Every beginning is another beginning's end

For those of you wondering; did she complete the 6 weeks? The answer is a resounding, yes! Why not blog about it? Looking back, I was under some philosophical belief that if I wrote of the end, it would in fact be the end. Well the truth is the end came without the pen to paper, so just let it be known that the end comes regardless of proclamation!

I'm happy to say the final mile was spent on a location previously blogged about in the beginning of this journey, Regent Street. At mile 2 or 3 I described Regent Street as the most congested street in London. Thus, the idea of parading myself up Regent Street, in spandex, dodging the people and the shopping bags, has to be the epitome of a confident runner, yes? The run was glorious, bobbing up from Piccadilly Circus, passing Oxford Circus, up towards Regent's Park and Primrose Hill. I ended with a victory run up Primrose Hill only to collapse with exhaustion once at the top and surrounded by picnickers and snogging couples. Somewhere there's a picture of a couple with me in the background collapsing to the grass, smiling.

Now, with my London life behind me, I'm back in Texas continuing my search for stability and career. As I move restlessly into a new life chapter, I feel the urge to embark on another 6 weeks challenge. Running the streets of London, Italy, and Germany were some of the happiest moments of my life ( yes, I've yet to hit the traditional celebratory milestones of a 30 year old women, so humor me). I hope to continue the exploration here in the US. At some point , soon!

In the meantime, checkout the photos from the final run of the 6 weeks. Oh to be back on that hill!

Mile 39 - Heaven has a pool-sized jacuzzi

Tonight I fell in love with a treadmill and a pool-sized jacuzzi. I'll start from the beginning.

Tonight my friend Sharon graciously invited me to be her guest at the Virgin Active gym in Islington,where she is a member. This isn't your regular YMCA community gym facility. With membership prices holding steady in the 60 to 80 pound range, we're talking big time. It reminds me of the super gyms in Texas but smaller as it's London and real estate is expensive.

The machines are high-end - wonderfully bulky and ready to be pounded. The treadmill was not quite my dream machine, as it didn't have a TV attached. Nevertheless, it was a relief to finally run without worrying if I'm going to get hit by a car or run into a poll. Both of which have almost happened.

The treadmill as a machine is brilliant. You get on, set your pace and go. Without a care in the world. Oh how I miss the treadmill.

After cardio and a much needed abdominal workout, we head back to the locker room to change into our swim clothes for the much anticipated spa time.

Normally when I attend gym, I'm the girl who walks in the front door fully dressed in workout gear, then walks straight to the floor, hops on a machine, then 45 mins to an hour later, walks back out the front door - sweating and panting. Not today!Today I decided to embrace gym culture with a full-on locker room immersion experience. Well not entirely full-on, as I did actually show-up fully dressed in my work out clothes.

Regardless of that minor detail, the ladies locker room at Virgin Active Islington. Let's see, how shall I put this? Well, to start, the mirrors are more like beauty stations, each equipped with moisturizer and hair dryer. The lockers are large with wood panelling. Dim warm light, so everyone kind of looks like they have a tan. Showers with curtains. Toilets. You know the deal. Exactly what you would envision a posh gym locker room to look like.

Speaking of vision. As expected, bodies bodies everywhere. Honestly, what is proper locker room etiquette? Do you look down? Do you look up? Do you look straight at the naked girl walking towards you from the shower to her locker? I have to admit, if I may, being able to walk around naked is actually quite refreshing. Not that I walked around naked, or half naked for that matter-  BUT the idea of it is still refreshing.  And if I were to return, I think I'd give it a go,  maybe just an extra few seconds.

Anyway, we changed into our swim clothes then headed to the spa. Ahhhhhh...the spa. Heaven has chlorine and jets, is all I have to say. The spa in this gym is spectacular. Invigorating. Heaven.

You walk in to a room with what looks like a pool -the size you'd have in your backyard. But this pool is actually an enormous jacuzzi  sectioned off depending on where you want the jets to hit your body.

photo courtesy of the Virgin Active website.

But before you head to the pool sized jacuzzi , you must start with a shower to wash off the sweat from your workout. First stop,shower station, where you choose which facility you would like to use to wash your body. 1. the tropical rain shower. 2. the basic shower head shower. Or 3. stand under a bucket and pull a lever dumping a wooden bucket full of water down your body shower. Number 3 is quite strange. It kind of reminds me of either a torture devise or an erotic tool used in western movies to signify the beginning of a love scene.



example courtesy of a stock image website.

Right, after you shower off the sweat from the workout, you head over to the sauna. I for one can only handle a few minutes in the sauna. It feels too much like a hot Texas summer day. At one point I actually started to get hungry for a BBQ sandwich and a beer. Time to go.

photo courtesy of Virgin Active website.


Next, you walk into the steam room where you basically suffocate for as long as possible while trying to remind yourself that this is actually good for you. 30 seconds before actual death, you leave the steam room, head back to the shower station where you presumably dump a wooden bucket full of water over your body, then onward to the pool sized jacuzzi!

