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Day Three: Arenal National Park, Fortuna & San Carlos

There are no words to describe the beauty and majesty of Arenal Volcano, Alajuela Province, Costa Rica.

Ken and I rose early to spend time viewing Arenal Volcano and consuming its wonder. Howler monkeys screamed, darting through the trees. Glorious birds stopped by to feed, flowers and mariposas dazzled, snakes thrilled and frogs glistened. The greenery and sounds of the jungle stunned and thrilled. The volcano slowly shed its cloud covering.

I could not get enough of the fresh, homemade mango and berry yogurt, filling my cup every chance I could. I was the outlier, ordering deserts at every chance. Deserts were delicate, subtle and satisfying. Cafe con leche was my go-to drink at every stop, served with a beautiful drawing floating on top.

Luis Escobar and Gerhard Linner kept us on a tight, well-planned schedule, enabling us to marvel at and photograph every desirable, imaginable sight available in this beautiful world.

We all agreed, everyday is better and better!

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The extent of my southern quest in the Americas was Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 1998, to celebrate the 50th birthday of my husband, Ken Winiecki. Europe and the Middle East continually beckoned afterward.

In spite of this, the lure of photographing the world-renowned cloud forest and immersing myself in the jungle sparked my interest in journeying to Costa Rica and Pura Vida. The extensive skills and knowledge of Luis Escobar, #allwedoisrun #allwedoisphoto, and Gerhard Linner, Setir Costa Rica, brought this fantasy to life.

I quickly fell in love with the beautiful people, flora and fauna of Costa Rica. On our first morning, Ken and I ventured out on our own. We were immediately blessed when a tour group materialized and invited us to join them on a 4-hour river walk. The tour was organized to educate people in conserving Costa Rica’s priceless resources, particularly its waterways. We were not prepared with food or water, but the beautiful people willingly and lovingly opened their bags, serving us all the delicious food and drink we could handle.

We had a wonderful first day!

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Journey On!

I greatly enjoyed studying the different portrayals of women in various mediums over time.

Journey On!

I am honored to appear in the Paramount Pulse Beat, December 2018,  p. 9, running for women, seniors and charities.

This year, 2018, has been a spectacular whirlwind, chock full of surprises and blessings. My cup is truly running over! I never foresaw in my wildest dreams that my 67th year on this planet would hold these life-affirming experiences. Sometimes, if you just wait long enough, great things appear. All along the way, I met wonderful, loving people. I made lifelong friendships across the country and the world. Some of my blessings included:

261Fearless
Charity Teams
The Boston Marathon
The 60-mile Born To Run Ultra Marathon
The Niagara Falls Women’s Half Marathon
Finding my Boone and Wall heritage and induction into the Daughters of the American Revolution
The Falmouth Road Race for Mission One
The Nevada and California State Championships resulting in qualifying entries for the 2019 Senior Olympics in Albuquerque, NM
Certification as a 261Fearless Coach, Team Leader and Club Director
Photography trips to Oceana, San Luis Obispo and Costa Rica with Luis Escobar
Working on the election campaign and attending the victory party of a US Senator

2019 Awaits! I can’t wait to see what it has in store!

Journey On!

  

Video Virtual San Antonio

I was honored and privileged to support #261Fearless Team San Antonio, TX, by running the worldwide virtual 5K with them on December 1, 2018. The race started at 7:30 am San Antonio time, so I took off at 5:30 am in Los Angeles. Women from India, Austria, UK, Malaysia and USA joined us. It’s wonderful seeing women all over the world running together in support of one great cause, #261Fearless. We are sisters, we are united and we are #261Fearless #261Friends!

Quest On! Together!

On Thursday, October 25, 2018, my husband, Ken, and I flew from Los Angeles, CA, to Portland, OR. I was to experience the opportunity of a lifetime, participating in the highly prized, 261 Fearless Train the Trainer Course. 

The three-day course was broad, deep and intensive. It was also well-planned, well-paced, serious while enjoyable. As with all other 261 Fearless events I have had the pleasure of attending, including the Boston Marathon, Team 261 Fearless 2018, this course provided us with everything needed to succeed. Theory, facts, discussion and practice provided the well-rounded, balanced, complete curriculum. The program was visionary, challenging motivating and exciting.

I was blessed to receive the enormous honor of becoming a 261 Fearless Coach, Group Leader and Club Director. This amazing journey was in itself an opportunity beyond my imagination, filling my heart with joy. It also had a highly personal component. On October 27, 2007, my beloved Mother and Best Friend, passed away. I was with her to the Finish Line and felt her last 3 breaths on my cheek. Exactly eleven years later, on October 27, 2018, she was with me to the Finish Line, as I coached my first 261 Fearless Run Meet.

