Finito!

All,

I have done it.  I have run the Amsterdam 1/2 Marathon.  I was nervous and by mile 11, pretty exhausted, but I made it none-the-less.  It overcast and windy, but it didn't rain on me and that's a big win.  I had great cheerleaders at the start, finish, and along the way (thanks again everyone!).   Here are the pics:

Me at the start line - this is easy!

Me at the almost-finish line - camera sensor activated! 

Me and Annie - due to stomach flu, running was a no-go for her :(

Team America!

I'm starting a collection of these puppies!

Thanks everyone for your support and readership of this blog.  You'll be happy to know I've already signed up for a 30km race in Italy in June 2013 along with another 1/2 marathon in NL in May 2013.  Gotta stay motivated and keep up the shape I've whipped myself into over the last 3 months.  For any of you out there considering a 1/2 marathon, if I could do it, anyone can.  I started this project not able to run 2 miles without wanting to die and being sore the next day.  But I persevered and so can you.

Lastly, a shout-out to my Amelia who inspired me to run in her memory and honor.  I couldn't have done it without her watching over me.

Liz

Little bro comes to town..

So, in my last post, I mentioned that I'd write about my little brother visiting Amsterdam.  If you're his facebook friend, or in his google+ circles, you should have seen his pictures.  If not, here's a brief summary:
 - Between two Iceland trips, David & Salua came to visit Amsterdam

- Salua hasn't been here before, so there was lots of tourist stuff to be done:  The Heineken brewery

 - Biking! Editors note: It is not recommended to bicycle and take pictures at the same time.  I was very worried for this lady's life and safety.

 - Drank the traditional drinks at Wynand Fockink in the traditional style

- Ate lots of great food.  Fun sibling time!

It was great to see them both.  I miss these guys!  Also, while they were here, I didn't stick to my schedule.  I ran only once.

David also ran his half marathon on Sunday.  He did it in 1:57, which is great and just under 9 minute miles.  Go bro!!

The running family,

Liz

One week to go!

I never thought I'd run as much in a lifetime as I have over the past year. 540km (335 miles) in a year and a week. But what started off as a few kms on the treadmills at the gym in an attempt to lose some weight has turned into a 20~30km per week hobby. I can't say I always enjoy it but somehow I've become a little... addicted to it? Yikes!

So Liz, Marc and I did the 16km Dam tot Dam Loop 3 weeks ago and I must say it was pretty tough. There were SOOOOOO many people and it was weird running along a completely unknown route. Still, I managed to complete it in 1:34:24 which I was pretty darn happy about. Jason and Andrey acted as our support crew / photographers and all in all it was a pretty cool experience.

Now we're staring down the barrel of this 1/2 marathon... One week from now us Dashing (Amster)Dames (and Marc) will be running from Amsterdam South all the way to the East, past the Amstel, then back past the Heineken museum, down through Vondelpark and back to the starting point. This is when we each find out what we're really made of :)

I went a bit mental over the last two weeks and bought myself new running socks (to try and fight against the damn blister on my big toe), a yoga mat (unrelated to running but still...), tracksuit pants, a long-sleeved running shirt, a wind / rain jacket and... a Liz-bot Batman Utility Running Belt (tm). I also ran 20.45km (12.7 miles) last Sunday to prove to myself for once and for all that I can actually run this 1/2 marathon. I guess we'll see how well I do and how good I feel after it on the day!

So fingers crossed for us all, I hope we all do fantastically! Even crossing the finish line will be a pretty mean feat on it's own :)

Less training, more traveling!

Hey all,

I need to apologize for being horrible about blogging.  I've been working a lot and slacking on training even more.  After the Dam-to-Dam race, I took several days off to recover from sore knees and ankles.  It's also been raining non-stop here.  After the days off I was off to Portugal for a conference and then to Munich for Oktoberfest, where I continued not to train.  Here are some pictures of how awesome Oktoberfest is - also had no idea it would be like a massive state fair with tons of rides and people.

 This is just part of the rows upon rows of amazing roast chicken.... so good!

And then the cool beer tents - each one is different and has different beer, so we visited a bunch - see three examples.  Note: If you're actually going to Oktoberfest, there's quite a system in place, please ask me or look it up - just showing up could lead to problems!

 More glimpses of the huge park at night

 Wen-dizzle having beer at an actual spinning carousel Beer Garden

 The pretzels are massive and amazing.  Here's a tip, bring your own mustard - they don't do it.

 Americans @ Oktoberfest!

This week, David and Salua visited, so I did a 4 mile and 8 mile run, but that's all. Details on that visit in the future.

With promises to be better about blogging,

Liz