I. Love. Pool-sized Jacuzzi. I felt like a kid in the neighborhood pool. Splashing around, arms flailing, water sprouting from my mouth. OK, no water sprouting from my mouth. But I thought about it. Perfection.

After 30 minutes of adult pool time, we head back to the locker room for yes, another shower. Sadly, the locker room showers do not come equipped with the wooden bucket shower option. Darn.

I love the gym. So very relaxing and lovely. Makes me want to give up food in place of gym membership!

Mile 30 - 38 - Like brushing the teeth and taking a shower.

Miles 30-39 have been quite uneventful. As you can probably already assume after my lack of social network documentation. All is not lost as this marks a milestone, so to speak. I've reached a benchmark. The point when the run truly and simply becomes a part of ones life. A part of ones daily routine. Like brushing your teeth, taking a shower, blow drying the hair.  For this reason, I decided to work on the idea of sustainable incorporation into my life after the 6 weeks is complete. With this in mind, I decided to run the route closest to my flat and one that I also quite enjoy. Back to the same route as Mile 5 and 11. The perfect combination of hustle and bustle with some incline and decline. The mile finally feels better than walking . I consider the fact that I can now run a mile with zero frustration or hardship to be a success!

Tonight - Mile 40, I'm FINALLY going for a run on a treadmill! Gosh how I've missed the luxury of running in place with zero worries in the world. Totally zoned-out of reality. And if there's a TV attached- good heavens I might actually cry tears of joy. I miss being able to jump on a treadmill, tune in to a TV show, and completely zone out. Not THAT'S when running becomes fun. Maybe someday, soon, I'll be able to afford a gym membership -but only if I have my own personal TV screen attached.

In lieu of photo documentation I leave you with a successesory....

Mile 29 - 11pm Sunday night. Shhhh don't tell my Mom and Dad.

I woke up Sunday morning after a full day of Munich sightseeing and a full night of German consumption. Needless to say, I was not feeling 100% - and still had to make it to the Hofbrauhaus for breakfast/lunch. Somehow I convinced myself that I'd feel much better after a nap on the plane. So I decided to run when I got home -which turned out to be, eeeek, 10:45pm! Mom and Dad, I stayed on the main roads and made sure to remain vigilant. It was still only days after the riots so even I was a bit nervous.

I knocked it out with a vengeance. Then crashed in bed for many many hours.

Mile 28 - Olympic Glory-ish - Saturday, 13 August.

Sincere apologies for the lack of attention to the blog. A bit of a writers block, I suppose ? Fear not, the miles have continued in spite of my lack of documentation. Shame on me.  First thing's first- Mile 29.

I arrived in Munich at approximately 11:30pm Friday night. Straight to bed after a few Munich beers at Fidan and Wolfgangs wonderful apartment located in the center of Munich.

8 hours later, Fidan comes in my room and suggests we knock out the mile at the Olympic Park just down the road. Fantastic idea! Thankfully the day before I travel napped for at least 4 hours in total. I was quite rested for 10am on a Saturday morning. Munich is beautifully peaceful. A metropolitan city, yet suspiciously quiet? No loud sirens or horns. Just lots of people out walking, biking, driving their BMWs. Kidding. They don't all have BMWs. Though the thought is quite entertaining.

After probably a 5 minute walk, we started in to the Munich Olympic Park.

 It is important to remember that the 1972 Munich Olympics was the site of the appalling terrorist kidnapping and eventual murder of Israeli athletes by a Palestinian group terrorist group. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre

Tragic story aside, the day was beautifully sunny and warm. We got lucky and stumbled upon a summer festival being held in the park. Something to do with unicycles, dreadlocks, and carnival rides, food, and games? We're still a bit confused as to the actual theme/purpose of the festival. Nevertheless, we walked in just in time for free entry while the festivities were being set up. Made for a good hour stroll to see the sights.

After making our way up a rather large German hill, Fidan and I decided to start the mile run from the top of the hill back to her apartment. Running down a hill is almost just as hard as running up a hill! Ouch!

After the run we went for a bicycle tour of Munich and feasted on much deserved German sausage, cheese spread and beer!

Pictures from Munich Olympic Park.

The Olympic Stadium

This reminds me of the movie Toys with Robin Williams.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105629/

and so does this.

up the hill

BMW Headquarters

Stadium

Down the hill



Mile 27 - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Guten tag from Germany. This blog entry is being written on a much delayed train bound to Munich.  More on the delayed train, later. 

This  morning started off as planned with a 4:40am wake-up call/Sara yelling at me to wake up. Somehow we got delayed leaving the house. Probably my fault because I made toast, but nevertheless we were delayed. Sara was a bit frantic. Long story short, I got to the train station only to realize I forgot  my purse! Doh!  So Sara gave me her keys and told me I’d have to just leave them in the house. Appreciatively, I lugged Sara’s luggage onto the train then sent her on her merry way. 2 hours later I woke-up  to board a train bound for Venice. Technically I could have just stayed in Vicenza, completed my run, then board the train straight to the airport. But no, I couldn't let go of the clichéd idea of running through Venice listening to Florence and the Machine’s  “The Dog Days are Gone” . It just had to be done.