Currently, I am reviewing and pouring through the material. I will attack and complete these assignments with all my strength, exuberance and enthusiasm, without delay.

Keep Questing!

 

I was born in Denver, Colorado in 1951. I spent the first eight years of my life leaning the culture of the Colorado Rocky Mountain people. Weekend trips to the Rocky Mountains, breathtaking scenery, fantastic wild and domestic animals, Field Day events, and books fill my earliest memories.

When I was eight years old, my parents moved the family to Los Angeles, California. I have remained here to the present day. With my last glimpse of the breath-taking beauty of the Rocky Mountains, I vowed to return some day.

I quickly learned the Los Angeles culture was very different. I dove into books and spent plenty of time at the beach. I loved swimming and lounging around in the sun. I danced my heart out to the tunes of the 1960s all through high school, during lunch and every weekend. I won dance contests and loved it.

I was blessed with a daughter and son, and graduated with a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. Throughout this time, I continually exercised about 20 minutes a day, doing floor stretches, tai chi, swimming and walking on the treadmill.

In 2012, I was on a winning team for LA County Library in an LA countywide physical fitness challenge, Race Around the World. Our LA County Library Head of Human Resources was a marathoner and member of the LA Road Runners. We spoke during our victory lap. She asked if I had ever considered a marathon. I jumped at the question. This quest had inhabited my mind for as long as I could remember. Game On!

I immediately joined LA RoadRunners and began walking/running at 60 years old. I wanted to lose 50 pounds and complete a marathon. I accomplished both and have since completed 13 marathons, including Bhutan 2017, New York City 2016 and 2017, and Boston 2018 with Team 261 Fearless. I have completed 32 additional, shorter races, ranging from 5Ks to half-marathons. I won my age division or placed on the podium in 14. I have also completed 3 ultramarathons, including the Born to Run 60-mile ultra in 2018. I won my age division for the 60-mile ultra and am currently training for the 100-mile Born to Run ultra. I won gold medals in the Nevada State Championships, Senior Olympics, for both the 5K and 10K, qualifying for the 2019 National Senior Olympics. I plan to race a variety of shorter distances, including 50, 100, 200, 400 meter dashes, as well as 800 and 1500 meter runs.

In 2017, I was blessed to join 261 Fearless Friends and in 2018, I became a 261 Fearless Influencer. I continue to work full-time at LA County Library in Library Administration. My love for running and books has spanned nearly 70 years and is only increasing. I see a great future ahead!

Patricia Carleen Winiecki
October 23, 2018
http://PatQuests.com

On October 16, 2018, at about 3:10 p.m., without warning, I suddenly felt the whole world spinning at warp speed. I could not move. I could not even open my eyes. Nonstop nausea and vomiting followed immediately along with profuse sweating. Spinning at a level 15.

This just had to happen at work, in my office, in front of all my terrified coworkers! I was able to get the trashcan, hold it upright and warn my coworkers bad things were coming.

Paramedics transported me from LA County Library Headquarters to Downey Hospital. I was followed in the ER, stabilized and released at about 8:40 p.m.

The attack was so severe and disabling, it felt like all of my marathons, fractured bones and illnesses thrown together and on steroids. Zofran and Meclizine helped a little, but took hours to stop the attack, This spinning continued this morning, but only at a level 1 – 2.

I plan on getting to the bottom of this. I  think it is related to the occasional leaning problem I have experienced in long races. I believe this is a swelling in the brain or ear. I’m on this. It will stop. I won’t .

11/10/18: Feeling much better! Was able to fly to Portland, OR (11/2/18-11/4/18), New York City (11/8/18-11/9/18), Stanford University (11/10/18-11/11/18) and Houston, TX (11/6/18-11/7/18). 11/10/18: No pressure in left (or right) ear, spinning less than 1%. No meds.

11/12/18: No ear pressure for 2 days! 1 slight spinning spell for a couple of seconds while climbing in a very confined area in the Cost Rica rain forest. No meds.

12/27/18: Very little left ear pressure, only a few minutes a day. Muffled left ear seems related to to severe mental stress, but does not always occur. On 12/5/18, I had an audio test, and an on 12/21/18, an MRI. I will receive further information today.

12/27/18: I visited the ENT, the MRI showed normal results. No pathology, even at my age. The ENT seemed highly impressed, veering on disbelief.

Journey On!