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c h a i w e n 👾🏃‍♀️🐣✨

@aehrwyn

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just a nerd who likes to do hard things📍nyc
🏃‍♀️ 26 ultramarathons completed 🏁 UTMB 2024
👾 systems software engineer (2nd career)

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For anyone curious. How do you go from beginner runner to 106 miles, 33,000’ elevation gain, at the most iconic trail race in the world? For me it took 10 years. Some of that was physical, some was mental, to break the belief that this was impossible for someone like me.

Some people rush into ultramarathons but i took it slowly. 🐢 And slowly but surely i made it to that finish line and it was sooo worth it.

If anyone is on their own journey toward the final boss battle of trail running and has any questions, please feel free to comment and ask me anything! ☺️

#utmb #utmbmontblanc #ultrarunning #trailrunning #womenwhorun taken in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France by @aehrwyn

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a month ago

☃️ FAQ Part 1 of answering the most common questions about my run! ❄️ Gear shown in video:
- @insta360 X3
- @nikerunning pegasus trail goretex
- @kahtoola nanospikes, microspikes
- @pelotonapparel socks, @darntoughvermont socks

#winterrunning #running #runninggear by @aehrwyn

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9 months ago

I couldn’t help it and had to do this fun trend for software engineering too 😊

I’ve been a software engineer for 8 years in the tech industry, coding for 16 years, and I’m not ashamed to admit that…

1. I still deal with imposter syndrome despite promotions at 2 public companies. I still wonder if I’ll get “found out” one day.

2. I regularly google (now ask copilot) basic syntax when coding. I’m a fan of offloading my brain.

3. My public github has zero activity.

4. I’m still terrified of technical interviews even after all this time. Not so much because I doubt my technical ability, but because of the potential grilling, judging, and leetcoding. it’s even worse with social anxiety.

5. I’m on my second career, which I sacrificed a lot of time and money for, but sometimes wonder if there should be a third.

I share these because I truly am not ashamed of any of these things, but I think I once was when I was just starting out. Now I realize these “shortcomings” are just part of being human in this field. So if this post happens to find its way to a dev who’s feeling a bit inadequate, let this be a sign to give yourself some grace, trust the process, and know that even experienced (sort of) engineers share these same experiences. And it’s ok :)

Aaand similar to my running post, wait whaaat it’s been 8 years already?! omg 🤯😭

PS do you like my room in purple? 💜

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#softwareengineering #womenintech #techcareer #techtok #softwareengineer #coding #devlife #computerscience #nanoleaf #desksetup by @aehrwyn

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2 years ago

Oct. 9, 2026 - Helloooo from Norway! 🇳🇴 I am sooo behind on posting, but just had to share this!! I didn’t plan (how can you plan?) on seeing the Aurora Borealis for the first time ever on this loooong travel + remote work trip, but it happened, randomly in a parking lot, while car camping my first night in Lofoten last week!

I always thought you needed to book a tour or needed to have help chasing it, or stay at some remote lodge with someone watching the skies for you in the dead of winter. Nope, we saw it driving from the airport! 🤯

I also imagined that the photos i see online must be enhanced or photoshopped but it really can be this bright and vivid! This lasted about an hour from 10:30 - 11:30pm. I couldn’t believe my eyes, feeling so lucky and grateful double rainbow guy vibes whaaat 🤩💚

#auroraborealis #northernlights #lofoten taken in Lofoten Islands, Norway by @aehrwyn

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16 hours ago

forget about complaining about squat toilets, i just want to poop with doors? please? 😭 at least this one was clean!

the further outside of big cities you go the rougher the bathrooms get… these ones i saw were out in rural Tibet along the way from Lhasa towards everest base camp.

i saw one where the first doorless stall faced the entrance, so when there’s a line, people are standing right in front of you?!?! 😭😭😭

pro tip: always bring your own toilet paper plus hand sanitizer/soap because there will be none of that here! poop anxiety level max everyday!!

#chinatravel #traveltips by @aehrwyn

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24 days ago

Hello from Everest North base camp in Tibet (around ~5100m/16,700’)! The view of everest from the north side is amazing but the trip itself is completely different (like 180 opposite) compared to the Nepal side everest base camp trek. Will post more about this soon!!

