hour)!!
Romina and I watching orcas at Lime Kiln Point.

Orcas in the sea.


Two videos of orcas swimming by Lime Kiln point on San Juan Island.



The Peru Crew in a tree on San Juan Island.

A few days ago when it was a record 102 degree in Seattle, we swam across Lake Washington (a little triathlon training without a wetsuit). It was over a 1.5mi swim and super choppy from the big yachts and sailboats. Not to mention it was farther than I've ever swam (the half ironman was only 1.3mi).
This photo is from the beach where we swam from and there are lots of sail boats on Lake Washington with downtown in the background.


I'm leaving for the airport now and we'll arrive at 4am tomorrow in Lima. Adios!