I got into Dallas at about 7:00 AM yesterday - my awesome boyfriend picked me up from the airport, and we went to breakfast before he dropped me off so he could go study. My house was a wreck when I got home - I can't believe I left it so messy - and Chuck was overwhelmingly glad to see me. It's nice to feel loved.
My only workout for yesterday was a run with hill repeats in the middle - I got that done, no problem, though it did reveal to me that I need a serious massage after all the riding we did last week. My IT bands and abductors are ti-ight. I had to walk two of the uphills just to keep things loose. But it was great to be out there running - and the one thing I definitely wasn't missing about Kona was the extreme heat and humidity! The classic "Texas winter" weather was feeling spectacular yesterday, and my workout was accompanied by minimal sweat. After the run, I cleaned up the house (well, somewhat - it's hard to keep things clean when you're getting ready to move), went grocery shopping, dropped Tex off at The Bicycle Path for a much-needed tune-up, and made a delicious and healthy chicken-and-white-bean soup with butternut squash and green onions for Ken and myself. I also got some work done on the computer, and coached a weights workout for the UNT athletes - all-in-all an extremely fun and productive day!
Had to be up early this morning to get to work - I can't wait to be done with that commute, only one more week until the big move! After work, I'll be hitting the pool for an hour before I go home to try and get some more packing done, and hopefully see my good-looking boyfriend once he is out of class.
I always miss Hawaii when I leave, but it is good to be home.
Aloha (last one, I promise)
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Training... Work... Whatever...
I want to be swimming and running right now. But this pesky "having-a-job" business that comes along with being an age group athlete has me stuck inside at Lava Java dealing with the 101 things that have come up during the past week. And the fact that, between the Europe and Hawaii trips, leasing a new apartment, breaking my old lease, and making car and coaching payments, I am flat out br-roke for at least the next week or two. Ramen tonight, anybody? It's very sad that I am in Hawaii, and right now would almost rather be back in Texas, working. In fact, it's just wrong. But my glorious plans for three days of non-stop training were clearly ill-conceived.
So now I'm taking phone calls and sending emails and creating files and all of the other administrative tasks that come with having a job (regardless of what industry it is in). And the water looks pretty and blue outside, but still, here I am.
I keep saying that someday I am going to start making those big triathlon bucks that I tell people about (jokingly, of course), but I have a feeling that they are still a ways away. It's hard being on the other side of this, realizing that even though I love what I do, it is still a job, and it requires hard work like any other job. If only it were all swimming, biking, and running, and no typing or emailing. That would be perfect. But no job can really be that simple, so I have to balance work and training like every other age grouper. And the truth is, even if work and money weren't an issue right now, I think that I would still be too blasted from camp to even take full advantage of three solid days of training. Lesson learned for next year, though. Camp is work, and work is taxing no matter what it is. Post-camp recovery is key. You know it's bad when you can't even fully appreciate Kona.
Anyways, in 48 hours I'll be on my way home to my three favorite guys - Ken, Chuck, and Jake - and some serious time in the office and on the trainer and in the pool. For now, I guess I'm just stuck in Hawaii... : )
So now I'm taking phone calls and sending emails and creating files and all of the other administrative tasks that come with having a job (regardless of what industry it is in). And the water looks pretty and blue outside, but still, here I am.
I keep saying that someday I am going to start making those big triathlon bucks that I tell people about (jokingly, of course), but I have a feeling that they are still a ways away. It's hard being on the other side of this, realizing that even though I love what I do, it is still a job, and it requires hard work like any other job. If only it were all swimming, biking, and running, and no typing or emailing. That would be perfect. But no job can really be that simple, so I have to balance work and training like every other age grouper. And the truth is, even if work and money weren't an issue right now, I think that I would still be too blasted from camp to even take full advantage of three solid days of training. Lesson learned for next year, though. Camp is work, and work is taxing no matter what it is. Post-camp recovery is key. You know it's bad when you can't even fully appreciate Kona.
