Love/Hate

Oh, how I LOVE the English language… and I love being on break and I love sitting at Starbucks and I love, well everything at the moment. I’m sitting at Starbucks in the Heathrow Airport drinking a double tall soy latte surrounded by English speakers and on my way home for Christmas, what’s not to love?!

But, last night I hated traveling, hated saying goodbye to Steve for nearly three months, hated that I wouldn’t have time to work out today and hated that I had to fly British Airways, last time I didn’t get my bags for 16 or 17 days. Is anything ever good enough? Or do we always want more? Or is it just me?
Is it possible to have it all; that seems to be what I want. I want to be surrounded by friends and family, be healthy, have them be healthy, have a job that I love, live in a city that is fun, have tons of money, travel, buy what I want, have my student loans paid off and somehow have this perfect little stress free life, thing is, I don’t think that’s how it works, but is it ok to want that? I mean, you have to have some goals, right?

It seems pathetic at times, when I think about the things I worry about, should I rent a car for two weeks while I’m home? Should I take the train? Do I want to buy my towels in the US and pay for extra baggage fees? On February break should I travel somewhere sunny? Go someplace to train? Oh, and over the summer should I go to Poland and watch Euro Cup or Ukraine? Yet somehow, I manage to get all stressed out. Maybe it’s just my personality. I should be feeling very fortunate, and at times, I definitely do!

Right now I am just anxious to get home. I am planning on staying in Vienna at least another school year, but also realizing, this job might just be as good as it gets. Of course, it’s not perfect, I don’t expect that, but it’s a safe city, I love my apartment, I have some friends, I can train easily, especially with my bike trainer, I mean all in all it’s all pretty ok, but is ok enough? I was talking over whether or not I should look for a new job with a friend of mine and as we were talking it through, and she was explaining what it was like to live in China and what she thought of her time in Hong Kong, I just started to realize that maybe Vienna is the place for me. So, maybe it’s time to act like I live there. I think while I’m home I’m going to go through all of my things and see what I want to ship over, I don’t even know what I still have at my mom’s, just that there are boxes of things and, well, I guess my things should be where I live instead of just rebuying cheap versions of things I already own…

Or, maybe I’m just exhausted and worn out from work and need to take a break and relax a bit…

48 hours and 20 minutes

but... who's counting. Can't wait to get on the plane home! The last few weeks have been really busy, but fun. We had our work Christmas party, I managed to drag Steve out to dinner with some friends and then we went out towards the 19th district, always seems like a lifetime away out there. The party was great, it was on a Wednesday night because we had the following Thursday off for some random Austrian that I don't even know what it is. I went a bit crazy shopping that day, I went to this store to buy Reidel wine glasses that were on sale but ended up with all kinds of random things that I decided I desperately needed after living here for over two years. I ended up needing a taxi home, but there was not one to be found. I would have to walk maybe 10 feet, set the bags down, rest and then do it again until I managed to drag myself onto a bus that I knew would take me to a taxi stand. Ha! I looked like quite a fool, but now do have everything I own in tupperware like containers.

Work is work, I'm definitely needing a break.

Everything else in life is good. Steve is still deciding where he is going for the winter and how long he will be gone, I plan to meet him in February wherever he might be. I, of course, am hoping for some hot tropical destination, we will see!

I"m totally ready to go home! I went a bit crazy online shopping, but it just seems like such a better deal at home and as much as I'd like to be that person that adjusts and buys all the products that are here and available, I'm not. I like my Crest toothpaste and Neutrogena face soap.

Yesterday was Day 1 of Ironamn Zurich training. It is fairly easy in the beginning, I will definitely run and bike more than what is suggested, I don't want to go backwards, but the idea of dragging myself to the pool seems like torture. And, I'm going to try to add in weight training this time too. I sitgned up for a swim class that starts January 12. It's quite annoying because the only time I could get in for was 8:00pm, that means not getting home until 9:30 or 10:00 and that is late for me! I have been working on structuring my race plan and trying to figure out what and when to eat, it all seems managable now, but I do remember those days that are yet to come...

For now though, I am just anxious to get through the last couple of days here and head home to see everyone. I can't wait

Walking in a winter wonderland...

After a couple weeks of fun in Vienna it was time to head off to Barcelona to visit Heather, but first we had to go to a few Christmas markets... Steph and I had a great day making Christmas cookies and then went and had some punsch at the Rathaus, it was gorgeous out! We also went a different day with Kent and Amy to the Karlsplatz market, which is definitely one of my favorites. Thai punsch is the only one I really like, love the spice and burning lips!

Barcelona was great, well, what I saw of it, the BEST part of the trip was spending time with Heather, we went and visited a cool town about an hour away, saw some ruins, ate some tapas, talked... While we were in Barcelona we did much of the same, the weather was amazing! We went on some great runs, wandered around to amazing little tapas places, a champagne bar, Starbucks, cooking class, spent time talking and laughing and just relaxing. What a great city, I would love to live and train there. It was a much needed long weekend. I forget sometimes how nice it is to be around good friends, it had been over a year since we had seen each other last, but that didn't matter at all! Already looking forward to my next trip back in March.

Work is crazy, life is moving too fast and I feel like I am just caught up in all the craziness and not really enjoying the things I should be. I did just buy a ticket to go home for Christmas, so I'm really excited about that. Less than three weeks and I'll be home for the holidays.

Going to try to relax a bit and take advantage of the last few weeks before training officially starts up again. Which actually doesn't mean relax, it means having that extra glass of wine :-)

Christmas is coming...

Well, I made it back from Kenya, bags and all! It was nice to get back and have some time to spend with Steve and get ready for the short work week. And, VERY nice to only have three days of work before the weekend. There has been a principal change at work that has proven to be a bit of a challenge, nothing that I won't be able to manage, but certainly far from easy or fun. I also had my last soccer tournament, the girls had a lot of fun, played well and ended with a penalty shoot out and won their last game. The weather was freezing, but blue skies, so it was nice. Steph's team won the whole tournament, so that was fun!

The weather, I can't believe how nice it is. It is absolutely freezing cold, but bright blue skies and not a drop of rain. I love it! I went on a great long bike ride and also some beautiful runs, the color of the leaves are gorgeous. I'm gearing up for Ironman training to start again. I signed up for the one in Zurich in July and also a half in St. Polten in May as a training race. Steve was just in England and bought me a few training books, I'm getting excited as a read them. I also signed up for a swim class, it was quite amusing actually. Registration for January classes started on November 7th, so I got to work, logged on and tried to sign up. The website was all in German so I was trying to read the directions, register for the class, website, loging, etc. and as you're doing it you can see the spots in the classes literraly disappearing. So, under each class there are these little icons that represent a spot in the class and as a person registers the little icon disappears. It took me so long to figure out how to register that I ended up with a class that meets at 8:00 - 9:00 on Thursday nights, terrible! That is my bedtime! I was laughing so hard though and in such a panic. I'm on the waitlist for a 7:00 class on Tuesday or Thursday, I hope I get in... whatever. Not like there is too much to do in the winter anyways.

Steph and I had a really fun Sunday. I got up and went on a great run to Schonbrunn Palace, Starbucks with Steve, baked Christmas Cookies with Steph and relaxed at home, went to the Rathaus Christmas market, out to a movie and dinner with Steve and then watched the x-factor. I really didn't want the weekend to end!

I went to this store, Metro, last night,it's similar to a Costco, and went a bit crazy. I bought so many things that I should have bought years ago, things like four/sugar/rice containers, vases, I don't even really know what else, just random stuff for the house. I also bought Steve some new dishes, we have been eating Chicken Salads out of takeout Vapiano dishes for about 4 months...

I'm considering applying for a different job, maybe Hong Kong, Brazil, who knows. I am pretty happy here though, why make a change!

Kenya - living in African Time

One thing I am not is calm and patient. I figure I have to be at my job; in fact, people actually think I am an easy going, calm, take it as it comes type of person. Whatever. As usual, I arrive to the airport and end up on a different flight, arrive quite a bit later than I was supposed to, and somehow managed to miss every meal with the weird flight times. Fortunately my Mom and cousin were prepared. They stayed awake and I inhaled their leftover dinner. The conference was actually really, really interesting, I have been writing up all kinds of different things that I want to do when I get back to work. The first couple of days were spent at the conference all day and then dinner and relaxing at the hotel with my Mom and cousin. It was SO relaxing and nice! I feel so fortunate that we were all able to meet in Kenya. My sister came after she finished her volunteer work and we crammed all four of us into a room and the next day we had to say goodbye to Nicole and off we went on our safari!
It was a long bumpy ride to Masai Mara, but very interesting. We stopped at a lookout point and gift shop, took some pictures and then were on our way. We arrived to our beautiful tented camp in time to have some lunch, rest a bit and then go on an afternoon game drive. It was amazing! We saw tons of animals, zebra, giraffes, elephants, buffalos, gazelles, impalas, wildebeest, antelope, cheetahs and I’m sure some other things too. It was also just beautiful to see the vast amount of open space, the sunset, the hills in the distance, well, just everything. It was amazingly beautiful! We came back to the lodge, showered and changed and it was time for yet another great meal, buffet style. I’m not sure what it is about buffet meals, but I always feel like I just need to eat and eat. And, since the food was so good, it was great fun! I mean, you need three different types of dessert very night in addition to the dark chocolate chunks and almond slivers.
The next day we were up early for a game drive, I was happy I had brought my Dog River traveler’s mug, thanks Lindsey…, and we once again saw tons of animals. Amazing. We barely made it back in time for breakfast, which was once again, a huge delicious buffet, and just like at home; I had an egg white omelet, yogurt and granola, peanut butter and jelly toast, coffee, water and a little fruit. Right, just like at home. Between the morning and afternoon game drive we lounged around the pool and worked on our tan, we did take a little break to eat some lunch of course. The afternoon game drive was amazing. Raphael, our driver, all of a sudden seemed like he was on a mission! At one point I asked what an animal was and he dismissed me pretty quick and gunned it, he was taking us somewhere and we were in a hurry, but had NO idea where we were going. Then, out of nowhere, all of a sudden we were surrounded by more animals than I can ever remember seeing. Every direction you looked were zebras, gazelles, and wildebeest, just everything. It was amazing! He did stop so we could take a few pictures, but then, we were off again. To where you ask? We had no idea, but suddenly we got to where we were doing and he let us get out of the car, seems a bit risky, and it was an area where there were hippos, they were so cute! And it was nice to see water too. We got out and took a few pictures and then we got back in the car for the drive back to the tented camp. On the way back we saw an amazing rainbow and a sunset you could hardly believe. Pictures really don’t do it justice, but, don’t worry, we tried. I think Kristin must have taken a thousand pictures.
The next morning we did an early morning game drive and then drove to Lake Nakuru. When we arrived to Lake Nakuru we had some lunch and then went out for an afternoon game drive. We saw many animals again, but we were really out looking for Flamingos, we didn’t see any, but did see tons of beautiful pelicans. We also saw Black and White Rhinos that were really cute. And some warthogs that were adorable when they ran with their little tails sticking straight up. We had a really nice dinner and then went to sleep, had to be up early for another game drive before we were off to the airport and then Mombasa. The morning game drive was great, we saw lions up in a tree, I had to laugh when Raphael was driving around and parking a little bit out from under the tree, he said, we have to be careful, those lions aren’t that good in the trees, not like the cheetahs. And, when we questioned him a bit further about what he meant, he said, well, you don’t want to park under the tree because the lions could just slip and end up in the van with you. Right. We don’t want that to happen. We also found some flamingos and pelicans that morning. Raphael was saying how few there were and that it had changed so much, which, even in my experience from being there 13 years ago, it had, there were definitely less flamingos, but… there were still a ton of pelicans and a fair number of flamingos. To me, it was still amazing. We also went up to a really amazing view point where you could see the whole lake. It was gorgeous! After that we were off to Mombasa! But, we did stop at a gift shop, where I used Kristin’s technique of bartering and ended up with a fair sized canvas painting that I think will look nice in my living area above my shelf unit, well, I hope it will anyways. We arrived to the Nairobi airport and were off to Mombasa.
Mombasa was meant to be our relaxing beach time, which it was. But, I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the quality of our room. It really bugged me, it was actually dirty, not just not fancy, but dirty. Yuck. Like, brown water coming out of the hot water faucets and chunks of dirt, and walls that were in desperate need of paint, bugs in the light fixtures, just well, not nice. The rest of the resort was beautiful, the pool was great, good water temperature, the service was wonderful, the people super friendly, I had a great pedicure, but, oh how the rooms were awful! By the end I was just SO irritated about it that I asked to fill out a customer card and wrote exactly what I thought. Mom and I were sitting in this lounge area waiting for our airport pick up and the assistant manager came and found me because she wanted to talk to me about what I wrote. I felt a bit bad, but really, the room was awful.
Ok, enough complaining about that. We had such a nice and relaxing time. We spent all day every day by the pool on the same three chairs. There was a little flag you could raise and they would come over, we had drinks one day and lunch another. I would just sit in the pool on the steps reading my book for hours. I did manage to go to the gym most days and one day I had an amazing pedicure. My mom asked if I was worried about being cut in Africa, well, I hadn’t thought about it at all till she mentioned it, but, I went anyways and there were no major injuries to report. Meal time was similar to what a cruise ship meal time would be like. In the evenings they had a live band and it was pretty nice. Mom and I went out on a dhow cruise for dinner one night, it was really great. We sat with a couple that were traveling from Australia, they were really nice and celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. The weather was perfect and the food was delicious. I opted for the prawns, but one of the options was lobster and I have NEVER seen such a huge portion of lobster served, then after the main course was served, they came around asking if anyone wanted to try the lobster and were just handing it out. There was this live band on board singing most of the time too. Of course their CD was for sale… I chose not to buy it. We made it back to the hotel by 11:00, which is very late for us! The next morning, today, was our last morning. We spent the day by the pool, ordered a leisurely poolside lunch and then had to shower and head to the airport. We are just about to board our plane to Amsterdam, it’s an overnight flight, and I hope I can sleep! My connecting flight in Amsterdam is about an hour and fifteen minutes, I am pretty much counting on missing the connection, doesn’t seem possible. And, even if I do make it, I can’t imagine my bags will, but since when do they ever make it to where I go…
I already miss my Mom and she is still sitting next to me at the gate. Too bad Vienna and Portland aren’t closer! I loved my time in Kenya and can’t wait to come back…!

Fall Break!!!!

I probably say this every year, but this time, I really mean it, the last four weeks have been the WORST I can remember. For whatever reason work has been exhausting, I haven’t been sleeping at all, and by at all, I mean up at 3:00 and staying up, SO annoying, coaching soccer is wearing me out, I am not doing it next year. Between Fall Trip, coaching and a few trips by choice I am just going crazy. I’m currently sitting on the runway in some airport in Africa, I couldn’t even tell you what country, because my easy flight from Vienna to Amsterdam to Nairobi has, of course, turned out a little different than planned. I wonder if there will ever be a time when I get on a plane and everything goes as planned, including getting my luggage at the other end of the trip. Probably never.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. Work is crazy; it was just announced this week that our principal is moving to the High School and there is no current plan in place for the Middle School. This will make for an interesting and challenging rest of the school year. I am going back and forth trying to decide if I should stay in Vienna for another school year, or be looking for another job. If the last few weeks and now this big change is any indication of how the next couple of years are going to be, for my own sanity I might want to consider a new position and a new city. Like I said, I haven’t been sleeping very well at all, I’m sure a big portion of it is stress and anxiety related. Living abroad is really, really, really hard. There are a lot of great benefits, financially and travel opportunities are amazing, but day to day life is just plain hard. And exhausting. When you think about looking for a new job at home, it doesn’t necessarily require a work visa, moving across the country, learning a language, etc. I think what I’ll do is apply for a few specific jobs if they open up and will be doing their hiring before December 15, which is when I need to tell my school what I am doing. I was thinking Singapore, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, possible Kuala Lumpur, we’ll see what happens. I think I just want to stay in Vienna though. Things really are going well, except work, it’s just too much right now, something has got to change.

I am now at the hotel in Nairobi. I ended up getting here around midnight or so, had to wait in the car at the gate while they swept the car for bombs. My mom and Nicole stayed up and waited for me to get there, we stayed up for a while and talked, I was SO happy to see them! We got up this morning and after I went to the gym had a super delicious breakfast and then I went to my conference and my mom and Nicole went to the hospital that Kristin is working at and also did some shopping. I’m really glad I decided to attend this conference, it’s the first time I’ve done any professional development that is actually geared towards counselors, so I feel like I’m learning and will learn a lot during the whole thing.

While I will learn a lot from this conference, I am ready for the vacation to start… and to see my sister!

I LOVE Fall.

You would not believe the weather we have been having! It has been absolutely beautiful. Work and soccer have kept me really busy and I'm actually going a bit crazy. Fall trip was fun, the sixth graders crack me up. We hiked, went to salt mines, ice caves, markets, painted nails, you know, all the usual things. And, of course, I did ruin this one kids entire life. Easy to do when they are 11 years old. Whatever. She got over it, she was painting my nails for me about 15 minutes after I ruined her life. We also played in a couple of weekend soccer tournaments, which were time consuming, but fun. We had our day trip to Budapest on Saturday, I think I said "turn around and face the front of the bus" about six zillion times.

The cow festival in Westendorf was way more fun than I thought it would be. We rented a car and drove out there on a Friday right after work, it was about a 4 or 5 hour drive and the woman driving did a great job, but hadn't driven a stick in a while and nearly ran the car into the wall in the parking garage, but it improved from there. I only screamed one time. Anyways, we got in late on Friday and went to the only open place to grab dinner, the kitchen was closed, but they agreed to make us pizza. We ate our pizza while we watched the crazy Austrians dance to American classics played by some random band. Oh, and we were at a gelato place/bar. Normal combination, right? The next morning I went on a gorgeous run, I can see why they say "the hills are alive with the sound of music..." Seriously, the hills looked alive, and I really don't even know exactly what that means, except that they looked alive. The dressed up cows started coming through town around 10:30, it was just like a big parade and people lining the streets waiting for the cows. Of course there was sturm, beer, sausages, noodles, and all the other Austrian foods for everyone to enjoy. By the end of the day there were many people that were having a hard time standing. After we watched the cows for a while we hopped in the car and drove to Kitzbuehl, which was such a cute town! Most of the shops were closed and I would love to go back, pretty much a ritzy ski town. We wandered around a bit and then sat outside and enjoyed some pumpkin soup for lunch. We stopped at this cute pumpkin stand on the way back, I bought a couple of different pumpkins and made home made pumpkin soup with them, delicious! We also had an amazing dinner in town that night, some random nice guy let us join him because the place had no tables, seemed like a nice enough guy, German I think. Went on another great run the next morning, this time I headed up the hills and saw some amazing views. By the time we got back from Vienna I was pretty tired from being gone all weekend.

Let's see, what else. I signed up for two more races. The St. Polten Half Ironman on May 20, 2012 and the Zurich Ironman on July 15, 2012. I don't really know what I was thinking. I think I am getting a tad bit obsessive about the whole thing. It almost feels like now that I have done that, any other running event seems like nothing. Steve sent me videos of the swim start and me crossing the finish line and I just watch them again and again. It just doesn't seem real that I was able to do that. I am trying to tell myself that my goal is to finish the Zurich one, but in the back of my mind I want to beat my time. I really think I can take a full hour off the bike ride, those hills killed me. I have been running a ton lately. It takes the same amount of time to run home from work as it does to take public, so I run three or four times a week and am still running in the morning. Tomorrow I am meeting Anika at the gym and she is going to help me figure out a weight training routine. I want to work on that and swim technique before I officially start training in December. I am going to sign up for these basic swim technique classes, but the ones now are all full. The next sessions start in January, so I'll do it then. I guess registration is November 7.

Speaking of dates... We have to tell the school our "intent" by November 4th. That seems so early! But, at the same time, we don't have to tell them for sure until December 15. I can't decide what I want to do, part of me thinks I should stay a few more years and pay off all my debt, and part of me gets really excited about the idea of looking for a new job. What makes it hard for me is that if a school I am interested in posts a position and I decide to not apply, that means I won't have another opportunity at that school for probably 3 - 5 years. Ugh! I just subscribed to TIE online, so now I can obsess and watch for job openings. It was probably a really bad idea to do that. Soon I'll be updating my resume and sending off letters of interest. It would have to be a pretty amazing job, city and financial package for me to leave this job. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I am heading to Nairobi for a conference in a few weeks. My mom and sister will be there too, as will my cousin. I can't wait! We are going to go on a safari and also stay at a beach resort for a few days. And, once again, we are missing Halloween at school. YEAH! That is probably my least favorite holiday. I love it when the kids are small and cute, but think so many woman use it as an opportunity to dress really slutty. So annoying.I do have to come up with some sort of costume though, this Friday is Activities Night and it is a Halloween theme... maybe if I bake enough baked goods for the bake sale they won't notice that I'm not dressed up...

Oh, so when I'm not working or coaching I am trying too spend every waking moment outside in the sun! Sundays have been great this Fall; I have been riding my bike to the Prater to meet Anika, running for an hour and a half or so and then coffee over at Thomas's house. Then, I usually try to meet Steph for some sort of "active lifestyle" activity that also involves Pumpkin Soup. This Sunday, afer I got home from an amazing two or three hour bikeride, we went out by my school, ate pumpkin soup and salad with Amy and then Steph and I hiked around throught the vineyards and forested area. So fun! Oh, and for some reason the night before a few of us went out to 1516 (after a LONG day trip to Budapest) until 3:30 in the morning, I haven't done that in YEARS. But, it was pretty fun!

Ok, off to bed.

Time flies!

It’s hard to believe how fast time goes by! I just had soccer tryouts this week, which to put it mildly, were disastrous as far as the administrative side of things, but I had a great time out with the kids. They are just amazing and I’m looking forward to a fun season. I’ve managed to book practically every weekend from now till Christmas. Some optional things and some not so optional. This weekend is free, then off to Fall Trip next week, next weekend is Frankfurt Soccer tournament, next weekend go to see the cows near Kitzbuhl, which I have really been wanting to go (I really don’t know what it is, but hear it is great fun), then Budapest for soccer, then Vienna Night Run, free weekend and then off to Kenya to meet Kristin and my Mom. Seem like a lot? Well, there’s more… free weekend, then Soccer tournament (in Vienna at least!) Nov. 11-12 and then Thanksgiving in Barcelona visiting Heather. It seems like it never ends! Many fun things, but just a lot happening.

I’m totally ready for the weekend. I brought my running things and am planning on a long run home from work. I’m missing Ciara, we used to run on Friday afternoons, it is way more fun when you do it with someone else!

Planning on another long bike ride on Sunday, which should be fun. Last week we accidentally ended up going on a 100km ride…oops! But, it actually felt great and made me think that I want to go through all the training again and am considering another Ironman in the summer. I’ll probably regret it… but, I actually do enjoy the idea of training that hard again. It takes up a ton of time and all my mental space, but that probably leaves less room to worry about other things. Ha!

I'm melting...

So, it is ridiculously hot. It's pretty much all I can think about. The heat and humidity was way worse in Dubai, but we lived in our air conditioned bubble so it was manageable. Here there is just no place to escape!I was trying to figure out

The weekend was great, Steph and I walked from Grinzing up to Kahlenberg on Saturday morning, went to another friends for a Mexican feast, got up early for a long bike ride and then went and had a great salad for lunch. All part of my new "active lifestyle" vs. training. Work is work, super hot, kids are nice, crazy start, but it should be fine. Back to more interesting things... I am going to try an "active lifestyle" instead of training, but, it's hard because I don't feel very motivated. I've been running an hour or more pretty much every day, no swimming and a few long bike rides, and I can do it all, but, it just doesn't feel good. Ugh. I'm hoping it gets better! I don't want to feel like this for long. May need to sign up for another race so I have some sort of goal in sight!

I just pulled out my spiral notebook of things I want to do in my life, I finally get to cross off Ironman, which was written in with a question mark because I wasn't sure I wanted to do one. Well, I did it. I'm going to look through and see if there is anything else I can cross off, or anything I should add.

I've been reviewing my finances and should really cut back on traveling, but I just LOVE it. I really want to buy a scooter too, the commute is making me crazy. I wanted to take public and get to school early for the first week, but after a terrible commute on Friday and another awful commute on Tuesday, involving broken tram lines, a 45 minute walk and then a 12 Euro cab ride... something has to be done. Until I figure out what to do, I'll just have to take the school bus.

Since I'm melting and can't do much more than sit still with a fan blowing on me I have gone back to my Friday Night Lights addiction. I'm still on the first season, but loving it.

So happy tomorrow is Friday.

Back to life, back to reality...

Back to work, and real life. I just about went CRAZY getting to work on Friday, took just under two hours and I was hot and sweaty and miserable. I never really recovered and was in a bad mood all day. Basically sprinted out the door at 3:15.

But... my last week or so at home was awesome!

My mom's birthday party was really fun. My Aunt did a great job planning and cooking. She also bought the most beautiful cake from a local bakery, fancier than a wedding cake, and there were peanut m and m's everywhere, so of course I was thrilled. And, my friend Amy, who was in Nice with us this summer came, and that was really fun! It was the only time I saw some of my family. Time just seems too short!

The next day we had a BBQ at my brother's house, he does the best chicken! My dad came over too, which was nice. He seemed to enjoy himself. Gavin was hilarious, using scissors to "mow" the lawn. It was really relaxing and fun.

I went and visited the Lam Family after, which was AMAZING! I miss them so much and only was able to see them twice this time home. I was just going to stay for a little bit and then head out to the beach, but I couldn't leave and ended up going out to dinner with them and then driving to the beach much later than anticipated, but it was so great to see them!

We had a great time at the beach, it was totally relaxing and I love all the time I can spend just hanging out and relaxing. The drive over was a bit scary, the road was so dark and windy and I was pretty convince that a deer was going to jump out at any given second. It felt a little like a video game till I realized, wait this is real... As always, the beach was one of the best parts of my trip home, beach time, McMenamins, Cannon Beach (and the best pizza ever), walks to Pacific Way Cafe, runs on the beach, hanging out at the house just relaxing, it was just great! I had to say my goodbyes, Ella always says something that just breaks, my heart, as I was leaving this time, she just gave me a hug and said, it's just so sad when you have to leave, there's never enough time to do everything. She's so right!

I drove to Marisa's and she arranged it so that we could drive down to Troy's wedding in Sisters together, which was AWESOME! We had lots of time to talk about everything and I don't feel like we always have that, so it was perfect and the drive flew by. We settled into the hotel, opened a bottle of wine and relaxed until it was time to go and see everyone else at this place in Sisters. It was so great to see Troy, his family, friends from high school and college and just have tons of fun! The night ended with me flagging down a police officer and asking for a ride home. Unfortunately he didn't think my idea of turning on the sirens to scare Marisa was such a good idea, but he did stop and pick her up too, so we didn't have to walk home. The wedding the next day was absolutely perfect. The house it was at could have been, and actually I think was, written up in Architcectural Digest, or some other magazine. It looked like a movie, set, so beautiful, amazing views, gorgeous decorations, and many of the things weren't just there for the wedding, but were part of the house all the time. Jill looked amazing and everything seemed perfect. It was an amazing wedding and super fun to see everyone.

We had to get up early and drive to Portland so I could catch my flight back to Vienna, which I barely made. Bridgepedal, this great Portland biking event... just about made me crazy! I did make it, but it was pretty stressful and close, I barely made the 60 minute checked baggage rule... but I did make it, so that was good!

Being back in Vienna has actually been great. Seeing Steve was great, I really missed him and am realizing being gone for 3 or 4 weeks is just too long. It's hard because I want to be home longer, but don't want to be away for that long. As usual, the life abroad, wanting things that you just can't have... Work is work. I had to go back right away and time is just flying by. I have a zillion things to do and am having a bit of trouble organizing it all and my time. I have also decided that I want a more "active lifestyle" and not do any race specific training, so Steph and I walked to Kahlenberg (up this long hill) yesterday and a few of us are going on a bike ride to lunch and back this afternoon. Steph said we were turning into "nerds" and I said, no, we're just turning into Austrians...

10 days and counting....

I am SO glad that I decided to come home early. This has been by far my most relaxing summer home since I started living abroad four years ago. I guess it just takes some time to accept that you can't see and do it all in three or four weeks. I have just had the best time seeing my friends and family. I've managed to do some big group things, which are totally fun, but also had 1:1 time with so many different girlfriends that I don't always get a chance to see. I have met three more new babies/toddlers and loved every second of it! I'm watching Tilly right now, and, it could not be any easier. She is the most precious little thing ever!

So, let's see, what have I done since I've been home... went over to my friend Erin's and meet her little girl, drank delicious French wine at Noble Rot, spent time relaxing at my Mom's house, was up at my sister's house and had the best time ever with the kids and had so much fun one night drinking wine and eating Trader Joe snacks (the one store I would import to Vienna, well that and Nordstrom), lunch dates with girlfriends, happy hours, went out to HR and saw some friends from Vienna and a few friends from HR, I stayed with Linds and I had to laugh because we were discussing all the different hiking options and we just decided to do "the bench" which was literally across the street from her house, and, it was AMAZING, some of the best views of Mt. Hood ever. What a life... I love that place, if I ever move back to the states, that is where I would want to live, so beautiful. I went out to lunch with my brother and his girlfriend for his birthday yesterday, it was so delicious I never wanted the food to end! And, I still have plenty of fun things to look forward to in the next 10 days, although, I am getting to that nervous, oh no! I won't have time to see everyone do everything panic, but I guess I just have to realize that's the way it goes.

I am SUPER excited to see the famiy that I used to work for here for lunch tomorrow, and meet up with a girl I used to work with in Dubai for coffee, then I am heading up to my sister's house for the weekend. I am hoping to see some friends from Vienna and also a girlfriend from college and her familly but I don't have the details worked out yet. We'll have to wait and see. Then it's my mom's birthday party, my brother is going to BBQ and have my Dad over, then the beach house for the week and a wedding the next weekend in Sisters, then back to Vienna...

and, back to work... summer is going by too fast!

Home?!

I was sitting around in Vienna, loving my European summer, when all of a sudden I just felt like being home. With a few quick calls I was able to change my ticket and come home a week early. Kristin was at the beach, so I looked into all kinds of different options from getting from Seattle to Portland, but my mom ended up driving up and picking me up. I think she has spent more time in the last four years driving me around to friend's houses, dinners, airports, and errands than she did when I was a kid...

Anyways, we stopped at a Mexican place for lunch, where I promptly inhaled the entire basket of chips and about 3 bowls of salsa in 4.3 seconds while I waited for my faijitas to arrive... Just can't understand why Mexican food is so bad in other countries. The drive was pretty easy and I managed to stay awake 26 hours and went to sleep and got up at a normal time, no real problems with jet lag. We went to Safeway and I just LOVE walking around and looking at everything. Seems funny that a grocery store can make me happy. I was putting things in the cart and getting excited about all the things that were just available. I mean, aisles and aisles of things like brown sugar, chocolate chips, salsa, hummus, I mean what more could I ask for! And, who can live without cinammon graham crackers, not that I've ever had them, but I desperately needed them. Delicious.

The next day I finally got to meet Tilly, Katie's little girl, which was awesome! I basically just spent the day holding her and playing with her when she wasn't eating. FUN. And, as always, it was great to see Katie. I love where she lives, walkig distance to great little shops and restaurants. My mom came and picked me up. Ha.

The next day was family day. We went and saw my dad, we are so lucky that we found such a great place for him to be cared for. They are amazing people and the place is so nice. They had redone the front area and there was a beautiful garden that just looked perfect. When we got there dad was sitting at the kitchen table, he was pretty alert as long as were were talking to him, but a bit sleepy too. He looked great. I told him all about the Ironman and gave him an Irondad t-shirt. Next stop Grandma's house. It was really good to see her, she made us coffee and cake and fruit, I felt like we were in Germany, they always do that there. We also got a tour of all of her flowers and plants. They looked great, I always think it would be nice to have a garden, but I don't want to take care of it. Kind of like how I feel about dogs and kids too actually. Next we went and saw Michael and Nina and Grandma Rivera. Michael and Nina had just gotten back from Hawaii, they looked so tan! The greenhouse was filled with plants, again, I'd love a garden, but no desire to care for it. The weather was nice, so we just sat outside and talked for a while. Last stop of the day was my mom dropping me off at Erin's house, where I met Ayla, I hope that's spelled right! She was born the day before Tilly, and she is just as cute! It was so relaxing to just sit out on the back deck and talk with Erin, stare at Ayla and hang out. Ben came home and we sat around, talked, drank wine and it was WONDERFUL. I am just loving summer. Oh,and then I called my mom for a ride home. As you do when you're 34.

Missy is on her way to pick me, not sure exactly what our plans are, but I can't wait to catch up in person! I also made plans to see Anna and meet Lukas. So many new babies! I am also anxious to see Kristin, Eric, Ella, Gavin and Dane. They are at the beach now and will swing through Portland to pick me up tomorrow, I'm SO excited to see them!

Life is good.

A few pictures from the race...

Celebration time!

Just outside the Expo after I picked up my registration packet...

Steve and I outside the Expo

Check out the great shirts!

I loved our support crew!

I was all smiles after I finished, I felt great!

Just a little run after a little ride...

Couldn't wait to get off the bike! Even if it meant running a marathon.

Coming out of the swim. Part one was over and it went well!

Ciara made a great sign to wake up to!

143 + 140.6 + Friends and Family + French Riviera = Summer 2011

What a start to Summer 2011! These are the times when I realize how fortunate I am that I have chosen to live the life I have. I have had the most amazing 3 weeks in the French Riviera, first with a large group of friends and family and then the last part traveling with my aunt and mom. I could not be any happier!

This is a long one…

Ironman Nice 2011

Steve and I arrived into Nice on the afternoon of Friday, June 24. It seemed unreal that it was actually here, the weekend of the race. It all started about 7 months ago when my friend Kent came into my office and asked if I wanted to train for an Ironman. At first I was like, no, I don’t think so, but the second he said that, I should have known that this is how it would work out. Completing an Ironman is actually on my life list with a question mark next to it, I wasn’t really sure it was something I wanted to do. Long story a bit shorter, once he mentioned it, it was all I could think about and the next thing I knew we were sitting in my office, both online at the same time registering for the Nice Ironman. First we wanted to do the one in Austria, but it sold out. We looked at the Nice one because of the timing. When I looked at the course, it appeared that the bike course was very challenging and hilly, great for people that were strong on hills and enjoyed the downhill parts too. I didn’t think too much of it and we signed up.