Grateful to have been able to see everest with my own eyeballs twice now 🙏🙏

Also, apparently the diarrhea lettuce outbreak is finally officially over as of last week? are we eating salads again? 🥬😍

📸 @zernyu

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#everest #everestbasecamp #tibettravel #tibet taken in Everest Base Camp, Mt. Everest, Tibet, China by @aehrwyn

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a month ago

Hello from Taiwan! 🇹🇼 Pre-acclimating just means spending more time at altitude before going on a high altitude trip. I’ve had bad luck on previous trips, always suffering from pounding headaches, extreme nausea, which eventually made me not want to go up anymore, but then i love high mountains so much. 😭😍

I was thinking maybe my body just isn’t built for these types of adventures sadly. But a couple years ago I decided to test if i could adjust by giving myself more time. I spent a week at 10,000’ *before* heading out on a trip where i summited a 6000m (nearly 20k’) peak with no issues. I was so excited to find out that my body *COULD* handle altitude, i just needed more time than the average trip itinerary. All of our bodies are just so different!!

Very very thankful for my flexible remote and PTO work policy that allows me to do this 🙏 See you in Tibet!

PS: i love congee and fermented tofu and other sides for breakfast, sooo good!! 😋

#altitudesickness #highaltitude #trekking taken in Hehuanshan, Taiwan by @aehrwyn

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a month ago

Reminder that you can do hard things. Even if you’re just a girl from the city, working a corporate 9-5, training at sea level, dreaming of big faraway mountain races. You can do it. You can beat the final boss of trail running.

It took me 10 years to go from road 5ks to crossing that finish line at UTMB Mont Blanc 🥺 106 miles. 33,000’ elevation.

Good luck to everyone racing this magical course this weekend 🏔️🏔️🏔️

#utmb #utmbworldseries #ultrarunning #trailrunning taken in Chamonix, France by @aehrwyn

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2 months ago

didn’t get to see the sparkling universe today. 3 amazing days of sun in iceland and it rained on eclipse day today 🙃🌧️🌧️🌧️

you win some, you lose some. still got to experience day turn in to night within seconds and last for 2 minutes and that was still SO COOL 🤯

So excited for everyone who made it out to Spain and saw it!!! ✨

fyi if you haven’t seen a total solar eclipse yet, you won’t understand. I saw my first total in upstate new york in 2024 and it was life changing. you won’t see it at 99%, it HAS to be 100%. I didn’t know the sky could look like that, and I didn’t believe it when i read about it.
you just gotta see it with your own naked eyes. The sun becomes an amazing sparkling white ring in the black night sky. Everything goes quiet and it suddenly feels like you’re on a spaceship traveling through the universe. 🤩🤩🤩

the next total solar eclipse is in egypt in 2027!! who’s going???

#totalsolareclipse #eclipsechasers #visiticeland #solareclipse2026 taken in Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland by @aehrwyn

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2 months ago

21 miles : 17 bridge crossings. 100% humidity. Everything including phone and camera lens completely drenched in sweat.

And apparently the bridge and summer heat and humidity and my stomach have a problem. The last time I ran a 20 miler on this bridge in the summer I wanted to celebrate with bubble tea afterwards but instead puked all around soho in broad daylight… Well, I puked in the last quarter mile at this race too and then puked all along my walk home with cramping calves… Definitely failed to hydrate + electrolyte properly and paid. so. hard. Whoooooops! Sounds like another 20 miler on the bridge in the summer is in my future, I gotta conquer this!

Never underestimate the importance of electrolytes and hydration especially in humid heat. and do as i say, not as i do! 😅

Thank you to the race organizers for creating such a fun local community event, I loved seeing everyone out there doing laps and having a good time! And congrats to everyone who ran this race, you all were crushing it!! What a fun way to spend a summer friday night!!!

#williamsburgbridge #nycrunners #runningcommunity taken in Williamsburg Bridge by @aehrwyn

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2 months ago

This race is crazy, and I think it’s perfect. Showing up Friday night not knowing if you’re about to run 10 or 100 miles?! The Williamsburg Bridge Marathon is back! Who’s in???

Just ran a 50 miler last month so honestly no clue if my legs are ready for another ultra, probably not 😆 Should i do it?! I’ve missed this race the last 3 years because i was always out of town, but i’m finally around this time!

fun fact: it was created by a software engineer who couldn’t get in to the nyc marathon and decided to make his own race instead. Also, 100 miles is new this year, last year’s max distance was 40!

#williamsburgbridgemarathon #williamsburgbridge #nycrunning #ultrarunners taken in Williamsburg Bridge by @aehrwyn

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2 months ago

🌧️ Last weekend was my first weekend out in the catskills in a while and it rained, pretty hard at times. There was even a tornado warning in the area!🌪️?!

Still had a beautiful time out there, taking my recovery post 50 miler pretty seriously 😊 Hiking slowly and absorbing the scenery after several days of hiding indoors from the wildfire smoke in the city.

#moody #rainy #hiking #upstateny taken in Catskill Mountains by @aehrwyn

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3 months ago