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.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sunday, July 17, 2011
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!
Thursday, July 14, 2011
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.
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.
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