After seeing Shannon (a friend from Sacramento but someone I consider a mentor after she helped me prepare for Kilimanjaro and get through other life stuff) and settling in for the night, we woke up the next day, April 1, for a day out in Kathmandu to see a few cultural spots. It was actually Easter at home but that wasn’t being celebrated in this country. First we had a briefing on what was to come with the trek schedule. Then out with the group for a long but still very interesting day seeing beautiful stupas, cremation areas along the polluted Bagmati River, and we were blessed for a good trek by the sadhus.

A plane flying back to Kathmandu from Lukla. See that tiny runway?

Monday morning, April 2, we got packed up for our first day of trekking. We had to make sure our luggage was under 26 lbs for the flight and then off we went to the chaotic airport for our short 27 min flight to Lukla. I had read the Lukla airport was the “world’s most dangerous airport” so part of me was anxious, but once we were in the air I was so excited. The views were beautiful and we were about to embark on an incredible adventure. It was exhilarating. When we arrived to the very tiny airport, facing the mountain with a “welcome” sign ahead of us, it all became very clear we made it and this was the beginning of an 11 day journey.

Since you are likely not going to know or recognize the names of the towns we stopped in each night or know where they are, I’m not going to bore you with those details. I’ll include a map of the trail as this will give you a better idea of the route. What I will go into is how magical each day was. And some of the things I experienced trekking in the Himalayas, something I never thought of doing until it became an opportunity with Team in Training.

Every single day felt like a dream. Just pure awe and amazement as we trekked through these gigantic, picturesque and snowy mountains. Who knew I would fall in love with mountains? I’m a beach girl. It sounds so cliche, since I’m from California. I do love being outside, being active and being in the mountains, but the Himalayas were pretty stunning. The first couple days were warmer, green and lush. A gorgeous, crystal blue river flowed by us. I actually felt like I was hiking in California for a bit. We went across several suspensions bridges, one of them being about 2,500 ft high. You definitely don’t want to be afraid of heights for this. And so did donkeys and yak. Yes, these large animals carrying packs on their back also crossed these bridges. Some of the buildings and hotels or tea houses reminded me of chalets in Switzerland, Austria or those sort of countries. As we hiked further up the mountain, the landscape changed and so did the weather. Less trees and bushes. More clouds and cooler temps. Fluffy snowflakes. Then no trees and just rock, mountains and snow. It definitely was magical.

Each day we would hike to a tea house for lunch, fuel up on dal bhat or noodle soups, Sherpa stew or rice or whatever carb heavy items they had on the menu, then continue on to our tea house for the evening. Most every place had the same variations of foods. Some people got bored after a while. I just looked at it as fuel needed so it didn’t bother me. I just eat. We also had lots of tea…black tea, green tea, mint tea, ginger tea, ginger lemon tea, lemon tea, Sherpa tea…all kinds of tea.

Dinner – potatoes, veggies and egg

Breakfast – eggs, potatoes, toast, jam, muesli, and tea

Lunch – dal bhat

Typical tea house room set up…we had fake Chanel sheets this evening!

We hiked for several miles each day. It wasn’t as structured as Kilimanjaro was. What I mean by this was the guides weren’t telling us to slow down, “pole pole” or to keep the pace slow each day. So sometimes we hiked pretty briskly if it was flat. There were definitely times where we had long durations of inclines and it wasn’t necessarily easy, so we had to slow down. We also didn’t have vitals taken as routinely as we did in Kili. But we did casually use the oximeter for several days just to get an idea of our heart rates and oxygen.

We would go to bed around 7:30pm after a long day of hiking and eating dinner. It seems so early but we were tired. Dinner also consisted of the same types of items as lunches. More potatoes and eggs but pretty much the same carbs and veggies. Basically we were on an all veggie diet for 11 days.

Nope. This picture does not do it justice. But click the picture to get a clearer view of this. Also, that is the  moon at the top.

Going to bed early meant I always woke up early (like I do at home, except even earlier) and would itch to see a sunrise. Depending on where we were, it was difficult to see one. But on Day 6, I got up at 5:30am and knew I’d get to see a glimpse. Kelly got up as well and we stood out in the brisk snowy morning air and watched as the sun rose over the mountains and it was just a gorgeous sight. I couldn’t even capture it in pictures.

Panoramic view

On Day Two, I had a mini anxiety attack. There were plenty of donkeys and yaks carrying items up the hill and would pass us frequently. Well, actually, it was proper etiquette to let the animals pass you. This particular day there was a porter leading his donkeys and the one at the end of the line was moving slow and he kept hitting it. The noise of the stick hitting the animal was making me cringe. Then the donkey would make noise. I was having a hard time. Then a porter coming down the opposite direction pushed the donkey out of the way and it caused the donkey to fall to its knees. I lost it. Seeing the porter abusing the animal and then it falling and him still wanting the animal to push up the mountain, I just couldn’t handle it and took off. I couldn’t be behind them any longer, witnessing this treatment. So I bolted to get away from it. Kelly went with me and we marched ahead. I just couldn’t stop because I didn’t want the animals to catch up. So one of our guides went with the two of us and we headed off on our own. Later that evening, one of the other gals in our group told us that porter kept hitting the animal and it stopped moving. The animal collapsed. She even got mad at the man. He kept hitting it and it was bleeding. So one of our guides asked him to stop and feed the donkey and give it water. I am so glad I did not witness that. I was almost in tears as it was.