Anyways, in 48 hours I'll be on my way home to my three favorite guys - Ken, Chuck, and Jake - and some serious time in the office and on the trainer and in the pool. For now, I guess I'm just stuck in Hawaii... : )
Friday, January 21, 2011
Side Road to Kona
What a week. Coaching the Playtri Hawaii camp this past week was more challenging and more amazing than I could ever have expected. In all seriousness, I never fully "got" the Kona thing until now, but being here, and swimming, biking, and running on the world championship course, right next to famous pro triathletes, was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life. I don't even know how to explain the way it rejuvenated my passion for the sport, even beyond what I returned from the holidays with. It's like I remembered the myth of triathlon, got back in touch with the things that used to inspire me.
In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to stay an extra four days so I could do some training myself. So I rented a condo for $65 a night (the same condo, by the way, that Chrissie Wellington stayed in the first year she won the Hawaii Ironman - true story) right on Ali'i drive across from the ocean, and I intend to spend the next four days running, swimming, doing yoga, and lying on the beach. And eating and sleeping. All by myself, no work, no snow, no crazy cat (even though I love my Chuck to death), and no distractions. The only distraction I wish that I could have here is Ken... but I'll just have to wait until I get home for that distraction.
: )
But right now, I'm sitting on the patio at Lava Java, watching the sun set over the Pacific ocean, drinking Kona Big Wave Ale with some awesome athletes (and people). Learning that one of our middle-aged male athletes is a devoted Lady Gaga fan. Planning my open water swim for tomorrow morning. Hoping to run into Chris Lieto again...
I feel very, very fortunate this week. I know I have to remember to appreciate how lucky I am to have a job that I love that allows me to do what I love. I still have a lot to learn, but I could not be happier about where I am. Well... maybe I'll be even happier once the Playtri Youth/Dev program rolls out : ) But I think that if you had told me three years ago that I would be working in triathlon full time, I would have never dreamed that it would be possible. So I'm counting my blessings and hoping things just keep going as well as they have been - and that will be more than enough for me.
Aloha for now...
In fact, I loved it so much, I decided to stay an extra four days so I could do some training myself. So I rented a condo for $65 a night (the same condo, by the way, that Chrissie Wellington stayed in the first year she won the Hawaii Ironman - true story) right on Ali'i drive across from the ocean, and I intend to spend the next four days running, swimming, doing yoga, and lying on the beach. And eating and sleeping. All by myself, no work, no snow, no crazy cat (even though I love my Chuck to death), and no distractions. The only distraction I wish that I could have here is Ken... but I'll just have to wait until I get home for that distraction.
: )
But right now, I'm sitting on the patio at Lava Java, watching the sun set over the Pacific ocean, drinking Kona Big Wave Ale with some awesome athletes (and people). Learning that one of our middle-aged male athletes is a devoted Lady Gaga fan. Planning my open water swim for tomorrow morning. Hoping to run into Chris Lieto again...
I feel very, very fortunate this week. I know I have to remember to appreciate how lucky I am to have a job that I love that allows me to do what I love. I still have a lot to learn, but I could not be happier about where I am. Well... maybe I'll be even happier once the Playtri Youth/Dev program rolls out : ) But I think that if you had told me three years ago that I would be working in triathlon full time, I would have never dreamed that it would be possible. So I'm counting my blessings and hoping things just keep going as well as they have been - and that will be more than enough for me.
Aloha for now...
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
You Might Not Believe It, But...
I've trained every day since I've been home for Europe. I've been logging my food, complete with calories and nutrient percentages. I'm cutting back on my fat intake. I'm excited to swim again...
Could it be that I am turning back into an endurance athlete?!
I'm just going to put this out there - 2009 and 2010 were very rough years. Getting mono in January of '09 messed up my body way more than myself or anybody else could have ever predicted. I would sleep for 12, 14, 16 hours a day and still not have any energy. My immune system was shot to hell - I picked up every infection out there for months. I was, quite frankly, depressed and not myself because I couldn't do the one thing I truly loved - or at least, I could no longer excel at it, and I could no longer push my limits like I was once able to do.
I think every endurance athlete has a story to tell about the time in their life that changed their attitude towards their sport, and the last two years were mine. They confirmed my love for triathlon and for leading an active and healthy lifestyle, and even though my passion for the sport had its ups and downs as I tried to adjust to what my body was capable of doing at certain points, it never went away entirely.
