A New Year's Eve running adventure
I spent my Christmas holiday over in Deutschland, home of Adidas shoes, delicious baked breads, and dark beer. On New Year’s Eve, I was not where you might have expected. I was not cozy and warm at my German host’s house, nor was I embracing a New Year at a cheery Brauhaus. Instead, I was out running. It was the Kolner Silvester Lauf 10k race (Silvester means New Year’s Eve). I was still recovering from jetlag (Germany is six hours ahead of Tennessee time) and some sinus troubles, but I decided that I wanted to embrace the German running culture to the fullest. So, I paid my 20 euros for the sub-50 minute 10k race. There were four different race options: a 5k if you thought you were faster than 22 minutes; a separate 5k for those who expected slower than a 22 minute finishing time (i.e. those who wanted to have fun and enjoy their run); a 10k for the sub-50 minute runners; and a 10k for those who expected to take longer. The races were all run separately and did not begin until the previous race had finished.
I started near the back of the over 100 person lineup for the sub-50 minute 10k (I was far behind my girlfriend, Celine, who was also running). The gun fired, and I took off at a fast but manageable pace, bearing a big smile for all those taking photos on the sidelines. The course started on a track, took off into a park and then returned to the track and looped back to the park, three times. The first loop felt great, the second loop, after I hit a 5k distance started to hurt and I could feel my achy body demanding I slow down. As I began the third lap I saw the winner, almost lapping me, run through the finish at 30 minutes. I slowed down on the final lap until I was overcome by a side cramp and had to walk for a couple minutes. I was 2 km out at 43 minutes, so I geared up and braced against the pain to run out and finish at 47 minutes. Upon crossing the finish line, pylons immediately directed me into a single file line of sweaty steaming finishers. I was pale with pain from my cramp, breathing heavily, and desperately awaiting the water cup table. Expecting to quench my thirst with no more than some tap water, I was surprised to find opaque liquid in my cup. I quickly took a big gulp and almost gagged on the hot semi-sweet tea I had just swallowed. Suffering physically from the run and now mentally from the shock of drinking a hot, almost bitter tea, I followed the line of people to a food truck trailer, where I received a big, soft, warm and sugary pretzel. This was a delightful surprise after my tea, but still utterly disappointing when I realized the breadiness increased my thirst and that there was no water to be found at this track. Luckily Celine (who placed 1st for the women) spared me some water from her bottle.
I had survived the New Year’s Eve race. It was more than worth the experience, however, I still remain flustered by the remembrance of having tea and pretzels after racing. I wonder if there is something to be learned from this… maybe Terra should start giving out hot tea at races… I don’t know, but next time I will bring my own water and bananas to a German race.
Do you ever run on vacation? Terra Girls Episode 13
It's summertime and we want to know, do you ever run on your vacation? Tiff and Brittany share some of their tips -- as well as some vaca footage -- for making running a part of your next trip.
Running Around the World
Despite Covid restrictions, I managed to travel quite a lot the last two years. Every where I went, I added a run or two. I ran out west when I visited the Grand Canyon and Utah’s national parks, I ran at the beach, I ran all over Europe when I spent the month of July and December there, and I most recently ran in New York City while on a school trip.
For me, running has become an essential experience to any vacation or trip. In order to best experience the places I go, I want to get out and run through them. Sometimes running is even more convenient than other forms of transportation. For example, in January I was visiting Paris. I had taken the train there from Cologne, Germany and I was relying on the Parisian subway system to explore the sites around the city. While there, I really wanted to visit Versailles. Versailles is about six miles from where I was staying in the south of Paris. This was out of the subway zones that I had paid for (in other words, the metro was not an option). So, I decided to make a run to Versailles. I packed the only snacks I had, three snack size Haribo gummy bear packets, and headed out. I used my phone to direct my way there. I ran over the bridge on the way out of Paris, through old French neighborhoods, sometimes on clean walking paths, and sometimes on narrow and hilly streets. About six and a half miles in (my phone would only read in kilometers for some reason, so I’m approximating), I arrived at the Palace of Louis XIV. I ran up to Versailles, golden studded and absolutely massive. I jogged through the guarded gateway to the palace grounds, saying bonjour to the attendant. I stopped for a picture and then ran left of the central palace finding my way around back. I could not have imagined what awaited me. I cornered the palace and looked out at the gardens of Versailles, stretching far out to the horizon. The man-made rectangular lake took up the center of my view. I looked as far as I could, barely seeing the final edge of the lake, where I could see little black specks of people moving. I had already run seven miles, but I was on vacation, so I had to go farther. I ran on into the Palace gardens, going all the way to the end. There were lots of other walkers and bikers, even some other runners. The main path forms a cross shape around the gardens, however, there are numerous branches farther on and throughout the property. I looped the whole area, stopped to eat my gummy bears, and used one of the public restrooms. I headed back to Paris on the Ave. de Paris. I ran into my metro zone and then took public transport to my Parisian lodging. I had great weather for the run, and it was relatively easy to run through the city. I would highly recommend running in Versailles. The Palace grounds alone could give you a 10 mile run.
When I’m not thinking of Europe, however, my favorite place to run in the USA (so far) was in Arches National Park. I, also, ran there in the Winter. While you might think of running in a park as trail running, there were several good well trodden paths in Arches that are as easy as a road run. Nonetheless, the main road through Arches is also good to run on. I ran on both the Sand Dune Arch Trail and the Devil’s Garden Trail. These were beautiful paths with soft ground to run on. The only problem was that I wanted to stop and look at the nature every other minute. The Devil’s Garden Trail was longer and formed a loop, so I enjoyed it more. I ran it right at golden hour when the already red rocks appear to alight like fire.
Running is the best way to experience a new place. Whether I visit a beach, a mountain, or a metropolis, I try to get a run in.