Porter carrying veggies

Our guides and porters were amazing. It was a much smaller group than the 40+ crew we had at Kili. We didn’t need all those people because we were staying in tea houses and didn’t need personal tents, food tents and bathroom tents set up each day. Everything was in each tea house. We had small rooms with a bed and blankets, some had private baths and some didn’t, and all the tea houses had a large dining area with a wood stove inside, that they used dried yak poop as fuel for the fire. It was all very simple. They also all required us to order our dinner an hour to two hours before it was served. With breakfast, we had to order the night before, right after dinner. It was almost like Groundhog Day each day…the same eating routine daily. The few porters we had carried our bags up the mountain each day and it was like a breeze for them. They each carried 3 large duffels. We also saw many porters each day carrying supplies, food, large pieces of furniture, mattresses, huge pieces of wood, heavy rebar, pretty much anything that needed to be taken up to tea houses or villages as well as all the way to Base Camp for the village there.

Namche

A point of interest was Namche Bazaar. We stayed here for 2 nights going up to acclimate and then 1 night coming back down. Namche has a salon, coffee shops, restaurants and bars. It’s a little town but has plenty for everyone to relax and do some shopping if they need literally anything for their trek. Wifi was a huge thing here too. You could get high speed internet for cheap. We also had the most delicious coffee drinks and pastries at the Sherpa Barista. On the way down, a few of us went to the Irish bar and had some shots and local beers to celebrate and, boy, does that altitude get to you! It also made us want to shop at the local Sherpa brand apparel store across the way. It was a great, silly night.

The morning of April 8, on our way to EBC

So you probably want to know how my body felt and acclimated to the altitude. With Kilimanjaro, I felt amazing the entire time. Never felt sick; no headaches…nothing. But I did take diamox the entire time. And we did hike slower. With this trip, the guides didn’t make it part of their daily routine to ask if we had taken it or give too much advice about it. They kind of left it up to us. So I decided to just not take it until I felt I needed it. I don’t like taking drugs in my normal life (I know, if you asked me in the 90′s, I’d have a different story), so I preferred not to take the diamox until I felt symptoms. It wasn’t until April 7th, Day 6, after lunch that I started to feel a little bit of pressure, if that’s what you want to call it, in the front of my head, but I toughed it out and hiked the rest of the way to the tea house in the cold and snow. I wasn’t sure if it was altitude related but I decided to take diamox the next morning, which was the day we were heading to Base Camp. By this time most everyone was already taking it and had symptoms already. I didn’t want to risk feeling super shitty, so I took it hoping I would feel better. Now, at this point I didn’t feel terrible. Maybe I was at 90-95%, but you never know what can happen in altitude and I didn’t want to find out. The next morning, we set out on our trek to EBC in the cold, snowy air. A lot of other groups were on their way as well. I was fine all morning til after lunch after we had noodle soup, well, they called it RaRa noodles with veggies. I thought maybe it was the soup, but honestly altitude can really screw with you. I was a little slower going from the Gorek Shep tea house to Base Camp, but made it. My stomach was feeling a little funky so I took my personal pictures, pics with the group, was as excited as I could be, and then I took off back to the tea house with John and Mark. All three of us were struggling with stomach issues. We thought it was the soup, since we all ate the same thing, but I’m sure it was just a symptom of being in altitude. I had to stop several times to use the rocks as a toilet (yeah, I know…gross, but what else are you going to do when you’re in the wilderness?). We made it back to the tea house and I was beat. The altitude can be nasty. I’m just glad I didn’t feel nauseous or have terrible headaches. I didn’t eat much that night for dinner, but I did snuggle up with a dog that was sitting next to me in the dining area. I literally laid down on top of him because I needed some dog lovins to make me feel better. A lady from Iceland next to me seemed grossed out when I laid on top of it and said “The dog is so dirty!” and I said “I’M dirty! Who cares?” I honestly didn’t care. I had been hiking without a shower for days and lying on top of a snuggly, friendly dog made me feel better.

That night was tough, not just for me, but for almost everyone. We had a hard time sleeping and our hearts were racing and I couldn’t catch my breath. I woke up several times to go to the bathroom and each time you go back to climb in bed, your heart is beating so fast. It’s kind of crazy. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I then had to prop up some balled up clothing behind my head so I could try sleeping straight up. By the next morning my appetite was coming back slowly and then we started our trek back down the mountain. Once you start hiking back down you almost immediately feel better.

