Greetings for the far south. Actually, Ecuador is in northern South America, if you will pardon the oxymoron. Lee Anne and I are currently in Cuenca, which is slightly south of the equator. I had better quit before this gets too confusing.
Running at 2500 meters is not entirely easy. From one perspective, it should be easy. Cuenca is not overly hilly and with temperatures in the mid 20's, we are running in shorts and a T-shirt. A significant difference from running in Creemore, with 3 layers of clothes and questionable traction. For fun, let's introduce some variables that are not readily available in Creemore, in January. The previously mentioned altitude is a big factor. Until acclimatized, walking up one flight of stairs leaves you gasping for air. Even gentle uphill slopes take on epic proportions when combined with the altitude. Toss in humidity and a sun that is directly overhead, and suddenly running becomes "Real Tough". How tough? We went out for our long run. For Lee Anne, this is 4 - 5 hours. She managed 3.5 hours. For me, let's just say that after 2.5 hours, I was starting to tremble.
Hiking can also be a challenge. The Cajas national park is way up there. The road reaches over 4,300 meters and at points we were looking down on the road. The park is incredibly beautiful and I will include pictures when I post from home. Currently I am in an internet cafe and the Spanish spellcheck indicates that every word is mispelled. I've never seen so many red squiggly underlines!
Well, that's about it for now. We will be in Cuenca until February 5, then down to Vilcabamba until we head back to Creemore on February 14.
Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment