When Jeremy and I were first planning our trip, I was in the midst of half marathon training. I ran four halfs last year, and generally felt super fit and in shape for the majority of the year (I was actually in the best shape of my life thanks to running and the Jenny Schatzle Program). I had all these daydreams about running multiple half marathons in Europe, and eventually running my first full marathon here too. I even registered for one (the Cork City Marathon) and got my parents to work it into their traveling plans so that they could be at the finish line with me on that special day. A couple months passed, I developed runner’s knee, and my parents decided they couldn’t fit Ireland into their trip. If I’m being honest, I had a feeling in the back of my mind that it wouldn’t happen. Marathon training is such a huge commitment, trying to do it while traveling the world might be too much to take on. But I’ve actually been running a good bit (considering), so my blog name and tagline is not a total lie. And I still plan on running a half marathon or two while we’re over here, it’s just a matter of which ones fit into our itinerary the best. I get butterflies all over again thinking about choosing which race will be my first full marathon (my hometown Santa Barbara Marathon? Napa? San Francisco? Los Angeles? ahhhh) and picturing myself crossing the finish line with my family waiting for me and cheering me on. I’m especially motivated after watching the Boston Marathon on my computer from Switzerland on Monday.
Running in the Swiss countryside.
For the first time in two years, I have no races on the horizon. I am not following a training plan, but merely running just to run (and to try to counteract at least a small portion of the amount of bread, cheese, and wine I’ve been stuffing my face with). It’s also a wonderful way to explore these towns and cities we’ve been visiting.
For safety purposes, I don’t run with earphones (which is very new for me), I carry my phone on me, and I tell Jeremy where I’m going and how long I’ll be gone. I try to map out my route beforehand, and luckily I have a really good sense of direction so I don’t get lost easily. But I usually do out-and-backs so that I can just follow the same way home.
I’ve noticed that I’m MUCH thirstier on my runs here, and I know it’s because of the change in eating habits we’ve had, and I just need to drink more water throughout the day. Jeremy and I had a very healthy diet back home and didn’t eat much salt, and all that changed when we started traveling. I also used to have my Lifefactory glass water bottle with me at all times, and would drink water all day without thinking about it. I find myself not wanting to drink a bunch for fear of not being able to find a bathroom while we’re out, or only finding one you have to pay for. I need to work on hydration, because getting dehydrated and feeling like I need water NOW two miles into a run where I don’t know where a water fountain is located, has not been fun.
Here are some running highlights so far!
Running in London (or, my first run abroad)
I tried not to be too hard on myself that I didn’t actually run until we got to London, but we had been walking so much up until then (6-10 miles a day), I thought that adding running to the mix might be a bit too much. I finally got out the door of our friend’s flat and ran to the local park, Peckham Rye, for a nice run. It actually wasn’t THAT nice, since the smog levels were so high, London officials were warning people about going outside. And my run didn’t feel great since it had been a few weeks since my last one, but hey, at least I got out there.
Pretty Peckham Rye.
I love seeing these public exercise centers over here.
Running in Kent (or, the one where I found a castle by accident)
My runs in Kent were a different story. The weather was great, the air was fresh and crisp, and my legs felt good. The thing is, I had to run on the roads that scared the crap out of me and Jeremy due to the speed at which cars were driving (read more about that here). I didn’t enjoy that aspect of it, but during one run, I saw a sign pointing to Chiddingstone Castle, and immediately turned down the road toward it. It took a couple miles to get there, but it was so fun to just run down the road and not know what to expect. I happened upon Chiddingstone, a really pretty Tudor one-street village that dates back to the 16th and 17 centuries, named after the Chiding Stone, which I also visited. I finally made it to the Chiddingstone Castle, and it was early morning and so beautiful, and I was the only one around. I had a Downton Abbey moment before turning around and heading back.
St. Mary’s Church in Chiddingstone, which dates back to the 13th century.
A cemetery near Chiddingstone.
Love those trees.
Entering the one-road village of Chiddingstone.
Chiddingstone Castle.
