Firmenlauf

A week ago, I received an email from my company to let me know I was off the waiting list for the annual Munich firmenlauf (Company Run). I had signed up some time back in March and had planned to start running again around that time, as soon as I recovered from the lung infection that had plagued me most of February and March so I would be nice and fit in time for the run. For one reason or another, dominated by laziness I am sure, I never really got back into running form and even have struggled with any kind of fitness over the last months.

So when the email came with only one week's warning I was more than a bit concerned about how I was going to pull off a run with so little time to prepare. The only reason I didn't bail altogether is that the run is 'only' 6.5 km or just over 4 miles. Should be do-able.

Last weekend I dove right into training and mapped out a 6k route around my house. I decided just to alternate one day running and one day cycling, kept it up through the week and finished with an extra morning ride yesterday morning (the day of the race).

Monday and Tuesday were very painful days but it was only muscle pains, nothing deeper. I ran extremely slow all week as there was no point to worry about time for this race. I just wanted to be able to complete it. By Wednesday most of the aches and pains had subsided, I took my final long bike ride and felt as ready as I could be for the race on Thursday night.

The race started and finished at Olympiapark. I was not quite prepared for how massive the event was going to be. I met up with my colleagues and we changed into our shirts, got our race numbers and shoe chips for timing on and then headed over to the starting area.

There were roughly 30,000 people participating. A DJ was getting the crowd pumped up. We stood in groups depending on our estimated time for completion. Crowds of co-workers wandered past in groups of 10-20 in their matching team shirts. I felt like I was watching herds of animals crossing the great plains or schools of brightly colored fish darting in unison around a reef.

It was a hot night and the clouds were building up darker and darker as we waited to start. The first group (the real runners) went off and it was over 30 minutes before my group got to start. The first people had completed the race before we even started.

Just as I passed through the starting gate a few drops came down and before long lighting and thunder were crashing down, trees were blowing sideways and I was soaked to the bone. By then, there was no other point but to finish. Like cattle being chased down a chute we all kept racing along at our best pace through the storm. Some nice locals were outside under the umbrellas or on their balconies cheering and blowing leftover world cup vuvuzelas. I missed the marker for the 5th kilometer and just as I was wondering if the race would ever end I saw the marker 'only 300 meters more'.

We approached the Olympic Stadium in the dark and pouring rain broken only by flashes of lightning and claps of thunder and the squishing of soaked running shoes. The crowds of runners continued to pour into the bright stadium and everyone was waiting inside soaked, laughing and cheering for the ones who were just arriving. Sure we were slow as anything. But we made it!

I wandered home through the rain, soaked, raccoon eyed from mascara gone awry and looking forward to a nice hot shower to warm up and my warm bed to pass out in.

Posted from Munich

Sunday at the Hirschgarten

It was a rough night for team USA last night who were eliminated by Ghana (2-1) from the 2010 Football (Soccer) World Cup. I decided to go whole hog in supporting the team and got decked out in a white sundress, straw cowboy hat and 3' by 5' American flag. I showed up at the AugustinerKeller beer garden two and a half hours before the game and had to wait about an hour before any of my friends showed up.

(Tip for single ladies, show up at a beer garden along, in a summery dress and cowboy hat and big American flag on the night of the US-Ghana game and you will meet loads of people...maybe not all the people you would like to meet, but still.)

What can I say about the result? Well, it sure was a lot of fun supporting the American team through their four appearances in the World Cup. It's a little strange being such an underdog and having most serious football fans thinking of our team and our fans as the cute younger brothers, trying to imitate everything the big brother does.

Mr. Kilt was hosting a bachelor party in Munich for a good university friend of his and they joined us to cheer on the States (well, mostly). We drew quite a few looks - one bachelor dressed up in dirndl and long, curly-haired blond wig, 11 friends of the bachelor mainly all from Scotland causing general havoc at the beer garden, 4 actual Americans, and random other hangers-on from Ireland, Austria, and Sri Lanka.

After the game, I headed home, walking absent-mindedly down the street, wrapped up in my flag. Chants of OO-ES-AH could be heard in my wake, and a few people actually stopped me to say good game or they were sorry we lost.

The game whet my appetite for the England-Germany game today. I climbed on my bike after lunch and headed to the Hirschgarten to watch the game with a few friends and several thousand rabid German fans interspersed with an England fan or two, clinging to each other for support.

I felt sure Germany would win and was not disappointed. The atmosphere was amazing. Finally a hottish summer day, crowds of people cheering at the top of their lungs and rewarded with a win for their team.

Only a couple more weeks to ride the ups and downs of the World Cup. While it is not by any stretch my favorite sport, any sport that captures the world's attention like football does is sure to resonate with me. All they have to do is show scenes of painted up fans and celebrations from around the world and I immediately feel simultaneously excited and dewey-eyed. It would be extra sweet if Germany manages to win the whole thing!



Posted from Munich

My New Bike

I bought a bike this weekend! I've ridden it every day since but today was the full day ride/beer garden workout. She's perfect.








Posted from Munich

A New Cycling Fan is Born

Yesterday was a holiday in Germany and Switzerland and I joined in the German custom of taking the bridge day off today to make a four day weekend. Following the great hike on Sunday I was looking for something to do this weekend involving some physical activity combined with socializing so decided to join a group of about 20 on a short cycling tour from Munich to the town of Aying, lunch in a beer garden there and then the return trip to Munich. It was estimated to be a 2 hour ride out and back plus a couple of hours lunch, so it worked in perfectly with plans to join a BBQ last night.