Basically, my life became run, swim, bike and that was it. The first couple of months of training were pretty reasonable, more training than I would normally do, but manageable. As the training progressed, thoughts of the race and what I was eating and how I was training became all I was able to think about. Weekends were reserved for 6 or 7 hour training days and I was up by 4:30 or 5:00 and training before work and 3 or 4 days a week had to train after work too. I followed a program called Iron Fit, there was a Just Finish and a Competitive Program, of course, if I’m going to do something, I do it, so I followed the Competitive Program and it really nearly killed me I think. One morning, toward the peak of the program, and a 20 hour training week, I woke up and just started crying and saying that I couldn’t do it anymore, I had come so far, but the thought of getting out of bed at 4:30 and running two hours and then going to work and then swimming just seemed, well, like more than I could do. As I was hysterically crying, Steve tried to tell me to take a break, and I just was a wreck saying that on the day of the race I won’t be able to take a break, so how could I possibly take a break during the training. After a few moments (which probably felt like a lifetime to Steve) I was able to calm down and get on with my run and work day. The hardest part of training for me was not knowing if the training was working. I mean I knew I was getting fitter, long bike rides of 5+ hours seemed easy, my swim times were staying consistent and I could easily do the 2.4 mile swim in the pool and running has always been my strength, I actually felt like my running was less and slower than what I was used to, but I just didn’t have any idea if it would all work out on the day of the race and I would actually be able to go the whole distance. As part of the training we did an Olympic distance race, a half iron distance race and a training race day that was distances that were between a half and full ironman and lasted 13 hours, and we were able to complete that, so I thought the training must be doing something, but it just didn’t feel like it was working. How is it possible to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and run 26.2 miles in one day? It wasn’t that I thought I couldn’t do it, but I don’t think I ever thought I could do it either. I realize that doesn’t make sense. So, that’s the background of how it all started, but now to race weekend…

I was SO lucky to have such a great group of friends and my mom and aunt come and support us, there were three of us doing the race. We rented 2 flats in Nice for a week and the time had finally come! The hours leading up to the race were going to be stressful no matter what, but a few unexpected things happened too. First, we were given the wrong address and so my mom, aunt and Amy (who is AWESOME and decided to come all the way from Portland at the last minute, all plans made via text messaging) didn’t have the correct address to the place we were staying. It all worked out in the end, but it was a bit stressful. I realized that I was so stressed and nervous about the race, I wasn’t really capable of worrying too much about anyone else. We walked around the Expo, I registered for the race, picked up my race packet and all this time all the other “Ironman” participants I saw were in comfortable running clothes, etc. I was wearing heels and a dress, bad idea. All of a sudden I was noticing that my feet hurt a little and when I finally stopped to take a look I saw three huge blisters, perfect. Of course I was a mess and so irritated with myself and I couldn’t find bandaids that I liked, Steve went all over till he found the ones I wanted. We met up with the people staying at the other house for dinner and it was all starting to become more and more real. My aunt was great, she went back to the house to try to figure out how to find my mom, who was still not with us. She had a delayed flight and missed her connection to Nice, so we had no idea when she would arrive and she didn’t have the correct address. After dinner we walked back to the house, my mom had made it back and we talked for a bit and then we all went to sleep.

Steve and I got up early the next day so I could go swim a bit in the salt water and see what it was like to be in the Mediterranean Sea at the same time I would be racing the next day. We stopped for a quick coffee on the way back, an amazing way to start the day, I had to laugh because as we were talking, Steve just said as he was watching me swim, he was also trying to figure out exactly what he would do if it looked like I was in trouble, I was way out there and by the time he got out there I’d be at the bottom of the sea. We stopped to pick up some fresh pastries at this really cute place below our flat, but ran into Ciara who had the same idea. We went upstairs, ate our chocolate croissants, drank coffee and relaxed for a bit. I loved the place we stayed. It was beautiful and spacious and had air conditioning. Somehow in the last couple of years I have become one of those people that melts in the heat.

We rented a car and Steve, my mom, aunt and I drove the bike course. Crazy. I knew that the course was going to be difficult, but I had NO idea that it was going to be as challenging as it seemed in a car. It seemed like the whole course was uphill. I mean, I realize that’s not possible, but then when we saw the downhills I was just as scared of those. Originally, I was hoping to finish the bike in about 8 hours, but after seeing the course, I was going to be relieved to finish the bike course at all. The look on Steve’s face made me think he felt the exact same way. Later that night he told me that if I finished that bike course, that would be like completing the whole ironman. It really was a challenging course. I was relieved that we drove the course, but it took a LONG time to drive the 112 miles, longer than expected. I had to check in my bike and also have it looked at since I had put it back together myself. We cut the time VERY close and I was scrambling to pack my transition bags, get my bike to the bike check and it was very near disastrous and again, I was mad at myself for not being more organized and thought that I should have managed my time better. I was supposed to be relaxing before the big race and instead I was shoving my bike in the trunk of the car and crossing my fingers that I had everything I would need in my race bags. When Steve dropped me at the place to get my bike checked, he couldn’t find a place to park, we couldn’t get the bike out of the trunk, it somehow slipped in, but we could not get it out. Not stressful at all. So, after a lot of pulling and twisting and freaking out, we eventually got it out. Amy was running around town and thankfully offered to pick up this ankle thing I wanted and meet me at the expo, somehow having someone else with me calmed me down a bit. When they were checking my bike, the guy asked me if I had the handle bars bent a certain way because it was more comfortable. Um, no sir, that’s because I had to practically break my bike to get it out of the trunk… he straightened them out for me. So, Amy, Steve and I managed to pull it together enough to get my bike looked at, tires pumped up and my bike and transition bags checked in, all is well. Mom was at home making dinner and we would be there soon. Perfect. Or not, as we were driving home all of a sudden someone on a scooter was pounding on the window. We rolled down the window and the guy told us the car was on fire. Seriously? We were stuck in a big traffic jam and I opened the door and jumped out and yelled to Steve and Amy, um get out, the car is on fire! And they were both calmly sitting there. Eventually they got out of the car, we flipped on the hazards, people were honking and staring and we tried to call the Emergency Breakdown/Accident hotline. They didn’t answer and after a while Steve finally told me to go back to the place, eat dinner and get ready for the race, he would handle the car. I felt terrible leaving him in that situation, but also didn’t know what else to do, or how it would be helpful for me to stand around, knowing that I would only get more stressed as time passed. It was almost to the time that I wanted to be sleeping and I was standing next to a broken down car. Not good. I went back and my mom had made dinner, we sat around talking and then Steve came back and said he parked the car on the side of the road and would deal with it the next day. Somehow I was able to get to sleep that night, we laid there talking about the race and while I wasn’t totally nervous, I wasn’t really relaxed either, I just wanted it to start so I would know what it was like. I set my alarm for 4:40 and asked my mom to do the same, it was finally here Race Day!

Race Day

So, the morning of the race I was surprised that I was able to sleep fine and woke up feeling pretty good. I made myself some eggs, toast and a cup of coffee and threw on my swimsuit, the whole time thinking, I can’t believe I’m actually doing this, is it really going to work? Will I really finish? And, somehow not feeling nervous, just almost out of it. I woke up to a great sign that Ciara had made and she got up to wish me luck. Then, Steve, my mom, aunt and I walked to the start of the race. I looked out and could see how far away the buoys were in the water and just thought, am I going to be able to do this? Still feels unbelievable when I look back on it. It was a beautiful walk to the start, Steve was carrying my things, I was watching the clock and trying to drink some water and throw down a gel. I really don’t like those things, but knew I would be eating them all day long. I dropped my bags, said my goodbyes and went to check on my bike and then put on my wetsuit, goggles and swim cap and walk down to the start.

Swim

I stared at my bike for a minute, put on one bottle of water and one bottle of this homemade energy drink and then got dressed for the swim and dropped off my after the race bag. I had no plan to meet Kent and Wayne, but happened to run into them. We chatted and walked down to the swim start. Still felt like it wasn’t real. Pretty soon we were standing there and the announcer was trying to get the crowd going and there was tons of people everywhere. I looked around amazed at the number of people, so many more blue hats than pink, less than 10% of the participants were women and the way we all looked now really showed that. It all seemed to happen so fast, one second we were cheering on the shore and the next we were racing into the water. There was a moment of feeling terrified, was I going to be kicked in the face? Were my goggles going to stay on? Would I really be able to swim that far? But, I just went with the crowd and dove in and started swimming. The whole thing felt pretty surreal. I swam and was a bit panicky at first, but then just settled in and started swimming. It was really hard to know where to go, I thought it would be really obvious, and there was a big red bouy I was aiming for, but somehow you’d start swimming and you’d be surrounded with people and assuming you’re all going the right way, but when you look up again, you realize you are really swimming off to the side a bit. I guess I really wasn’t too bothered by other people while swimming, there was a few times around the buoys, or just randomly, where you’d get kicked or an arm or elbow would hit you, but really, it wasn’t that bad. Time seemed to go by fast and slow, I didn’t really push myself, just tried to find a comfortable pace and was relieved that there were people behind me. Coming into the exit area was the second roughest part of the swim. I was definitely kicked and hit a bunch of times, but I was also so happy to be finished and be able to get out of the water, I really didn’t care. I climbed out of the water with assistance from volunteers, which was SO needed, it was really hard to get out for some reason, and saw that I finished under an hour and forty minutes, which was good because I was aiming for under two hours. I waved to my friends and gave my mom a hug and ran off to get ready for the bike ride. Swim was over.