A few tidbits -

Showers…so I never had a shower or washed my hair for 11 days. Wet wipes work great. You wear the same 2-3 outfits the entire time because you can’t bring much. Yeah, to do this type of adventure you have to be very ok with being semi-dirty and sweaty and not really ever being clean for several days.

Water: We were told to drink 3-4 liters of water each day. I tried very hard but probably only drank 2-3 liters, which included electrolytes. You can pay for bottled water along the way, which gets more expensive the further up the mountain you go, but I decided to use aqua tabs to purify water from the tap and it worked!

Bathrooms: Well, if you are squeamish about dirty, stinky bathrooms, you won’t like this. Most are not western toilets…just holes in the ground that you have to squat over. Some would make you want to gag, especially when you aren’t feeling good. And we had toilet paper and tissues on us at all times. Can’t leave “home” without those essentials!

Dogs: So. Many. Cute. Dogs. Seriously.

Honestly, if you like camping or don’t mind getting dirty, you will be fine on this type of adventure. It’s just a long camping trip.

Kilimanjaro Summit
19,341 feet
8 days
40 miles

Everest Base Camp
17,600 feet
11 days
70+ miles

Our group, guides, and a peek of Everest in the background

I probably would never have gone on this trip (or Kilimanjaro) without Team in Training. I mean, maybe at some point I would have done Kili, but EBC was never on my radar. Also, Embark was a great reason for me going on another trip with them. They’re such a great organization. I highly recommend them. www.embarkexplorationco.com

We were told “The mountain has magnetic power and energy” which now that I’m back and even while on the trek, I believe. I can’t really explain how incredible the trek and journey was. I will definitely hold it close to me for a long time. Even though I wasn’t feeling 100% when we reached EBC, it was still pretty amazing what we all did. Not only did we do this individually, but as a group, all 19 of us made it! And a lot of money was raised for Climb2Cure.

I learned a lot about myself on this journey. There’s a spiritual discovery that happens if you allow it. I feel like I am still amazed by the things I can accomplish. I didn’t earn a medal at the end of this trek, but I definitely took home much more. It’s a beautiful thing.

Clint and I bought a house together (crazy!), I ran a marathon in Tokyo, Japan(!), ran the Boston Marathon a second time (such a great time!), then ran the Boston to Big Sur Challenge six days later (I’m one of those crazies)…then started training for an ultra…then ran the Athens and Istanbul Marathons within a week of each other, and finished off with running the California International Marathon for the 8th year in a row. That was six marathons this year! Ummmm, crazy!

I met new running friends this year, became a USATF official, worked as an expo coordinator for the CIM (that local, hometown marathon of ours), and also helped coach the Runnin’ For Rhett organization’s half marathon training program in the fall. Yeah…a lot of running stuff. But as I get older, I realize more and more that passion is the key to happiness. Do the things you really love!

Aside from running, I got to hot air balloon twice(!) and see the Grand Canyon finally. BIG checks off the good ‘ol bucket list.

I wish for you all to do the things you love so you can find your happiness. I hope your 2016 is as great as my 2015 was. I really don’t know how I will ever be able to top it, but I do know there’s still lots out there for me to learn, discover and see in the world. I have plenty of other countries on my list of where I hope to run all over the world. I’m hoping to get more in next year. Peace!

Tokyo, Boston, Big Sur, Athens, Istanbul and CIM #2015bestsix

After I ran the Boston to Big Sur Challenge back in April I really didn’t think I’d run back-to-back marathons again. It definitely wasn’t easy and wasn’t something that I was keen on doing again. However, when the opportunity came to go to Greece for a “racecation” I was doing research and discovered that the Istanbul Marathon was the following weekend. This race was already on my bucket list so I HAD to do it if we were going to be traveling that far and had already talked about going to Turkey. So, here I was again, faced with back-to-back marathons, but I wasn’t stressed about it at all. I knew I wasn’t going to be running them for time or super fast, so I was pretty confident I’d be ok.

Athens Marathon

Carb loading with a gyro and greek salad

After having a super late carb up meal around 12:30am after Clint arrived in Athens and only two hours of sleep, I left a sleeping Clint to walk to the metro to get to the buses leaving for the city of Marathonas. The buses loaded up at the Parliament building in Syntagma Square and it was dark. I chatted with a Parisian and another American from the Bay Area on the bus, which made time pass quickly. The sun was rising and it was beautiful when we arrived. I dropped off my gear bag and headed for a porta pottie. In the meantime, runners were warming up on the track at the field we were at. I watched them go round and round. It was like watching a treadmill with lots of people. It just kept going and going. Not long after, we got in our corrals and we were asked to raise our right hands and a special pledge was read out load, although I couldn’t understand what they were saying. As it turned to 9am, the balloons were released and the corrals were off!

It was very exciting starting the race and running through Marathonas. I saw these very cool historical kilometer signs along the route designating the marathon course. Not long after we started I noticed spectators in the town passing out small branches of olive leaves to the runners as we passed by. An old woman handed one to me and I quickly figured out how I was going to hold it the entire race, hoping it would give me energy to finish. Many runners tucked them into their hydration belts or hats. I managed to slide mine behind my cell phone armband.