While we were traveling around Europe, I had a lot of long train rides to do some thinking on (when I wasn't beating Ken at computer solitaire - yeah, we really are that lame - or sleeping), and what I realized was that even though the last two years were easily the most challenging of my life, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing what I love full time. See, when I first got sick, I first had to quit my job, and not long after was forced to leave my graduate program, which broke my heart because I truly loved it. However, leaving these two things behind meant that when Coach Sean Thompson approached me to discuss working with him to start a youth triathlon program in the fall of 2009, I was 100% available to jump on board with him. The flexible hours and laid-back attitude of Coach Sean in the months that followed let me deal with being sick, while continuing to be involved in the sport that I loved. There were days where I would literally just leave bed for three hours - to train and to coach. It wasn't ideal, but I know that if I hadn't been in the situation I was in, I wouldn't have settled for something so part time, even if it was my "dream" job. When Sean had to leave the program in April of 2010, my own coach, Aaron, encouraged me to apply with Playtri... and the rest is history. Now, as a full-time worker in the triathlon industry, I get to work with people I love in a field that I love. I know that not a lot of people can say as much, and I am so thankful for that.
So here I am, two years later, and finally, finally starting to feel like my old self again. Actually wanting to train, wanting to eat healthy, wanting to work hard and excel in triathlon and my job again. And it comes at a perfect time, as I am about to move into an amazing new apartment right on White Rock Lake, only a 5 minute drive (or 4 mile ride!) to work, and as I prepare to leave to coach my first ever Playtri Hawaii Camp. My religious views are undefined at best, but, not to be cheesy, I can only describe where I am right now as feeling very blessed and thankful to whoever or whatever is running the show. Realizing that all of the fear, frustration, and uncertainty of the past two years actually had a purpose is about the best thing that could happen for me.
Before I was sick I was very happy-go-lucky about training and racing, always wanting to do everything to the umpteenth degree, always up for an early morning run or a long bike ride, and now the feeling of getting that back is absolutely undescribable. I honestly never thought it would happen, but I feel good - really good - for the first time in a long time. Happy with where I am and what I'm doing and how I feel - and I know that is translating into my renewed passion for triathlon.
Thank you to everyone who helped me through the last two years - I promise to make you proud in 2011.
Make sure to check for my next post from the Aloha state : )
Could it be that I am turning back into an endurance athlete?!
I'm just going to put this out there - 2009 and 2010 were very rough years. Getting mono in January of '09 messed up my body way more than myself or anybody else could have ever predicted. I would sleep for 12, 14, 16 hours a day and still not have any energy. My immune system was shot to hell - I picked up every infection out there for months. I was, quite frankly, depressed and not myself because I couldn't do the one thing I truly loved - or at least, I could no longer excel at it, and I could no longer push my limits like I was once able to do.
I think every endurance athlete has a story to tell about the time in their life that changed their attitude towards their sport, and the last two years were mine. They confirmed my love for triathlon and for leading an active and healthy lifestyle, and even though my passion for the sport had its ups and downs as I tried to adjust to what my body was capable of doing at certain points, it never went away entirely.
While we were traveling around Europe, I had a lot of long train rides to do some thinking on (when I wasn't beating Ken at computer solitaire - yeah, we really are that lame - or sleeping), and what I realized was that even though the last two years were easily the most challenging of my life, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing what I love full time. See, when I first got sick, I first had to quit my job, and not long after was forced to leave my graduate program, which broke my heart because I truly loved it. However, leaving these two things behind meant that when Coach Sean Thompson approached me to discuss working with him to start a youth triathlon program in the fall of 2009, I was 100% available to jump on board with him. The flexible hours and laid-back attitude of Coach Sean in the months that followed let me deal with being sick, while continuing to be involved in the sport that I loved. There were days where I would literally just leave bed for three hours - to train and to coach. It wasn't ideal, but I know that if I hadn't been in the situation I was in, I wouldn't have settled for something so part time, even if it was my "dream" job. When Sean had to leave the program in April of 2010, my own coach, Aaron, encouraged me to apply with Playtri... and the rest is history. Now, as a full-time worker in the triathlon industry, I get to work with people I love in a field that I love. I know that not a lot of people can say as much, and I am so thankful for that.
So here I am, two years later, and finally, finally starting to feel like my old self again. Actually wanting to train, wanting to eat healthy, wanting to work hard and excel in triathlon and my job again. And it comes at a perfect time, as I am about to move into an amazing new apartment right on White Rock Lake, only a 5 minute drive (or 4 mile ride!) to work, and as I prepare to leave to coach my first ever Playtri Hawaii Camp. My religious views are undefined at best, but, not to be cheesy, I can only describe where I am right now as feeling very blessed and thankful to whoever or whatever is running the show. Realizing that all of the fear, frustration, and uncertainty of the past two years actually had a purpose is about the best thing that could happen for me.
Before I was sick I was very happy-go-lucky about training and racing, always wanting to do everything to the umpteenth degree, always up for an early morning run or a long bike ride, and now the feeling of getting that back is absolutely undescribable. I honestly never thought it would happen, but I feel good - really good - for the first time in a long time. Happy with where I am and what I'm doing and how I feel - and I know that is translating into my renewed passion for triathlon.
Thank you to everyone who helped me through the last two years - I promise to make you proud in 2011.
Make sure to check for my next post from the Aloha state : )
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Europe... Yep, it Happened
Ok, so because I know you've all been on the edge of your seats waiting to hear about our adventures overseas here is a chronologically/geographically organized account of events. Just to keep things clear. So here goes.
Frankfurt, Germany: We flew into the Frankfurt International Airport. There was a miscommunication, and it took me four hours to find Ken. I say it was his fault, he says it was my fault, we agreed to disagree and got on a train to Nuremberg. Not a big fan of the Frankfurt Airport.
Nuremberg, Germany: Only stayed here one night - had a really nice hotel room, though. We spent the evening at the Christmas Market in the old town, where I had my first gluhwein (hot spiced wine - delicious) by an outdoor fireplace. I also had my first (and second, and third...) real German hefeweissen here, too, along with a big plate of schnitzel and french fries. The airport incident was soon forgotten.
Munich, Germany: Honestly, the highlight of Munich for me was the walking tour we took in the old town. We learned a lot about Bavaria, WWII, why the French hate the Germans, and we had beer and bratwurst. And saw the glockenspiel. Win. Our first night in Munich we went to the famous Hofbrauhaus and had lots of beer and bratwurst, accompanied by an impromptu concert given by a (drunk?) acapella men's chorus consisting of Christmas carols and German drinking songs. We also had currywurst in Munich, which was surprisingly awesome, though I was pretty skeptical beforehand. I also was excited to see a memorial plaque from the 1972 Olympics since, duh, that was the one Pre was at... Our last dinner in Munich was exciting because I had (and I'm not lying here) pork knuckle for dinner. Yes. I had a knuckle. And you know what? It was delicious.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany: This town tied for first place as far as places we visited on the trip. First, it was beautiful and snowy. Not a lot of that in Texas, and I was totally entranced by it. Second, our room at the B&B was AWESOME, complete with fluffy down comforters (that's right, plural, I had my own comforter which meant that Ken couldn't steal all the blankets for once!), our own living room, and a giant breakfast spread every morning. We got into town on Christmas Eve, and spent the day exploring Garmisch, then went to Partenkirchen that evening, and managed to find an open bar (nothing is open in Germany on Christmas Eve, I think they basically consider you a heathen if you don't take time off and spend the evening with family that day) where we, surprise, surprise, ran into more Americans! Lee and Theresa - boy and girl, but not dating. Lee is stationed in Germany like Ken was, so they had plenty to talk about, and we all had a few beers together before one of the bar owners (it was run by a husband and wife) unlocked a cabinet on the wall and pulled out the "good" schnapps, poured us all shots, lit them on fire, and wished us a Merry Christmas. Things got out of hand (in a good way) after that. We quickly bonded with the 4 or 5 Germans there, and spent the rest of the night getting completely (no other way to put it) wasted. It was one of the best Christmas Eve's of my life, and we went to that bar every other day we were there. On Christmas we went skiing with Lee and Theresa, or I should say that Ken went skiing with them after I spent about 15 painful minutes realizing that I can't ski. So I stayed down by the fire and the hot drinks while they skied down the mountain. I wasn't sorry I missed it. The next day, Lee and I snowshoed while Ken and Theresa skied. The snowshoeing was so amazing, and I got lots of great pictures. And then I had two beers and a weissewurst and went back out again. It was a great day. We've kept in touch with Lee and Theresa on facebook ever since we left.
