It’s Friday, so I’m linking up with Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go on an amazing “runcation with Aire Libre via Janji Travel. I loved Mexico City and Stacy and I had an awesome time.
We went a day early to explore Mexico City and to acclimate a bit to the altitude. On New Year’s Day, we visited the historic district and had some tacos (and many more quesadillas than we had in mind – oops on the ordering). On Thursday before the group met, we ran to Chapultepec Park and took pics at the castle. The altitude was noticeable but we did OK. Then we went to an awesome cooking class and market tour with Mexican Food Tours. Another highly recommended experience.
5 Reasons to Go on a Runcation with Aire Libre
1. To experience local culture. One of my favorite things about this Aire Libre run getaway was that it wasn’t the least bit touristy. (It was also way more than a running trip!) We even when places that many locals in Mexico City don’t have the opportunity to go. We ran the trails that some kick-butt mountain and road runners run. We had so much amazing local food. We even went to a Zapotec Temazcal – that’s a sweat lodge. It was a truly unique experience followed by a meal of Posole with Zapotec music and dancing.
2. To join a community. Our group was a mix of ages, paces and life stages. The local guides and runners that joined us ranged from champion mountain runners to regular running enthusiasts like us. The thing that bound us all together was a love of new experiences, travel, running and sharing our stories. Aire Libre has a community of past participants and friends so you can reach out to meet people in your travels. I can’t wait!
3. To try new things. We did a beer run, the temazcal, ran technical trails, checked out floating gardens and lots of unique breathing and meditation exercises. We even did some chanting. The tenor of the trip was very inclusive and open. I was comfortable knowing I wouldn’t be good at everything and that would be OK.
4. To make new friends. I had a leg up on this trip because I went with Stacy. I think she’d agree that everyone was really friendly, interesting and interested. Our group bonded over the experience and I feel that we’ll stay in touch. I can’t wait for people to come visit in Chicago – and to run NYC Marathon with some of the group and local CDMX runners!
5. To remind yourself that you’re up for the challenge. When I heard that we were running trails at 9000 ft and running around a volcano at 14000 ft, I imagined that I wouldn’t be able to run a step. When I heard that the sweat lodge could be up to 2 hours in the dark and heat, I thought NO WAY I can do that. I’m proud to report, I completed both runs (with much less walking than I expected) and stayed the course for 90 minutes in the sweat lodge. I’m tough and I can do hard things. I also have some new mantras to try including “I feel free.”
Aire Libre hosts getaways and longer running retreats all over the world. Some are run in conjunction with Janji Travel like this one. Get $100 off your first Aire Libre trip with code GIVEGET100. (Note: if you use this code, I get $100, too!)
If this sounds cool to you, I highly recommend you check out Aire Libre and Janji Travel. I’m so grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait until I can go on another trip with them.
Have a great weekend and let me know if you have any questions! If you want to check out more pics, check out my Instagram and Instagram story highlights “CDMX Runcation.”
PS. Don’t miss my great giveaways.