The weather was a lot warmer than I thought it was going to be. I had heard the hills were going to be tough but I hadn’t expected warm conditions. And coming off of being hungover the day before, I had a feeling the warm weather would affect me. I wasn’t concerned with my overall time so I tried to keep a slower pace, but I still struggled during part of it. It was pretty warm and humid, and my body doesn’t do well in these kind of elements.

This was a gradual hill…

I was told there would be hills, but didn’t think much of it. I’ve done Heartbreak Hill a few times, but these hills were tough. Long, gradual hills (they call them “gentle long hills”) for most of the middle of the race. The last 6 miles were downhill so I just had to get through the damn hills. I saw a lot of people walking and pulling off with cramps and even witnessed a girl projectile vomit. I felt bad for her and asked if she needed help. She said no as she threw up again…and again. I offered to get a medic which was nearby but she refused help.

The water stations were great and there were plenty, but I dislike when races give full water bottles. It’s such a waste. They also had lots of electrolytes and fruit along the way. Toward the end they even had cups of Coca Cola. I was so happy to have a cup of that sugary goodness. The bubbles were great as well.

There were periods of the course that had lots and lots of spectators yelling “Bravo! Bravo!” but there were definitely stretches with no spectators at all. I did my best to high five as many kids as I could as I ran by. There were quite a few security or police posted along the way as well. As we reached the end and started our way into the center of the city of Athens, the crowds got larger and larger. I looked around hoping to see an American flag or maybe even see Clint, even though I told him to be at the end. We had to designate a meetup spot since we couldn’t communicate by phone. As the crowds got larger and louder, I got more excited to run into the 1896 Panathenaikos Stadium.

The last mile was exciting! As I entered the stadium, I pulled out my phone and took video of the last moments. It was unreal. The stadium was so big and there were so many people in the stands. It was loud and amazing. I really don’t know how to describe it. I just looked around at everything trying to take it in.

The unfortunate thing was the volunteers or security, don’t really remember which, wouldn’t let us stop and take pics after we finished. They were just trying to get us through the lines and move us along. I snuck a few pics anyway and then made my way through the long lines to the gear check area, where I told Clint to meet me. Poor guy had waited an hour for me. But I was really glad to see him and he had made me an olive branch crown, which was so sweet. After I got my bearings and relaxed, I made him walk back into the stadium to see it. I wanted him to see how grand and amazing it was. This was history here and he needed to go in there.

We spent a little bit of time in the stands and watched some runners finish. It was so cool, but I knew I wanted to see the stadium empty of all these people at some point in our trip. After getting a few selfies, we walked to the Plaka area and had lunch and relaxed. It was so cool to see all the runners walking around in the area with their medals around their necks. Locals would ask if I ran the full marathon and were impressed. An employee at a boutique we stopped in asked me how I liked the race and I said it was amazing, especially running into the stadium, and then I started to choke up. She knew how special this race was.

This year’s race broke the record of having more than 43,000 total participants and came from 100 countries. 16,000 came to run the classic course (marathon only). Not only is this course the original course, but also the same course used in the 2004 Olympics.

Some of the cool things included in the registration fee: a 5-day transportation pass that could be used for any public transportation during my stay (which was so helpful!),  a cool messenger bag only for the out of town participants, a great Adidas participant shirt, a bad ass finisher medal, and the glory of following the footsteps of Pheidippides on this historic course. It’s a bucket list item for sure if you love running marathons. It wasn’t easy, but when is running a marathon ever easy??

We arrived into Istanbul on Friday afternoon. We had arranged with our airbandb host to meet a private driver at the airport and paid a little extra to have him drive us to the expo on the way into town. I had noticed that the expo was much closer to the airport than to where we were staying so it worked out much better to have him take us there first thing. We told the driver we would be quick and we ran in, grabbed my bib, my shirt and gear bag, and then found a person who spoke English to ask about the buses to get to the start. A lot of people in Turkey do not speak English, so thank goodness there was someone who could help out.

Clint also saw a wall of names and told me to look for my name. We also ran through the expo vendors looking for a kt tape vendor with no luck. I needed a small piece to cover where I had chafed under my sports bra at the Athens Marathon. Oh well, I’ll figure something out.

On race morning, we weren’t sure if Clint could go on the buses with us to the other side of the Bosphorus Bridge, but I wanted him to at least go with me to the bus pickup area to see me off. He was leaving the country the same morning and wouldn’t be around to see me finish so I needed him to be with me for part of it.

The bus pickup area was right next to the Hagia Sophia, which was quite beautiful at that time of morning. As we boarded the buses, I kissed Clint goodbye. I kinda teared up knowing I wasn’t going to see him for a couple days and he wouldn’t be at the finish to greet me, which was the first time I would be by myself after a race.