Zurich, Switzerland: Richest city in the world. Also the one where I realized that I lost my bank card. Bad combination. Ok, so Ken and I are together 24/7 on the trip, conflict was bound to occur - starting in Zurich. Naturally, Ken was not thrilled that I lost the bank card, so we argued about that, though I was able to work out some sort of a solution with my credit card so that I wasn't completely stranded. Still, it got our day of sightseeing off to a rough start. However, after the morning the rest of the day was amazing. One of the most interesting parts was the churches - they all had the most unique stained glass windows I had ever seen. One church had windows made by Chagall, and another had windows made entirely out of the cross-sections of geodes. It was really fascinating. We also went to a hole-in-the-wall bar while we were there, where we got to see a accordion player and a yodeler. She yodeled a song especially for us. I thought it was awesome. Ken was ready to leave. So we went and had falafel. And that was Zurich.
Lyon, France: Ok, things started to get rough here. First - Google maps LIED to us so we could not find the hotel and spent our first hour or so in the city lugging our 50 pound suitcases all over creation. Then, naturally when we get to the hotel and try to pay, my credit card gets declined. I call Capital One and find out that, oh, lovely, since I'm a new customer they are putting holds on EVERY ONE OF MY PAYMENTS. So if want funds released, I have to personally call them and request it. That put a spin on my credit card solution, but at least now I knew what to do before trying to use the card. At this point, I know I'll be hearing about money and bank cards the rest of the trip from Ken. Sigh. One of our best meals was in Lyon at the Brasserie Georges - 4 courses, a great bottle of wine... it was nice. The hotel was good, too. The sight-seeing we did was wonderful - we saw the ruins of the Roman Theatre and the Basilica at Fourvieres which was decorated entirely with mosaics. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Then our train gets f-ed up. We wait 4 hours at a dodgy cafe waiting to take a much longer train ride than anticipated, and drink lots of beer and eat whatever they still have from earlier in the day.
Aix-en-Provence, France: 40 Euro cab fare, crappy hotel, 4 flights of windy stairs with 50 pound suitcases. And when we get up the next morning, New Year's Eve, guess who had food poisoning? Yeah, this girl.
Nice, France: After spending the entire day traveling and throwing up (on my part, anyways), we get to Nice - our room is thankfully big, clean, and on the first floor with a clean bathroom. This was more exciting than it would usually be, because who wants to puke into a dirty toilet? Yeah. So Ken goes to buy me ginger ale, bananas, and medicine, and I continue to hug the toilet. Then we realize that my camera has been stolen and I messed up our hotel reservations for Paris. Low. Point. Of. The. Trip. So Ken spends the entire night re-routing the trip to avoid Paris (which, in the end, actually worked out for the best, but neither of us could see it at the moment when everyone in Nice was partying in the streets and we were stuck in our hotel room), and I continue to throw up. Neither of us wants to be there. Ken says as much. After a few tense moments we both decide to just laugh at how much the day completely sucked and watch stupid videos online before falling asleep, crammed together in a tiny twin-size bed. Our full day in Nice was the turning point for the trip, thank God, as my body had pretty much rid itself of whatever vile thing I had eaten (pretty sure it was the hot dog at the end of our day in Lyon) and we had the whole day to explore Nice, which is a beautiful town. It was warm, too - well, warm enough not to wear coats, anyways. We sat by the ocean and skipped stones, and climbed to the top of the lookout point nearby, where we also saw the ruins of an old church and chateau. Dinner was amazing - we ate outdoors at a restaurant that had huge torches to warm the patio, and had fresh seafood and pasta with a bottle of good wine, followed by some seriously awesome cake and mousse.
Aix-en-Provence, France: Aix part II. We came back through on the way to Brugge. Much better hotel room this time. We did some serious napping on the bed that was amazing after 3 nights of crappy beds. We had a big, delicious dinner with seafood and local dishes and wine, and went to bed early, because we had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to start making our way to Brugge.
