Learning to Run in Callao

Fortunately for me, Melissa likes to run too. Our goal is to keep each other motivated to exercise. (Otherwise, our days will consist of sitting on the couch all day except Fri-Sun evenings when we go to church things. This would NOT be a good thing.)

I have been trying to get into running for a while (ohh, about 5 years..), but every time I run into some problem. Eg. Hurting my achilles/ankle, extreme stomach pains, cold sweats while running, foot cramps, etc. Running and I have a love/hate relationship. But, like it or not, I will persevere. 

This is only week 2 of running, but we have a course we like and currently easing our way in by starting at 2 miles and inching our way towards 3 and so on.. 

Our course starts in front of the house on Avenida Quilca. This is a fairly major road with lots of small intersections. Traffic here has a mind of its own, so we have to be very cautious, especially on this part of the trek. 

Then, we run down Ave Peru. This is the "blissful" part of the run. In the middle of this major road there is a wide walkway with grass on either side. I feel very protected in the middle of this part and we pass a lot of other people walking down it which keeps the stray dogs from chasing us. This part of the trip goes down between all of the mechanic's shops, so we get a good amount of whistling and honking at that part. 

Then, we turn onto Ave Tomas Valle. It is always disconcerting when having to guess how long it will take the light to turn green and people shoot off the line like they are racing for pink slips. However, at this light there are usually some kids out there doing cartwheels and flips (trying to make some money..I am not sure if they do it because they are bored, want to help the family, or their parents tell them to do it), and they know the timing, so if they are out it is safe to cross. The rest of the route down this road is similar to Ave Peru, minus the shops, so people mostly just honk at us, but they are usually preoccupied with the traffic to notice us.

The final leg of our route is down the frontage road. This part is not so bad once you cross the street, where there is not crosswalk and the cars could be going straight or turning and they are moving quite fast from coming off the freeway. There is usually a decent gap to go or you just go when everyone else starts going. This stretch can be a little challenging weaving in and out of people as it is where you catch combis and taxis. Otherwise, it is the least busy road.

Next week, we will probably have to start adding on detours or something to make our run longer. Should be interesting finding less busy roads, but also routes that involve the least number of dogs to chase us.

Check out Melissa's video on the mobile app, Vine! Just use my name to search for me: Katrina Petz.

~nos vemos~