When we reached the other side of the bridge, we had a lot of time to wait until start time. It was a little windy and cool, but I knew it was going to get warmer. It was also another 9am start time for the marathon. I got rid of my gear bag right way, got in a porta pottie line, and just got in my corral. A lot of people crammed in this narrow area and were pushing and shoving, which was super annoying. I thought it was really interesting they let food vendors in this area. They roamed around the crowds of runners and had Turkish breads, bananas, water, tea and coffee. I’ve never seen anything like this.

I didn’t see any Americans in the corrals, or at least in the area I was in. But I did see a lot of excited and smelly Europeans. As we started the race, you could see the enormous bridge in front of us. It was quite an incredible site and as we ran over it so many people stopped to take pictures or selfies. It was probably the best part of the race.

Around mile 3 or so, I saw a man with an SF Giants hat. I asked if he was from the U.S. But he wasn’t. I think he was Italian but was very nice and wished me luck. I saw another lady wearing a tech shirt from a race in Pennsylvania so I asked if she was from the U.S. She was Polish, living in New Jersey, but in Turkey for work and just randomly decided to do the marathon. I think around Mile 8 I kinda just started running next to a guy that was running the same pace. We didn’t say anything to each other but just kept running together for like 5 miles. It was kind of nice to run with someone. Then he asked what my time goal was and I said I didn’t have one. He assumed I did because I was looking at my watch so he thought he’d keep me company. Turned out he was an Iraqi and British citizen and kind of lives all over. It was his first road race. He had done a couple marathons in the desert so this was different for him. He also said that his friend who was running just the 15k wanted to go out for drinks the night before and they ended up drinking too much, so he was having a hard time. Right after we had this conversation he said he was dropping back and I never saw him again. So much for my pacer.

A long portion of the race (about 20k of it) is just a straight out and back and was just boring and not that exciting. Barely any spectators and no music. It was kind of tough. But as I got closer to the finish, I just tried to hold on even though my legs were getting tired. The last mile was uphill. Lame! But as we entered the area of the finish line, the crowds were large and loud. That definitely helped me get through the end.

The finish area is in between the Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque area in Sultanahmet Square. After passing the finish line, they gave us bags of food and drinks and I immediately drank the orange juice they had given us. It was delicious! We had to filter through the small area and get through the crowd of spectators on the other side of the fencing. I just kept walking straight for my gear bag because I just wanted to take my shoes off and sit down. After I relaxed for a bit and changed my shirt, I finally gathered myself and walked to the nearest metro station only to find it was closed because of the race. Crap! So I had to walk to the bus station, which wasn’t close. I tried to suck it up and continued on through all the tourists and runners in my way. I was getting cranky and needed food. Thank god there was a protein bar in the goodie bag that we got at the finish line. Once I reached the bus station I noticed locals sitting at the stations so I went to the 99 bus stop and sat down. I waited and waited and I was kind of wondering what was taking so long. I asked the guy next to me if they always take so long and I thought he said yes, so I just waited. Then after like 45 minutes, I was over it. They clearly weren’t coming. So, I started walking in the direction of where my neighborhood was and thought maybe I should catch a cab. I asked like 4 taxis and they all turned me down. I was so annoyed. But then I figured out that I think they turned me down because it wasn’t worth their time or money to take me because it wasn’t far. It wasn’t far to them but it was far to me. But what they didn’t know was I didn’t care and would have paid them more to take me because I didn’t want to walk anymore! I was hungry and tired. So, 2 hours after I finished the race, I finally made it to my neighborhood and walked straight into a restaurant with my running clothes on and got something to eat. The guy probably thought I was crazy coming in with all my gear, wearing running clothes, saying I was starving. Oh man! It was good though! By the way, I also got strange looks on the street because I was still wearing my running shorts and I don’t think they are used to females wearing shorts, especially something that short.

After my delicious meal, I walked to our flat and showered, relaxed and ended up falling asleep and taking a 4 hour nap! I’ve never done that after a race, but I think all the walking after the race got to me. Plus, the bed was super comfy and warm. When I woke up I knew I didn’t want to waste my last evening in Istanbul doing nothing in my room, so I rallied and took a cab to Taksim Square and had a beer and dinner. It was like 11pm at this point, but it was pretty lively in the square. After a bit of walking around, I went back to the flat and snuggled back up in bed.

The best part of this race was the Bosphorus Bridge and being able to say I ran from Asia to Europe. This is the only race that crosses two continents and I think that’s really cool! I think this race has about 15,000 and the cutoff time is 5.5 hours, so no dawdlers allowed here. One thing I noticed that was not good was they didn’t have electrolytes at any water stations. Nothing! They did have some gu’s, bananas and apples though. And they used the small water bottles instead of the larger ones, which was less waste. There were not as many spectators at this race though. Pretty slim. But overall, it was a great experience and the sites at the beginning and end were great!