Brugge, Belgium: Also tied for best place on the trip. Got in early, dropped our things at the beautiful B&B, and headed straight for a tour at the local brewery where we had what is apparently one of the best beers in Belgium. We started drinking before noon every day we were in Belgium - it was amazing. The B&B was beautiful, but the best part was the giant king-sized bed with the huge, fluffy down comforter, and the big, deep bath tub. We napped and bathed a lot at that place. We did the "Tour de Brugge" by renting bikes and riding all over and around town and stopping only for beer, chocolate, fries, and photo opportunities. Okay so we actually stopped a lot. But it was worth it. All of the food and beer we had was amazing, and we even got to visit the french fry museum and the chocolate museum. I'm serious. French fry museum. We had mussels and french fries - twice. We visited a bar dating back to the 1500's that had a beer menu that looked like a dictionary. We learned how they make chocolate pralines. Brugge was basically a lot like heaven. It was the perfect way to end the trip.
Frankfurt, Germany: We spent our last night in Frankfurt at a hostel before heading back to the states. It was very low-key. We went to a local Irish pub for some beers, and got some street pizza afterwards, then hit the hay. Ken had to leave extra early because his flight left at 8:00 AM - I woke up to say bye, then went back to sleep. My second encounter with the Frankfurt Airport was, thankfully, much less traumatic than the first. Of course, it was a different story when I got back to the states...
But we'll save that for another time.
I'm so glad I got to go on this trip, and with such an awesome guy. Despite the rough patches, it was an amazing experience, and it left me refreshed and ready to come home and work hard and train hard again. Europe was beautiful, the food and drinks were amazing, and we met some really great people. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
And now, get ready to hear about me actually training again...
Frankfurt, Germany: We flew into the Frankfurt International Airport. There was a miscommunication, and it took me four hours to find Ken. I say it was his fault, he says it was my fault, we agreed to disagree and got on a train to Nuremberg. Not a big fan of the Frankfurt Airport.
Nuremberg, Germany: Only stayed here one night - had a really nice hotel room, though. We spent the evening at the Christmas Market in the old town, where I had my first gluhwein (hot spiced wine - delicious) by an outdoor fireplace. I also had my first (and second, and third...) real German hefeweissen here, too, along with a big plate of schnitzel and french fries. The airport incident was soon forgotten.
Munich, Germany: Honestly, the highlight of Munich for me was the walking tour we took in the old town. We learned a lot about Bavaria, WWII, why the French hate the Germans, and we had beer and bratwurst. And saw the glockenspiel. Win. Our first night in Munich we went to the famous Hofbrauhaus and had lots of beer and bratwurst, accompanied by an impromptu concert given by a (drunk?) acapella men's chorus consisting of Christmas carols and German drinking songs. We also had currywurst in Munich, which was surprisingly awesome, though I was pretty skeptical beforehand. I also was excited to see a memorial plaque from the 1972 Olympics since, duh, that was the one Pre was at... Our last dinner in Munich was exciting because I had (and I'm not lying here) pork knuckle for dinner. Yes. I had a knuckle. And you know what? It was delicious.
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany: This town tied for first place as far as places we visited on the trip. First, it was beautiful and snowy. Not a lot of that in Texas, and I was totally entranced by it. Second, our room at the B&B was AWESOME, complete with fluffy down comforters (that's right, plural, I had my own comforter which meant that Ken couldn't steal all the blankets for once!), our own living room, and a giant breakfast spread every morning. We got into town on Christmas Eve, and spent the day exploring Garmisch, then went to Partenkirchen that evening, and managed to find an open bar (nothing is open in Germany on Christmas Eve, I think they basically consider you a heathen if you don't take time off and spend the evening with family that day) where we, surprise, surprise, ran into more Americans! Lee and Theresa - boy and girl, but not dating. Lee is stationed in Germany like Ken was, so they had plenty to talk about, and we all had a few beers together before one of the bar owners (it was run by a husband and wife) unlocked a cabinet on the wall and pulled out the "good" schnapps, poured us all shots, lit them on fire, and wished us a Merry Christmas. Things got out of hand (in a good way) after that. We quickly bonded with the 4 or 5 Germans there, and spent the rest of the night getting completely (no other way to put it) wasted. It was one of the best Christmas Eve's of my life, and we went to that bar every other day we were there. On Christmas we went skiing with Lee and Theresa, or I should say that Ken went skiing with them after I spent about 15 painful minutes realizing that I can't ski. So I stayed down by the fire and the hot drinks while they skied down the mountain. I wasn't sorry I missed it. The next day, Lee and I snowshoed while Ken and Theresa skied. The snowshoeing was so amazing, and I got lots of great pictures. And then I had two beers and a weissewurst and went back out again. It was a great day. We've kept in touch with Lee and Theresa on facebook ever since we left.