I arrive in Venice at approximately 9am  - dropped my bags off at the left-luggage counter, stuffed as many valuables as possibly  in between my two sports bras(A trick I learned from a few people who shall remain nameless), and decided give myself one hour in Venice so that I’d have ample enough time to get to the airport to secure my 1:15 departure.

Venice, per the usual, is tourist central. I decided not to go too far as I didn’t want to get lost in the maze.  I crossed the bridge at the train station then went right because right seemed less crowded than left. Genius.  Off I go, nothing too exciting other than the reality of living out the most clichéd running scene, ever. Snapped a few pictures. Mile is done.

After retrieving my baggage I made my way to the bus station across the bridge. The bus station is the main bus station connecting the island of Venice to the main land. It seemed like everyone in Venice is waiting to board a bus for the airport. So like the other 100 people, I bought my bus ticket, got in the corresponding bus line, boarded the bus, stood as to let the elderly sit, looked to my left, BAM! …A man walking around with his “business” hanging out of his pants.

 Let me set the scene for you. Imagine a parking lot full of buses sitting side by side waiting for travelers to board. I’d say a good 7 feet between each bus. Hundreds of people walking around, waiting on their respective buses, or rather hundreds of people lost trying to find their respective buses.  I am standing on the #5 bus with I’d say at least 80 other people, minding my own business, and BAM. In between two buses is a man probably in his late 30’s early 40s, smartly dressed in blue and white plaid pants, white collard polo shirt, blond hair, blue eyes, nice tan. For all intents and purposes this man was a hunk ….with his junk out for all the world to see. Well, he did have a shopping bag in front of his mid-section most of the time, to be fair.

The insane thing is, he was literally walking around as nothing was out of the ordinary. As if he was hot and needed a little air. Shorts top button buttoned, zipper completely down. Honest to God my first reaction was, “oh no this man forgot to zip his fly !”  Complete nonchalance from him and everyone one around him.  And to top it all off, he looked lost. He kept looking around with a concerned lost puppy dog face, then he would look at his blackberry for a second , look back up with a confused face, look back down. I then thought …where are the video cameras? This has to be a joke. Nope. Not a video camera crew in sight. I’d go into more details but I’d probably get flagged for offensive material.  Just know I’m still in shock and can’t get the visual out of my mind.

The rest of the day was fairly normal. Arrived in Frankfurt –Bahn at 2:30, boarded a bus to Mainz at 3:30, boarded a train for Munich at 5:15, then the train stopped completely for an hour and a half due to an accident on the tracks. Standard for European travel I suppose.  The positive thing is, at the last minute, I upgraded to first class for 12 euro. Thankfully I’m in a private cabin with one other guy, surrounded by windows. We both essentially have our own couches to spread out on. Life is pretty good at the moment despite what will ultimately be a 6 hour train ride. Onward to Munich!!

q

Mile 26 - Ciao Italy, Guten Tag Germany!

Today is my last day in Italy. Not much to tell as I spent most of the time walking around, playing with Sherman, listening to music, playing on the Internet.  I did manage to cook a nice Italian pasta dinner for me and Sara. Fresh ingredients from the Italian grocery store. After dinner I went for my last run around town. Note to self. Don't run after a pasta dinner. Ouch!

I have to say I'll miss this place.  What have I learned in the last 10 days?

1. Three hour lunch breaks, while probably not the best idea during an economic recession,  allows for ample amounts of time to enjoy your food and espresso under the beautiful Italian sun. Who doesn't want a mid-day nap after lunch? Something to think about.

2. We really should wear gloves when handling produce at the grocery store. The Italians wear plastic gloves while perusing the produce section.

3. Parmesan cheese should always be freshly ground and placed on your table for every meal

4. Too much gelato can upset your stomach

5. There is really no need to wear sneakers when you have Italian leather

and finally

6. It is our God given right to have quality affordable wine available at all times! Water or Wine? Would you like cheese with that?-Same thing. A bottle of 2 euro wine filled from a tank is just as good as any 20 pound bottle of wine I've had to buy in London. Lets make this happen people.


Tomorrow = exceptionally long travel day.  4:40 wake-up  to help Sara carry bags to the train station for our 5:20 train to Venice. When Sara gets off for the airport I'm continuing on to Venice central as my flight doesn't leave until 1:30. I figure I can do a quick run in Venice then head back to the Airport. Upon arrival to Frankfurt-Hahn I will embark on an hour and half bus ride to Mainz -the city my Dad lived in for 30 months as a young man in the Army . I promised my parents I'd take pictures of Mainz, with particular emphasis on the train station. My mom secretively told me to take pictures of the bus stop at the train station because apparently my Dad had a habit of sleeping on the bench at the bus stop after a late night out on the town? Shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone.

At Mainz I board a 4 hour train ride to Munich. I arrive in Munich at 9:30pm with promises to Fidan and Wolfgang that I will be in stable condition and ready for a good time! I'm an excellent travel napper.
Wish me luck. The early morning run in Venice should start me off on the right foot.