Greece

So I worked a lot over the past few months or so to catch up and make a bunch of extra money. It made me feel better to fill my tank up again with funds. During this time, Clint and I had talked about going on vacation and settled for a mini four day trip to San Diego at the end of this month, but that really wasn’t enough for me. Clint hasn’t spent enough time abroad so I really want him to see more (he missed out on Germany and Japan). There’s so much out there in the world! I was also waiting on him to figure out his vacation hours and what he had available. It’s been tricky because he had been transitioning to a new position over the past few months and he wasn’t sure. I kept hounding him asking about it almost daily. I’m sure he was annoyed.

Turkey

Well, finally, things all fell into place and we booked our trip to Greece and Turkey a few days ago! I’m so excited for this adventure. Not only are we going on this great trip together but I will be running the Athens and Istanbul Marathons, 7 days apart. I know, I said back in April that I would probably not do back to back marathons again after doing the Boston to Big Sur Challenge…I guess I lied! I realized I couldn’t go all the way to Turkey and NOT do this great marathon that crosses two continents during the race.

Now, I just keep up the training. I’ll be running these for fun and not for time. I just can’t wait to see the birthplace of the marathon and the stadium in Athens (see the course map below). There’s so much history in Athens and in all of Greece. And to cross this bridge during the Istanbul Marathon will be so cool (see below). This is the picture that I saw on Instagram months and months ago that inspired this race to be on my “list”. You cross from Asia to Europe on the Bosphorus Bridge.

Map of the Athens Marathon course

So, now we wait a few months and get ready for this great adventure. Glad I got my passport renewed!

I’ve learned a lot in my travels, so maybe this will keep you from making some mistakes I’ve made along the way.

1) Make a list of everything to bring: A list is super helpful and will keep you organized. I’m a huge list maker and this makes things a lot easier to check off as you are packing. Sometimes I start this list months in advance. I use the “Notes” section in my phone so I can add to it easily and it’s on me all the time when I remember something.

2) Accommodations near the finish or close to public transportation options like subway/metro: This is ideal because then you don’t have to go far after the race. After you’ve received your medal, water/drinks and goodies you want to locate your friends/family. Then you’ll be hungry. After all this time, who wants to travel super far for food or shower or your bed? I don’t.

3) Don’t worry about overpacking: With the inconsistent weather we have nowadays due to global warming (those experts say), it’s always good to bring all types of running gear with you. You never know when it’s going to be warm or when it’s going to be cold. It’s happened to me a couple times where it should have been cold and then it ended up warm and I wished I had worn a tank. Or I thought it would be a bit warmer, but it was drizzly and cold and I could have worn a long sleeve shirt to tear off mid-race. Just be prepared for anything.

4) Don’t forget your race gear: While this may seem obvious, I’ve heard of people forgetting their shoes (super important) or other items they need for raceday. Now, there usually is an expo with lots of vendors selling items that you could buy to replace that missing item, but after training in a pair of shoes that’s perfectly broken in and ready for race day, a new pair is not the most ideal. You really don’t want to run your race with any new apparel that could chafe or ride up on your body in a weird way.

5) Pack your race items in your carry on luggage: This is something I’m overly paranoid about. I never pack my race gear in my checked in luggage just in case it never makes it to my destination. I always carry it on me. Because if it does get lost, you don’t want to resort to having to buying all new gear (as mentioned in #4).

5) Bring snacks and food from home: Seriously, if you can bring snacks with you, you will be glad you did. When you travel to another country, you never know what they have at the corner store or grocery store. You may think they will have something similar to what you eat before a race, but you can’t guarantee that. Bring bagels, KIND bars, or whatever pre-race foods your body is used to. I bring a large zip lock bag full of treats just in case I’m hungry when I’m traveling, because we all know runners are hungry ALL the time. I will bring trail mix, almonds, KIND bars, protein bars, pretzels, and I always pack some packets of Emergen C.

7) Research your carb loading places before, if you can, or in the first day or two of your trip so you aren’t scrambling on the night before the race: Whether you like pasta or pizza or whatever it is you prefer the night before a race, do a little research on what restaurants will be in the area you are staying. You don’t want to travel too far from your accommodations, if you can help it, and you don’t necessarily want to go where everyone else is going. There will be long waits and who wants to wait to carb up? Not me! Doing the research ahead of time will definitely help.

9) Go to the Expo on the day it starts: If you can get to the Expo on the first day it starts, I suggest this for a couple reasons. One, you can get it over with early on in your trip and not have to stress about it right before race day. Two, if you go on the first day, there are generally less people to have to walk around. Three, if you are looking for merchandise to purchase from the vendors, there will be more sizes to choose from on the first day.

8) Stay off your feet, if you can, for most of the day (or at least half the day) on the day before the race: I know you’re on vacation too and want to sightsee, but you still need to stay disciplined. This will help with fatigue. You don’t want to tire out those legs the day before a race. This could make your legs feel tired on race day too. Keep those precious extremities rested and ready for a good race!

10) Safety pins: Bring some extras in your toiletry bag or somewhere in your belongings just in case you forget to pick up some at the Expo or THEY forget to give you some. You need to pin that badboy (your bib) to your shirt, so this is an important item to have handy. I’ve been to race expos where they didn’t have safety pins out and was scrambling later looking for extras.