Zurich, Switzerland: Richest city in the world. Also the one where I realized that I lost my bank card. Bad combination. Ok, so Ken and I are together 24/7 on the trip, conflict was bound to occur - starting in Zurich. Naturally, Ken was not thrilled that I lost the bank card, so we argued about that, though I was able to work out some sort of a solution with my credit card so that I wasn't completely stranded. Still, it got our day of sightseeing off to a rough start. However, after the morning the rest of the day was amazing. One of the most interesting parts was the churches - they all had the most unique stained glass windows I had ever seen. One church had windows made by Chagall, and another had windows made entirely out of the cross-sections of geodes. It was really fascinating. We also went to a hole-in-the-wall bar while we were there, where we got to see a accordion player and a yodeler. She yodeled a song especially for us. I thought it was awesome. Ken was ready to leave. So we went and had falafel. And that was Zurich.
Lyon, France: Ok, things started to get rough here. First - Google maps LIED to us so we could not find the hotel and spent our first hour or so in the city lugging our 50 pound suitcases all over creation. Then, naturally when we get to the hotel and try to pay, my credit card gets declined. I call Capital One and find out that, oh, lovely, since I'm a new customer they are putting holds on EVERY ONE OF MY PAYMENTS. So if want funds released, I have to personally call them and request it. That put a spin on my credit card solution, but at least now I knew what to do before trying to use the card. At this point, I know I'll be hearing about money and bank cards the rest of the trip from Ken. Sigh. One of our best meals was in Lyon at the Brasserie Georges - 4 courses, a great bottle of wine... it was nice. The hotel was good, too. The sight-seeing we did was wonderful - we saw the ruins of the Roman Theatre and the Basilica at Fourvieres which was decorated entirely with mosaics. One of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. Then our train gets f-ed up. We wait 4 hours at a dodgy cafe waiting to take a much longer train ride than anticipated, and drink lots of beer and eat whatever they still have from earlier in the day.
Aix-en-Provence, France: 40 Euro cab fare, crappy hotel, 4 flights of windy stairs with 50 pound suitcases. And when we get up the next morning, New Year's Eve, guess who had food poisoning? Yeah, this girl.
Nice, France: After spending the entire day traveling and throwing up (on my part, anyways), we get to Nice - our room is thankfully big, clean, and on the first floor with a clean bathroom. This was more exciting than it would usually be, because who wants to puke into a dirty toilet? Yeah. So Ken goes to buy me ginger ale, bananas, and medicine, and I continue to hug the toilet. Then we realize that my camera has been stolen and I messed up our hotel reservations for Paris. Low. Point. Of. The. Trip. So Ken spends the entire night re-routing the trip to avoid Paris (which, in the end, actually worked out for the best, but neither of us could see it at the moment when everyone in Nice was partying in the streets and we were stuck in our hotel room), and I continue to throw up. Neither of us wants to be there. Ken says as much. After a few tense moments we both decide to just laugh at how much the day completely sucked and watch stupid videos online before falling asleep, crammed together in a tiny twin-size bed. Our full day in Nice was the turning point for the trip, thank God, as my body had pretty much rid itself of whatever vile thing I had eaten (pretty sure it was the hot dog at the end of our day in Lyon) and we had the whole day to explore Nice, which is a beautiful town. It was warm, too - well, warm enough not to wear coats, anyways. We sat by the ocean and skipped stones, and climbed to the top of the lookout point nearby, where we also saw the ruins of an old church and chateau. Dinner was amazing - we ate outdoors at a restaurant that had huge torches to warm the patio, and had fresh seafood and pasta with a bottle of good wine, followed by some seriously awesome cake and mousse.
Aix-en-Provence, France: Aix part II. We came back through on the way to Brugge. Much better hotel room this time. We did some serious napping on the bed that was amazing after 3 nights of crappy beds. We had a big, delicious dinner with seafood and local dishes and wine, and went to bed early, because we had to get up at 4:00 in the morning to start making our way to Brugge.
