More From the Alps...

Kristin continues here journey through the Alps...here is more of her story...

In this case, the sheep weren't kept off of the path, and, well, you can see what one had to ride through...My bike looks surprisingly clean (but it does not smell clean!!!), because this is at about mile 190 of the 213-mile trip... I'm in Greetsiel, which is a seaside town. This is what the dike looked like: on the far left, the paved bike path/maintenance route, then the ridge (and a gate, behind which sheep were at pasture). On the far right, the darker green is actually land that the Germans are building into the sea. It's sort of a marshy plain, and will eventually become additional pasture land. To the right of it is the water of the North Sea. I was excited to see my trip log hit 300 km, so I took this photo while going about 18mph. Sort of cool, huh?!! I went 344 km total= 213 miles....

3SF Athlete in the Alps

Kristin Kopp is touring the Alps right now...here is a most recent report from her...enjoy!

This past weekend, I rode 100+ miles on Saturday and Sunday. Roughly, if you look at a map of Germany, I rode from Oldenburg to Wilhelmshaven the first day, and from Wilhelmshaven to Emden the second day (took the train back to Oldenburg). This is all in the most northwest corner of Germany, along the coast of the North Sea. It was beautiful and amazing! My biggest problem was a knee issue - I made the brilliant decision of taking my new shoes (that I mounted the cleat on myself just moments before leaving...), and had luck with one foot (no problems at all), and worse luck with the other (but I kept adjusting the cleat until the pain went away - at least, I think that it is fixed, but I won't know until I ride for a long time again).

Anyway, this bike route is well-marked and goes along the dike on the North Sea. They have built a dike that goes along the whole coast, a sort of ridge that is man made. There is always some kind of path on top of the ridge, and usually, there is a road on the land side, and sometimes, there is also one right along the coast. The thing is, they double task: the dike land is used as pasture land for sheep and cows, and the bike paths/dike maintenance roads run right through the middle of the pasture land. You basically open a gate on one end of a farmer's plot, and close it behind you, then you ride through his field, and then open the gate to the next guy's field. This means that you are riding in the "cage" right alongside the animals - and right through their dung. Pretty cute on the one hand, pretty stinky on the other. My bike is now covered in manure, and smells pretty badly....all for now

Remember Why We Run...

This past weekend, I had the fortunate experience to be a pacer for the Hospital Hill 1/2 Marathon in KC, MO. Over the years I have done more training miles and races than I wish to remember. I have had great races and races I would rather forget. But this past Saturday I was reminded as to why I run. As myself and my pacer partner set the tone for the 1:40 runners I realized the goals others had...the achievement they wanted to accomplish, and I was humbled by the fact that I was the one who would help them accomplish this goal. During the course of the 13.1miles our group became smaller, but more compact. We pulled together, tightened up pace and pushed through fatigue. After crossing the FL, numerous runners said "thanks" and "good job." Honestly, this day goes down in my book as one of my BEST days. The friends I made over the run, the goal we all accomplished together, and the realization that we were stronger as a group verses going at it alone helped me remember as to why I began running in the first place.

Running produces life lessons...having a "pace group" is a blessing when things get hard...it teaches you that patients in the beginning and persistence in the end will help you find your best results and that along the way you can meet others who will help you achieve your goals. So in part this is why I run...not for glory or for my next PR, but for contentment...in some strange metaphorical sense it helps me remember my place in life and it reminds me to be humble and enjoy the journey more than the outcome. This is why I run...

Back to Blogging!

OK...so I am a "blog slacker." But believe me, it is not b/c I am just sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Many exciting things have been happening. We have 6 kids clinics this summer and will be headed to Des Moines, IA for the clinic in June. See the 3SF website for details on the clinics. We held our 1st summer group WO in May, had athletes racing early IMs this year, plus my family is moving so we are trying to sell a house, buy a house and move...so there is my lame excuse as to why there has been no blogging since December...but I hope as my family gets settled down I can become a faithful blogger. It is just so hard...what to do with my free time...blog or swim, bike, run?? Hmmm...that one I think most of you already know the answer!