11) Game plan for meeting friends or family at finish: With a race of 20,000-40,000 there is going to be chaos at the end of the race. If you can come up with a plan on where to meet (a coffee shop, a bar, a “family meeting area”) then you will be better off and feel less stressed at the end of the race. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming trying to get through all the masses when you just want to find a familiar person and you are hungry. Make it easy on yourself and your loved ones after the race. I’ve been in situations with no cell reception or I couldn’t find the person(s) I was looking for and it can make for a depressing couple hours.

12) HAVE FUN!!: Uh, duh!

I was prepared for cold, rainy weather. I packed arm warmers, gloves and expected a chilly start. Well, it was far from that. As I got ready in the morning, I checked the weather and it was already 60 degrees and cloudy so I knew this was going to be a warm one. The race also started at 9am so it’s a little later than I’m used to. I walked to the start area from the hotel and wasn’t cold at all. I actually wished I had worn a tank.

I ate my banana, Pure Protein bar (it was easy to pack in my luggage for race day food), and Chia Surge Energy Gel on the way to the start area. I immediately got in a crazy long line for the porta potties when I arrived. I also barely got out of the restroom before the gun went off. There were 14,600 people so it was a bit crazy.

As we started, my watch hadn’t picked up the GPS signal yet so I ran anyway hoping it would pick it up quickly thereafter. After about 1/3rd of a mile, it finally came on but I decided at that point I wasn’t going to worry about my time. I just wanted to enjoy it as best I could and just run. I also never turned on my music, which I believe is a first for me! I thought it would be better to just listen to the sounds around me.

The crowds were pretty amazing. There’s a reason they call it “the friendliest marathon in the world”. So loud and boisterous and cheering every single person on. The whole way I’d hear “well done lads!” or “brilliant!” as we ran by. They were passing out jellies (these would be Haribo gummies) and candies and making so much noise with clappers. Even runners were motivating other runners when they were walking.

My pace was much slower than normal but I tried not to focus on it and remind myself I was doing this race to experience running in Ireland. Time isn’t everything. Sometimes just the experience of it all is worth more than just a silly PR or “great time”. I found the course difficult which seemed odd since it was posted as being a flat course. There were some hills and there was wind as well. But the heat was making it really difficult for a lot of people. I saw a lot of folks pulling over to the side with cramps, tight muscles, and looking dehydrated. Several ambulances had to come through the course to get to runners. I even had to call for a medic for a runner that pulled off and was yelling in agony holding his hamstring.

I walked during parts and just said “it’s ok!” I noticed a lot of runners wearing orange bibs, like myself, were slower, walking and pulling over to the sides. An orange bib was the first corral of runners with an estimated 3:40-3:50 finish time. So generally these runners have a fairly fast pace. But not today. Many were behind, like I was.

As I passed the 3 or 4 announcing stations along the course, they called out my name and said I came all the way from the USA or the States or United States. That was kind of fun because there were not that many of us from the US running this race. Spectators would call out my name because it was on my bib, but others called out “Timex” because that was on the front of my shirt. I thought it was funny. I wasn’t sure if they thought that was my name (or last name) or knew it was a company.

I sprinted the last 1.5 miles. I was so ready to be finished and happy I was almost done. I rounded the last corner and I could hear on the speakers U2′s “Where The Streets Have No Name” which was too perfect of an ending. I kind of teared up.

My official time was 4:27. Not my best, not my worst. But I just let it be what it was. There’s always another race but there may never be another marathon in Dublin like this for me.

After a long walk from the finish line, I was having trouble finding Clint in the meeting area and my legs were tired so I kept sitting down. After about 20 minutes I got up, feeling really lonely, and looked to my left and I finally spotted him.

The one thing that’s always tough about running international races is I’m almost always running them by myself. There’s no one to start with or talk to during the race, nothing familiar. So I have to just soak in everything else around me and enjoy it as best as possible. I love hearing other accents and hearing people talking to each other. I just watch and observe things around me.

I found out after the race from other runners that the course was changed this year due to construction and this route change made it tougher for a lot of runners. Many runners ran slower times because of this, the warm weather, and the wind. We even heard on the local radio that the elites had a tough time too.

We walked around for a bit after the race looking for a pub to enjoy a beer and food. It was a bit of chaos in the immediate area around the finish, so we walked a little further and came upon a pub down an alley in the Temple Bar area. We had beers, fish and chips and lasagna. Delicious!

I am finding that the journeys I go on to run marathons in different countries are somewhat of a parallel to life. We find joy and passion in things and sometimes it takes the struggles and suffering to get to the good parts of life. I find that running marathons is exactly this. Sometimes they just suck royally to get to the finish line and sometimes they are just amazing and beautiful. Either way, it’s all part of life and what we do to be stronger and appreciate things more. I still feel really lucky that I have the means and get to run all over the world.