Bike

There were people there to help take off your wetsuit and put on sunscreen and well, do whatever you needed, but I just took my time and did most of it myself. I figured in a 16 hour day, what was 10 – 15 minutes making sure I was all set for the bike ride. It was pretty funny getting to the bikes, there were hardly any still there, but I didn’t really care. I kept telling myself that this wasn’t a race against other people, I just had to do what I planned on doing to finish the race and not get caught up in anything else. It really was a day of mental games. So, off I went on the bike. I waved good bye to my friends, and saw Anika’s cute new haircut and then was off, knowing that I had 180km before I’d be back. After driving the bike course, I was pretty nervous, but also knew what to expect, so I just put it into my head that I just had to pedal, that was it, just keep going and do the best that I could do. I’m not real sure what I thought about during the whole race, I was constantly checking the time and drinking water, sports drink, gels, and I tried a bar once or twice, but thought the gels were a safer bet. The first section was fine, winding around through Nice a bit and up towards the hills. At the steepest hill, right at 19km, I ended up having to walk my bike about 25 – 40 meters or so. This guy was weaving back and forth on the road because it was so steep and I was going straight up and in order to avoid hitting him I had to unclip and stop, there was NO way on the incline I would be able to start again, so I just jogged up with my bike. I was not the only person doing it, there were many people that walked the whole thing. It was super steep. The course really was one big hill, I tried not to think about it too much and just kept going. I never really got tired and tried to keep as even of a pace as I could and on the flats and downs I would pedal, but never really gave it all I had, I kept thinking, just keep steady, you have a long day. It was an absolutely beautiful course, the views were breathtaking, but I didn’t really appreciate them the whole time. Instead, I was focused on riding, drinking and eating. I kept being amazed at how high I would get so quickly, at the end when I was trying to describe the bike course, I kept saying it was so weird because the parts that seemed like they were flat were somehow uphill and the parts that looked like they would be impossible and steep, seemed fine. That probably doesn’t make any sense, but that’s how it felt. There was a huge 21km climb and it was long. It took me around two hours, I felt like it was never going to end, but at the same time, my legs never got tired, they just wouldn’t go any faster and I was in my easiest gear. At one point I was just chatting with the guy next to me and it really seemed like we were barely moving. At the end of the climb there was this rolling hills section and my legs were so happy to have a break. The rest of the course was up and down, but nothing was as difficult as that section. There was another climb though, I don’t remember exactly where that was 7km and it seemed to last forever. We also had to do this out and back section and it seemed to last a lifetime too. I was watching my time and I was hoping to finish the bike course in 8 hours, but then once I saw the course, I was just hoping to finish it at all. I finished in 8:17, 17 slower than my original goal, but I felt ok about it. Coming into the transition area I saw all my friends and family and it was great! I was smiling and felt good. Again, my body wasn’t really tired and I never really pushed myself, just kept at a steady pace and told myself the whole time that I needed to keep it together, ride my ride, not worry about anyone else, drink and eat because at the end of the bike was a marathon. A marathon? Really? What was I thinking?

Run

I was all smiles when I finished the bike, I was so sick of being on the bike, not really sore or in pain, just tired of it, that running a marathon actually sounded great. It was really fun to see Steve, because after we drove the course I don’t think he thought I would be able to do it, so when he saw me come in I sort of felt like saying, I told you so… I talked with Anika a bit too, and then I once again did a real slow transition. For whatever reason, I could not get my swimsuit off and my running shirt on, it seemed to take forever. Eventually I did it, threw down gel number 13, or something like that, and was off to run the marathon.
In my mind, what I had told myself during training and during the race was that if I could get through the bike and to the run, I would be able to finish. So there was definitely a bit of relief to be starting the run. And, my time was such that I had nearly six hours to run the marathon. So, I knew I would need to run part of it, but if necessary I could walk some of it.

I set off on the run and was greeted by all of my friends in matching t-shirts screaming for me, it was SO motivating! They had all sort of spread themselves out a bit and the race course was an out/back four times course, so it was great to have people cheering for you in different spots. We also had our names on our numbers and different groups of people who I didn’t know started cheering for me. There were these New Zealand guys that took me in as one of their own and would go crazy every time I ran by and it really was great and I loved seeing them. A lot of people were also cheering because I was a girl. When I reached the 5km mark and checked my time, I had done it in 30 minutes, that would normally not be a great 5km, but I was shocked and relieved and started to think maybe I could do this… It was also fun to watch everyone else that was running/walking and try to figure out their story, where they were from, if it was their first ironman, if they were feeling ok, etc. I also saw Wayne and Kent a few times, it was great to see them, they were both ahead of me, and see that they were doing fine. As the run went on, I felt pretty good and again, the best part was when I would get towards the turnaround/finish line and see all my friends and family and smile at them and wave and then take off for another lap. It wasn’t until I hit 35km that it really hit me that I was going to actually finish, even if I had to walk, I was going to be able to come in under 16 hours. My body and mind felt good and I thought at that point that I would be able to run the rest of the marathon. At about 40km, with 2 km left to go is when I had to start telling my legs that they were going to have to go just a bit farther. I was starting to get physically tired for the first time that day, but I really wanted to be able to finish running. And, I did. It was such an amazing finish. As you are approaching the finish line there is a red carpet, stands that are completely filled, an announcer that is calling out your name and saying … Lisa Rivera is an IRONMAN! And it was just an unreal feeling. Steve, my mom and aunt were all at the finish line and when I finished I saw them right away and went over to talk to them, there was a fence between us, but it just was such a crazy, weird, exciting, surreal experience. The whole thing. And, now it’s over, which also seems weird.
I really wanted to go and find all my friends, but I was also tired and hungry, so we ended up just getting all my things and walking back to the apartment. I was probably just going on and on about the race, I still do sometimes. I can’t believe I really did it. The training definitely worked.

Nice

We spent the rest of the week relaxing in Nice. It was absolutely perfect. Steve had to leave early the next day to get back to Vienna for a golf tournament and work, but the rest of us did a whole lot of nothing and it was wonderful! We met up with Anika and Thomas for smoothies and then walked over to the Expo, I wanted to buy a shirt, but only after I finished, otherwise I didn’t want any reminders of the event. My friend Amy flew in all the way from the Oregon just for the week, it was SO great to see her and I am so happy that she was able to be there for the race, but also get to see a small piece of my life and friends in Europe. I am SO happy she was able to come and we had so much fun! What else did we do that week… we had big dinners at each apartment, went to Trivia night, ate gelato at 1:00 in the morning, relaxed at the beach, took a bus to Cap Ferrat, Ciara and I went on a few runs, which felt great, hung out at the house ate delicious dinners and drank tons of good wine. It was a little bit sad too, Ciara, Andrew, Amara and Eddie are all leaving, so it was kind of like our last big hurrah… we did have a good time though! We celebrated with numerous bottles of champagne, sometimes in the morning and sometimes at night. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a better time in Nice. Next up a tour of Provence.

Provence

My mom, aunt and I left for Avignon on Friday morning to start our tour of Provence. I didn’t help at all with the planning. I told them I was happy to do anything they wanted, I was too focused on my training and the race to be able to put much thought into anything else. They did an amazing job!

Avignon

We arrived to our hotel in Avignon without any problems, it was fun to be on a train again. We spend the first afternoon and evening just walking around. It was a beautiful city.

The next day we went canoeing at Pont du Gard, which is this huge beautiful Roman aquaduct. It was actually pretty hilarious, we ended up taking a taxi there and met our canoe company transportation, and after we are all set up and in the canoe, we start paddling and realize we have NO idea which direction to go, my aunt just starts screaming, hello?! Anybody there? Which way do we go? It was hilarious. I’m sure they thought we were complete idiots. The canoe ride was beautiful and it was a perfect day for it. We saw some wildlife and fish and the aqua duct was beautiful. We ended up being on the water for a couple of hours at least and then we walked back around to the aqua duct and walked over it and took some pictures, it was beautiful.

We set up wine tasting for the next day, originally we wanted to go on the afternoon tour, but it was fully booked and we ended up on our own private tour at 8:30 in the morning. It was AMAZING! I thought it couldn’t get any better than Pont du Gard, and then we ended up on a private wine tour with a really nice guide. First he took us to the remains of an old castle, which had amazing views of the region, and then we went to three different wine regions. The first one was Chateauneuf – du – Pape, we went to this tiny little winery that was SO cute and my favorite one. The winemaker was the one who did the tasting for us. We were in this small cave like area, surrounded by wine barrels drinking really good wine. Who cares if it’s 9:00am?! On the way to the next winery, we noticed a huge sunflower field, Eric pulled over and we took some great pictures. Then we were on our way to Giogandas. It was a really cute town and the wine shop/tasting was a very modern looking place. We tasted very good wine and also olive oils. The olive oil was absolutely delicious! They also brought us a cheese and olive oil snack that was super delicious. After the tasting we had some time to walk through the town, it was unbelievable, looked like a movie set it was so cute. Next we were off to Vacqueteras, this winery was much larger and more of a commercial winery. It was really cool to walk through the tunnels where they stored the wine bottles to age them and they also had these huge barrels to hold/store wine too. The wine was really good and we had an amazing tour of the area. Another great day!