Brugge, Belgium: Also tied for best place on the trip. Got in early, dropped our things at the beautiful B&B, and headed straight for a tour at the local brewery where we had what is apparently one of the best beers in Belgium. We started drinking before noon every day we were in Belgium - it was amazing. The B&B was beautiful, but the best part was the giant king-sized bed with the huge, fluffy down comforter, and the big, deep bath tub. We napped and bathed a lot at that place. We did the "Tour de Brugge" by renting bikes and riding all over and around town and stopping only for beer, chocolate, fries, and photo opportunities. Okay so we actually stopped a lot. But it was worth it. All of the food and beer we had was amazing, and we even got to visit the french fry museum and the chocolate museum. I'm serious. French fry museum. We had mussels and french fries - twice. We visited a bar dating back to the 1500's that had a beer menu that looked like a dictionary. We learned how they make chocolate pralines. Brugge was basically a lot like heaven. It was the perfect way to end the trip.
Frankfurt, Germany: We spent our last night in Frankfurt at a hostel before heading back to the states. It was very low-key. We went to a local Irish pub for some beers, and got some street pizza afterwards, then hit the hay. Ken had to leave extra early because his flight left at 8:00 AM - I woke up to say bye, then went back to sleep. My second encounter with the Frankfurt Airport was, thankfully, much less traumatic than the first. Of course, it was a different story when I got back to the states...
But we'll save that for another time.
I'm so glad I got to go on this trip, and with such an awesome guy. Despite the rough patches, it was an amazing experience, and it left me refreshed and ready to come home and work hard and train hard again. Europe was beautiful, the food and drinks were amazing, and we met some really great people. I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
And now, get ready to hear about me actually training again...
Friday, January 7, 2011
I Lied...
No big Europe update today.
I just got back to my Denton home after spending last night in Galveston due to a massive screw up at the Houston airport (their fault, not mine) in customs. Arrgh. So my sweet mama drove to the airport and brought me back to Galveston so I wouldn't have to wait there all night to catch a flight this afternoon - she was planning to drive up to Denton today anyways, so it worked out ok. I spent this morning in Galveston catching up on lots of work, and going for an amazing and warm run on the Seawall - so nice to be able to wear the bare minimum again!!! Does that sound innappropriate? Anyways, I have to work on my tan for Hawaii Camp next week...
The big update will have to wait until tomorrow because I am exhausted. Until then...
I just got back to my Denton home after spending last night in Galveston due to a massive screw up at the Houston airport (their fault, not mine) in customs. Arrgh. So my sweet mama drove to the airport and brought me back to Galveston so I wouldn't have to wait there all night to catch a flight this afternoon - she was planning to drive up to Denton today anyways, so it worked out ok. I spent this morning in Galveston catching up on lots of work, and going for an amazing and warm run on the Seawall - so nice to be able to wear the bare minimum again!!! Does that sound innappropriate? Anyways, I have to work on my tan for Hawaii Camp next week...
The big update will have to wait until tomorrow because I am exhausted. Until then...
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Ready for a Looooong Update?
Well, you'll have to wait until Friday.
But it's coming. This trip has been a wild ride with plenty of ups, downs, and everything in between. However, the important thing now is that I am ready to buckle down to some serious training when I get home. Ken and I are going on the "nun" diet and he will be prepping for the Austin Half while I continue to have my eye set on Worlds. Europe has been an incredible experience, but it's time to return to the real world - work, training, and, oh, the HAWAII CAMP in just one week!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again - I have the best job ever. Period.
Stay tuned for the update and Day 1 of the World Championships Training Regime. It's time to kick some butt in 2011.
But it's coming. This trip has been a wild ride with plenty of ups, downs, and everything in between. However, the important thing now is that I am ready to buckle down to some serious training when I get home. Ken and I are going on the "nun" diet and he will be prepping for the Austin Half while I continue to have my eye set on Worlds. Europe has been an incredible experience, but it's time to return to the real world - work, training, and, oh, the HAWAII CAMP in just one week!!! I've said it before and I'll say it again - I have the best job ever. Period.
Stay tuned for the update and Day 1 of the World Championships Training Regime. It's time to kick some butt in 2011.
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