I read this the other day: “In a lot of ways, people think I’m kind of crazy. There’s a little bit of crazy in us all, though. If you’re going to line up for a marathon and call that your sport, you’re definitely a little messed up, but I get a weird satisfaction out of it.” – Lauren Klepplin (American long-distance runner)

“How did you pick this race?”, you ask. Well, here’s how: My boyfriend wanted to go on a celebratory “I kicked cancer’s ass” vacation before he goes back to work in March so we started brainstorming. Australia (flights are expensive, but we do have friends there that could accommodate us), Thailand (possibly…), Panama (he wants to surf), Costa Rica (I’ve been before but I could go again and he can surf), etc.

Looking forward to these in Costa Rica

While we started looking at different destinations, I was in the corner secretly surfing the internet for international races that I could participate in while we were on this vacation. I came across several all over the world. However, Bermuda, Bahamas, and Trinidad were all in January and were not too far from Panama and Costa Rica. But this caused a little debate. Clint got a little upset that all I wanted to do was run a marathon while we were supposed to be on a relaxing vacation. Yeah, maybe it’s a little selfish, but what the heck?!? I don’t want to go to an amazing country and NOT run an international marathon if I can help it. This is my life too and I want to experience these things while I can. Plus, it’s a great adventure for both of us. And I explained that it’s only four hours of my life (and his life) so it’s really not taking up too much time out of a 2.5 week trip. So, he slept on it. He woke up the next day and agreed. I told him, he could go hang on the beach and sip cocktails if he wants to while waiting for me. Surely, that sounds awesome, doesn’t it? That’s when I registered for the Trinidad & Tobago International Marathon – www.ttmarathon.com.

I’m officially signed up only paying $60 USD (super awesome deal!) and browsed the course map and emailed the race directors to get some information about water and electrolyte stops. I’ve looked at pictures of past year’s races and results. I wanted to see how many people from Trinidad race versus people from all over the world. It’s mostly people from Trinidad but I did see people from Europe and the US. I even came across an article about the top female to win this race seven years in a row, American marathoner Mary Akor, was banned from racing for two years because she tested positive for a prohibited substance. So maybe I have a chance at winning now! (I laugh out loud!)

Here’s the article:

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/TT-marathon-champ-Akor-gets-2-year-ban-236656641.html

But seriously, I saw that the Top 10 male and female winners get an award and after looking at last year’s winners and times, I may have a shot at making the Top 10. Its a pretty VERY small race, so this may be the only time in my life I will get an award. I guess we’ll see.

I haven’t been training a lot since I took three weeks off of running after my December 15th half marathon in Arizona. Well, I didn’t stop exercising all together. I did cycle and weight train and did lots of lunges and squats and abs almost everyday. I also started running again this week to get my legs used to it and get some mileage in. But I am not worried. I would rather have a rested body than an over-trained body. Plus, I am doing this race for fun, not time. I just want to enjoy it and soak it in. Sometimes when you run a race for time, you don’t (or at least I don’t) look around and enjoy the things going on around you like the other people running, spectators, or your surroundings. I want to immerse myself in this race, if at all possible.

And looking forward to seeing these in Trinidad

So, there you go. The secret’s out! We leave on Monday and will head to Costa Rica first then off to Trinidad. I can’t wait to see the course, the local people, and the island is only 50 miles in length x 37 miles wide, so this course is a good chunk of the island. Should be pretty interesting, oh, and warm. I will fill you all in when I return. I’m not planning on bringing the ‘ol laptop while I am away, so I will keep notes on my phone.

Now, I must start packing…

I feel really grateful for many things in my life. I am grateful for my boyfriend and his cancer journey coming to a positive end being cancer free. I also feel very lucky that I get to do a lot of things I love, like running and traveling.

And I realized I did a lot of traveling this year. I went to Los Angeles a few times to hang out with friends and also run a race, and I went to Boston, San Francisco, Germany, and Arizona. I ran in all these great places! I was inspired by so many things to run races in these amazing cities, states and countries. While thinking about all my journeys this year, I decided to count miles. Not just the miles I ran, but miles I traveled to races and back, and miles I raced. I came up with a LOT of miles! The ratios are ridiculous…

Check this out -

I traveled a total of about 19,000 miles.

I trained about 1,450-1,500 miles.

And that was to race ONLY 131 miles.

So, maybe I’m a little crazy. Or a LOT crazy! I was even called a “maniac” by a coach/friend of mine.

While we are on the subject of my craziness and traveling, I finally registered for a race in 2014 and it’s a surprise for now. I’ll keep you posted very soon as to my whereabouts and my next adventure!

I am excited about 2014. Clint has finally realized the importance of traveling and is ready for it. He missed out on a lot of adventures I have been on without him. He always had a reason he couldn’t go with me -  mostly money or work related. But after going through a life threatening disease, he is now ready to not worry so much about those things (“life is too short”) and not miss out on great adventures. This is really exciting to me! Oh, the places we’ll go!

Happy New Year to you all! May 2014 bring lots of fun, laughter, good health, and plenty of running!

“You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go!