The next day we rented a car and left for Roussillon. We were pretty sure driving was going to be an adventure. Nancy did the driving and mom did the navigating. I went ahead and held down the back seat. They did a great job. On the way to Rouissillon we stopped in Gordes, which was a really cute town for lunch. Then we made our way to our hotel. We had the cutest hotel with a great terrace. We had started making a habit of opening a bottle of wine and having a little happy hour every night. I liked this habit. In Roussillon we walked around the town, ate some great meals, did some shopping and relaxed a bit on our beautiful terrace. We also did two really fun things, we went on a hot air balloon ride, which I’ve never done before, and it was amazing! We had to get up super early and then we were up in the air as the sun was rising, it was gorgeous, we could see all kinds of lavender fields, small towns, castles from afar, the town of Roussillon, farmland and just being up there was amazing! Our balloon was beautiful and it was really cool to see them set it up and take it down. GORGEOUS! We were back at our hotel having breakfast by 9:00 or so and then we set off to walk through the Ochre Cliffs, which were right in Roussillon. It was really cool to hike around through them, it was this red sand looking dirt/earth and it looked amazing. I’m sure I took way too many pictures.

We left for Gorges du Verdon the next day. We had yet another amazing day. The drive itself was what we were going for and then they had found this hotel that was basically in the cliffs on the gorge, so it was going to be a great beautiful day…but, it got even better! We were trying to find our way to our hotel, and talking about how pretty it was everywhere we looked and as were a bit unsure of where to go, we decided to stop and have some lunch. We ended up stopping in the cutest town ever, and I realize I’ve said that a zillion times, but really, these towns were amazing! It was called Moustiers – ste- Marie, we stopped walked around, shopped a bit, took some pictures and ate a very good salad. Another picture perfect town and stop. We got back into our car and started driving and came around this corner and saw this amazing turquoise water lake, Lac de Sainte Croix, unbelievable. We stopped to take some pictures and as we were standing there decided we would go down and rent a paddle boat. We changed our clothes in the car, as Americans normally do, and headed out on the lake. It was SO perfect! After our stop for lunch and the lake, I really thought it couldn’t get any better. Then, we showed up at our hotel, and it did. The views from the hotel were out of this world! We took a few pictures, relaxed and then went and had some dinner overlooking the gorge. Another picture perfect day. The next morning I got up a bit early and hiked down to the bottom of the gorge, it was a pretty tricky hike, really rocky and involved some climbing of boulders, but it was beautiful once you got down there and made the canyon seem so huge! We then had some breakfast and were on the road again to return to Nice. We had decided we would stop in Cannes on the way back too. So, after a little confusion, we eventually made our way to Cannes for lunch and a walk along the Promenade. Cannes was a very interesting place, seemed a bit like Dubai on the coast, super fancy stores, everyone dressed in designer clothes, elaborate hotels, and very beautiful. We left Cannes and headed back to Nice, it was sad to be going back because it meant the trip was coming to an end, and it had been so fun! We had a really difficult time finding the car rental return place in Nice, but once we did, our hotel was literally right there.

Back in Nice… our hotel was SO great and in the perfect location, it was right in Place Massena and there was a huge Jazz Festival going on that we could listen to from our room. Our hotel room was the only one that had a little table and chairs area overlooking Place Massena. It was a gorgeous room and had the best shower of the trip, but the air conditioner was broken, so that was a bit of a challenge because it was HOT. My aunt had to leave the next day, so we picked a place to have our last dinner together. Sad. We did take the time to go find a set of three empty blue chairs on the Promenade and sit and look at the Mediterranean Sea one last time… it is so beautiful there! So Nancy left the next morning and my mom and I basically just lounged around Nice the rest of the time we had. We walked out to the lighthouse, did some shopping, went to the market, ate gelato, watched the Tour de France, ate some great meals. One of my favorite days of the trip was our beach day. We splurged and went to a beach club for the day and sat on our comfortable lounge chairs with umbrellas, had our cappuccinos delivered to us, walked down to the sea with the mats laid out so it was easier on our feet and then had our lunch brought to us too. Very relaxing. We thought about taking a bus to see another city, but in the end, were just as happy to stay around Nice. We went to a couple of really good dinners too, I love eating. One was this olive oil shop that also serves food and it was so good! Makes me want to drown all of my food in olive oil and the other one was this Lebanese place, also super delicious. It was really sad to say goodbye to my mom, and I had to laugh a little because our last meal together in France was a chocolate croissant and coffee and McDonalds Café while we waited for the airport bus to come. It was actually quite good.

Home Sweet Home

Now I am back in Vienna, it is pretty hard to believe that this trip to France is over. It was such a huge commitment to train for the ironman and then to have everyone decided to come and make a big trip out of it made it so special. I really could not have asked for any part of it to go any better than it did. And, really, I’m back in Vienna and happy to be here too. It was really good to get home and cook my own meals and see Steve and sort of get back into a normal routine. But, at the same time, I’m not sure what to do with my time now that I’m not training and I can’t quite figure out what to train for next? For me, there really isn’t anything bigger than an Ironman as far as races go?! I am loving the time off though and am not bored at all. I went to Dr. Falafel today for the first time in months, I’ve missed that place! I also finally made a pedicure appointment, managed to get my bike back together and had a personal training session at the gym that just about killed me. I am having a way harder time recovering from that then I did the Ironman. I am shuffling around and have to allow extra time to walk places because I am in so much pain, and it’s been 2 days! Ugh.

Next time I won’t wait so long to write, this is way too long.

Train. Train. Train.

Had a bit of a breakdown last night, I’ve had to work a few evening parent events the last couple weeks, last night being one of them, and it just throws everything off! Working 40 hours a week, training 20 hours a week, commuting almost 10 hours a week, it just doesn’t leave much room for anything “extra”. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done, even daily life is impossible to get to, stores not being open after 7:00 and not at all on Sundays really makes it hard. These are all things I knew when I started this training, but as the training hours increase and work gets busier, I am just getting tired of it, I think I’m on Week 24 and it seems like it will never end. At the same time, I don’t want the training to end because that means the race will be here. Scary.

Training was a little more fun this weekend because I ran with a girlfriend after work on Friday and then went out with a friend for a long, hilly ride on Saturday morning, it was great! I did almost throw a fit at the end, I was DONE, but still had another 35 minutes till I was home and then I was supposed to run for 45 minutes after the five hour ride. Fortunately I didn’t know this person well enough to get off my bike and storm around even though that was exactly what I felt like doing. It reminded me a bit of how I felt when I was hiking Kilimanjaro and our guide kept saying, only 5 more minutes, for like an hour, and at one point I just sat down and refused to take one more step, and when he said you are almost there I called him a liar and stayed sitting down. What was great is that when I finally did stand up and start to walk, the top was about 5 feet away. Guess he wasn’t a liar. Anyways, the ride and run was great, the Derby party was a lot of fun, managed to stay out till 1:30, that is the latest I can even remember being out. Also had about four glasses of wine and a mint julep, again, more than I think I had to drink the whole time in Mallorca practically! Then next day I slept in till 8:00, which is TOTALLY late for me and then did a 2:10 minute run, it was a new route and I loved it, but it was only supposed to be 2 hours and even though I cut through town, that last 10 minutes seemed like it was just about forever… I was going to go to this food/wine festival but the weather was a bit rainy and it felt great to just lounge around the house and do laundry, bake some cookies and relax.

So, I had a “rest” day yesterday and have figured out that I just can’t do it. I can’t start my day without some form of exercise, even if it’s just walking part way to work. It just throws me off. Yesterday my bus broke down, I ended up late to my Student Council Meeting, I ate terribly and had to work late. It was MISERABLE and I really think it started because I didn’t run or bike in the morning. So now, even on my days off I think I’ll do a short 15 minute run, just to get the day started right, I mean, I’m up anyways with the sun shining in. Or, maybe I just need curtains? Who knows. Today is much better, I had a great 95 minute ride up to Kahlenberg, so I got in some hills, it was beautiful and sunny and a great way to start the day. Work is fine and I just have to swim tonight after work. The weather isn’t supposed to be nice this weekend or next week. The idea of being on my trainer or at the gym on the bike for 5 hours is totally unappealing. Hopefully that will change… we’ll see I guess!

I am going over to a friend’s to work on a “Vision Board” this weekend. I’m not sure what my vision is at the moment. All I can see and think about at the moment is completing the Ironman. I still can’t believe I’m actually planning on doing it.

Update...

Training. It’s all I do. Really. Can’t seem to find the time to do much else! Well, that’s an exaggeration, surprising for me, exaggerate? Ha.

Let’s see, March and April were good and busy months, what did I do?
In March I went to Cirque de Solei, Mojo Blues, helped host Steph’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party and took my soccer girls out for a “reunion dinner” at TGIF’s, I hate to admit it, actually enjoyed the American food and atmosphere, if I was in the states, I would have hated it, but… while out of the country anything that reminds me of the U.S. of A, I LOVE! Work weeks fly by and the weekends are basically taken up with training.