The Chiding Stone, where the village reportedly got its name.
The National Trust owns the village of Chiddingstone (except the castle and the church), and according to the Wikipedia page, it is “the most perfect surviving example of a Tudor village in the county.”
The fields and church near the house we were housesitting.
I love the English countryside.
I couldn’t get enough of these fields.
Symmetry at its finest.
Running in Zurich (or, my favorite run to date)
Zurich is a beautiful city (see my post on it here). The scenery is beautiful, the weather when we were there was perfect, its impeccably clean… I could go on. Jeremy sat by the lake while I ran around it for an hour, and I didn’t want to stop. I had a view of the lake pretty much the entire time, and I found some neat things along the way. When I got done with my six-mile out-and-back, I had such runner’s high that I didn’t want to stop. I ended up leaving Jeremy again and running, actually sprinting, the opposite direction for another mile. I just kept going faster and faster, dodging all the tourists, and feeling better and better with every step. It was one of the best feelings in the world, and reminded me why I love running so much.
The view from Quaibrücke.
Looking over Zurich Lake.
This drinking fountain was a sight for sore eyes.
Jean Tinguely’s idle machine sculpture.
If the water was a little warmer…
Running in Wünnewil-Flamatt (or, the one that turned into a trail run)
Going on a run in the countryside has its positives. There are less people, less cars, and beautiful scenery. But on the other hand, it’s a lot easier to get lost. My run through the countryside in Wünnewil-Flamatt, outside Bern, was not as easy as I was hoping it would be. The good people of Switzerland care about hikers and bikers, and there are little yellow signs all throughout the country pointing them in the right direction to get to neighboring towns or nice hiking trails. I tried to follow these signs from the Airbnb we were renting, but soon came across a closed road with huge cattle being led across it. I’m sure that hikers are meant to go around the crossing, but I’ve watched enough episodes of Locked Up Abroad to know to not risk breaking any rules. A few times during my run I had to turn around due to a sidewalk ending, and I saw no other runners the entire time. I got many stares from the townspeople, looking at me like I was an insane person. I found myself on a highway-type road with cars going really fast, but suddenly spotted that familiar yellow sign pointing to a trail. I braved crossing the highway, and starting trekking up the steep mountain. When I got to the top, there were dairy farms, pretty fields, a golf course, and a small village. Luckily the yellow signs continued, and I had to walk through some rocky terrain for fear of twisting my ankle, but I made it a good ways before deciding to turn around and head back.
Shortly before being made to turn around due to a cow crossing.
If it weren’t for those little yellow signs, I’d be living at some dairy farm among the cows by now.
The trail up the mountain (it was steeper than it looks here, I swear).
It continued…
Celebrated not getting lost in the countryside by popping the cap on this exclusive, probably vintage, red wine so expensive the convenience store simply named it ‘Red Wine’ and some Swiss cheese.
I haven’t been running enough to need to carb-load, but I’ve been doing it anyway. Bigtime.
Running in Geneva (or, the one where I felt like Maria von Trapp)
(dramatic reenactment)
Like I said, Switzerland cares about hikers/walkers/cyclists. Surrounding the house we were sitting outside Geneva, there were miles and miles of nice paths through beautiful fields, complete with horses, vineyards, and views of the Alps. It was pretty much a runner’s dream. There were no cars to worry about (my favorite), and all you had to do was watch out for people riding horses. Not to mention, everyone I passed gave me a huge smile and a friendly “Bonjour!” On one of my runs, I took a path going up a big hill covered in vineyards and got a really nice view of the valleys below. I got no less than three bugs in my eyes during my runs, but it’s the price you pay for running in the beautiful Swiss countryside.
View of Mont Blanc on the right from the top of the vineyard-covered hill.
Prepared for rain, but it never did.
The hills are alive…
An ominous scene.
Another view from the top.
If you look closely, you can see a horse with a rider at the top of the trail, where I ran at one point.
My new friend.
I’ve had such a good timing running through Europe, and I can’t wait to see where else I’ll get to explore!
Lily Runs the World 