April was a busy month, did an Olympic Distance “race” and felt really good afterwards, could I do it all three more times? Who knows. Went out to Bad Ischil to do a long ride with hills, had to get off my bike twice and walk it. I am terrified of the hills during the race in France, I am googling it and watching Youtube videos of the bike part, I really should stop doing that. So many of the things I read talk about how it is the longest climb, not necessarily steep, but hours long and 7.5 km per hour, I can run faster than that… and people that normally finish the bike portion in 6 hours are finishing a bit over 7, which means, experienced cyclists are adding over an hour to their times, what does that mean for the beginner????????? So many parts of me just wants the race to be OVER, but I have enjoyed the routine of the training and can’t imagine what I will do with all my free time when it is finally over! 53 days to go. Crazy. I also ran the Vienna Half Marathon, it felt good and was a really fun day, the weather was perfect so we just relaxed at the end and waited for our friends to finish the marathon and then went and grabbed some lunch at Charlie P’s. Steph, Anika and I went to Mallorca for our Spring Break. I just LOVE that I still get a break, not sure how I could cope with M.S. students without getting a break though! We rented a car and spent the first couple of days in Valldermosa, which is on the Eastern mountainy side of the island. We had lazy, long breakfasts in the mornings, then toured around some of the different towns, they were all so cute and the food and wine was delicious! We also found some great markets and shops. There were a few stores that I really wished were in Vienna because there were so many things I wanted to buy for my house, but I wouldn’t have been able to get it home. We then went up to the Northern part of the island, Puerto Alcudia and it was AWESOME! The place we stayed was great and the weather was hot and sunny. Laying by the pool and getting a tan was wonderful. Steph and I had coffee and croissants every morning at the same place and walked on the beach, rented bikes, ate delicious pardon peppers, paella, tapas and drank Rioja. What could be better! We also watched a few soccer matches and the Royal Wedding. I LOVE vacations. I also really enjoyed being part of the Spanish culture for a while, everyone was so friendly. When I got back it was part of our training schedule to do a half ironman. On what planet is it part of training to do a half ironman? Isn’t that enough to train for? Anyways, I did a “race” but it was swimming in a pool, indoor biking and then I ran the 13.1 miles outside. It actually felt really good, but I just CANNOT imagine doing twice as long for the distances and the hills, they just terrify me! It just takes SO long, I did half the distance and it was about 6 ½ hours. The idea of working out for over 15 hours seems insane. Oh, I also had a crazy anxiety attack. Steve and I were out having a coffee at Starbucks and when we came out I looked up and down Mariahilferstrasse and just freaked out. Nothing looked familiar and I knew where I was and didn’t know where I was all at once. It was awful. We sat down and I had some water, it was the weirdest thing. I ended up going back to Steve’s and just laying down for a bit, I never sleep during the day, but who knows. Hopefully it won’t happen again. According to an article in the NY Times, rats that exercise a lot it actually increases anxiety levels, maybe I’m part rat.

Oh, and I bought a new couch and somehow that makes me feel like I’ll end up staying a fourth year here. I have no idea why I think that. I’m also really considering buying a scooter. The fact that school is less than 10km from my house and I have to allow at least an hour to get here by public is just irritating. I can run faster but then would need to shower and change and all that. ANNOYING. Everyone says, oh, you’ll get used to the commute, read a book, listen to music, relax. Whatever. Two hours a day is too long to be wasted, I’ve got too many things I would rather do with my time. None of which involves standing on a corner waiting for the bus/tram and then getting on dirty public transportation… Vespa shopping soon…

This weekend training is a 5 hour ride and 1 hour run on Saturday and a 90 minute swim and a 2 hour run on Sunday. Doesn’t seem like I ever really get a break! Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo and I’m going to a friend’s house for fresh tortillas and margaritas, Friday is a run with a girlfriend, Saturday is a Kentucky Derby Party and Sunday there is a food festival that we went to last year that was fun, so it’s a really busy weekend!

Exercise. Eat. Work. Eat. Exercise. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

Well, that pretty much sums up my life.

Ha! I keep meaning to write, but get caught up doing who knows what! I decided to buy a ticket to Dubai at the last minute and flew down for a week long escape to the sun. It was very, very necessary! I saw good friends, did some beach camping in Oman, ate Carrot Cake at Lime Tree, went to the beach, kept up with my training and did an all you can... just couldn't resist! Didn't make it to Barasti, or any malls, but I did manage to get in a few massages, a pedicure, you know, the usual Dubai luxury treatments for free.

Life is pretty crazy, well actually, crazy isn't quite the right word. Training has completely changed my life. It is all that I do. I am asleep even earlier than usual, often before 9:00, training around 12 - 15 hours a week right now, it goes up to 20 at some point, I don't even know how it is humanly possible to work full time, commute over an hour a day, get the workouts in and still have some kind of life. The life part is pretty much non-existant. I have been so exhausted when my eyes blink they want to stay shut. Also, exercise used to give me energy and now I'm just super, super tired. It all sounds bad, but I actually am enjoying parts of it, but also miss having time to do other things. I also don't drink anymore, which is weird. I mean, I'll have a glass of wine every now and then, but that's it. Very strange, I think of everything in terms of training. I was laughing this weekend because I was on my trainer for 3 hours and then had to do a 30 minute run and was thinking on the run that I'm not sure how I'll managae the bike ride without a movie to watch or tv shows... I'm sure I'll work it out! I'm really looking forward to the week in Nice AFTER the race.

This weekend was nice, went and saw King's Speech, to a BBQ at a friend's house and then spent half of Sunday drinking a latte, then having a snack and then another coffee at Starbucks with Steve. NOTHING is open on Sundays, wasn't quite sure what to do with ourselves. And, it was my day off training... I've also been baking obsessively, I made up a recipe for double chocolate cookies and they were delicious, but I won't be able to recreate it I'm sure, oh well.

Now, back to work and counting down the days till our next break, we have a bit of a stretch. Some fun things coming up though, Cirque de Solei this weekend, Steph's birthday dinner the next weekend, and hopefully it will start to get sunny again soon...

Where does the time go?

Let’s see, I could probably sum up the last couple of weeks in about four words. Swim, bike, run, sleep. Seriously, it’s ALL I do! But, I’ll back up a bit…

Winter Break was great! I eventually made it home and spent most of the time with my family. I flew in/out of Seattle and did manage to make it home in time for Christmas, it was the first Christmas I’ve spent at home in four years. I loved watching my niece and nephews Christmas morning, they were just so excited! We also went to the beach house for about a week, which is always so relaxing. The weather was freezing, but we still managed to play outside, go on a hike and of course I had the opportunity to ref some soccer games between Ella and Gavin, they are so hilarious! Jess came to the beach for part of the time too. We all managed to relax, drink some NW wine and just hang out and do NOTHING. It was wonderful, not at all rushed like last summer when I was home.

I went into Portland for a few days, had a great visit with my dad, a few nights out with some friends, a nice lunch, some shopping and then dinner at my brother’s restaurant with family. I also spent some time with the family I used to work for, which is always one of the highlights of my trips home, I am constantly amazed at what a great family they are and how much fun the kids are to be around, they are growing up way too fast! I then went back up to Kristin’s for a couple days before it was time to come back to Vienna. It always seems WAY too short, never enough time to do all the things I want to do, or see all the people I wanted to see. On the last night I was there I spent some “special time” with Dane, Ella and Gavin. I think Ella pretty much summed it up when she said, there’s just so many things I want to show you and there’s never enough time. Tear.

I made it back to Vienna after an unplanned Spa Day in the Minneapolis Airport, my flight ended up being delayed by 10+ hours. Annoying. It was nice to have a few days back in Vienna before work started up again, but once it started, it’s just been ridiculously busy.

Triathlon training… unbelievable. I cannot believe what a time commitment it is! I am physically exhausted most of the time now.

The workouts vary; last week looked something like this:

Monday: Rest Day (I used to call it starvation Monday, but now LOVE it)
Tuesday: 60 minute run, 60 minute swim
Wednesday: 45 minute bike, quick transition to 20 minute run
Thursday: 60 minute bike, 60 minute swim
Friday: 60 minute run
Saturday: 2:45 bike
Sunday: 75 minute run

Needless to say, I’m not used to working out this much, it feels like a part time job added on to my life, but instead of earning extra money I am physically exhausting myself. I can’t count the number of days in the last few months I’ve put my feet up on the sofa at 7:30 after a day of running, working, rushing to the gym, eating dinner and just thought to myself WHAT AM I DOING?! This Sunday after my run, I was lying on the couch falling asleep while watching the Australian Open (Tennis) and the European Tour (Golf), I NEVER sleep during the day.

Oh, and this week is the last week of Phase 1, which is the Base Phase, now the real workout begins… seriously? I’m really not sure how I will possibly add that much more time to what I’m already doing.

Steve bought me a fancy new bike trainer for Christmas, which is already making a HUGE difference, I can now do the bike workouts in the morning and I watched a ton of TV while on the trainer for 2:45 this Saturday. 3 hours next Saturday will be real fun I’m sure… Next week also adds in another 1 hour swim and they also suggest 2days of week of strength training… really does seem impossible.

Let’s just hope it’s all worth it. I do have a Spa Day booked for this weekend that I’m looking forward to!