I got up early because my first step was to find a bike. No, I do not own a bike after over 3 years in Europe because quite honestly I didn't think I liked biking. I signed up a week ago for the DeutscheBahn CallaBike program. 5 Euros to sign up, and a few cents a minute to rent up to a flat rate per day, week or month.



I took the Ubahn to a spot where the online map indicated quite a few were strewn about, dialed the phone number on the bike, received my pin code and off I went to the meeting point at the Deutsches Museum.

A few highlights of the day:
70 Kilometers (against plan of 35 km)
12 Hours Out and About
3 Beer Gardens
Lost and Found (more than once)
Two Breakdowns
A Thunderstorm
German Stares
Stunning Views
Many, Many Laughs

I am thinking about buying a used bike for as great as the DB bike and system were, something a bit more lightweight would be nicer. I think I will go for a used Dutch bike with a big basket.



Today I am letting my butt recover from all the hours in the seat. Ouchie!



Posted from Munich

Liechtenstein

Today I met up with and went hiking with 6 perfect strangers. Faced with another day alone in the apartment or getting out and doing something, I chose the latter.



It was a good choice! A bunch of characters with a lot of good stories and a beautiful day for an autumn hike. It was a relatively short one - 3.5 hours - but some nice views, some cute cows and at the end a nice beer and an apfelstrüdel.



I reached Liechtenstein by train, then bus, from Zurich and spotted the group introducing themselves to each other. Two Germans, two British, a Singaporean, a Danish - and me, an American.



The man who organized the trip works as a cult investigator for the Catholic church - that sparked quite some conversation. We were all laughing like crazy when he told his that when his group went to visit the scientologist celebrity center in LA, they were labeled as SPT's (Sources of Potential Trouble) on their badges.

There's not too much to say about Liechtenstein. It looks and feels like a small Swiss town. There was a big group of Japanese there who all wanted their passport stamped with Liechtenstein. Some sort of passport bingo.



The weather should be perfect again tomorrow and I am tempted to try another hike - but it's a much tougher one. Two of the group today were planning to go again tomorrow and were hoping I would join. Very, very tempting...
Then again, so is a lazy Sunday sunning at Zürich sidewalk cafe with a newspaper and coffee. Hmm....

Posted from Zürich

Julius Mayr Weg

The one shot M. took of me on the way up. After this all hands were needed to just hang on! The way down was the steep side.

Posted from Basel

UEFA 2008

We could feel it even in Singapore with 3 AM game times, it's football mania again!

I arrived back from Singapore on Monday afternoon and decided to spend the week in Munich to take a break from being on the road. I came back from Singapore feeling all topsy-turvy but that is for another post I have been struggling to write all week with unsatisfactory results.

Last night M. and I decided to venture out to watch the German quarterfinal against Portugal at the Hofbräuhaus Biergarten. The weather was perfect, the food and beer good and the game much fun to watch. I am starting to like this sport.

Here are some shots from the scene. Enjoy!








Posted from München

Winter can come!

The Red Sox have won!! And not a moment too soon. We made a repeat of our trip to Austria, this time to try out some new hiking gear and this is how it looked before (3 weeks ago) and after (yeterday).

Before the Red Sox were the 2007 World Series Champs:


After the Red Sox were the 2007 World Series Champs:


Posted from Basel

NASN

I just checked the schedule and NASN (the North American Sports Network) has the ALCS game 1 on live tonight at 1 AM. WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!

I won't be able to stay up due to pure exhaustion from work (in general) and a few too many rounds or red, red wine last night combined with an early flight home this morning (specifically) but our tv has a hard drive and I can record it. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow morning!! So nobody spill the beans!

Let's go Red Sox!!

Posted from Munich

Sunday Hiking

When people ask what I like about living in Europe, one of my first answers is always quality of life. Yesterday was a prime example. Wanderwegging in Austria by Achensee. We drank water straight off the mountain and basked in the sun after huffing and puffing our way up a 1000 meter climb.

M. and I are desperately out of shape though. By end of today neither of us could climb up or down stairs.























Posted from Basel

On the Eve of the Superbowl

On the eve of the Superbowl, our biggest American sporting event, I take pause to mention some of the sports that I was blissfully unaware of or that at least I didn't know anyone actually cared about before moving here. I was trying not to make any judgements, but what's the fun in that?

1. Handball. I think I had heard about this sport before but somehow had imagined it to be squash but using your hand as the racquet. Coincidentally, the World Championships were today and were held between Poland and Germany. I'll find out who won soon - we are watching it on taped delay since we were skiing all day. If you were to be half-watching (and of course I'm paying full attention), you might think there was a basketball game going on but the net is huge and they don't dribble.

2. Tour de France. What exactly is the target audience for a sport where the coverage consists of a camera trained for a month on the tight spandexed butts of many men cycling up and down the French countryside?

3. Field Hockey. I knew all about this one. High school and maybe college. Vicious girls in kilts who take pleasure at slashing at each others thighs and shins with a hard wooden stick and sneering at you with their mouthguard. After college there seems to be no market for this sport. Unless you are in Europe and select other countries around the world. Where men play this sport. Yes, MEN. I had two confusing conversations regarding hockey finals in India (they have ice there?) and a friend playing in the Netherlands in university before I realized they weren't talking ice hockey. I have not confirmed if they also wear the kilts.

4. Formula 1. A couple of hours of high pitched whining noises similar to a mosquito invasion in your ear. Once in awhile someone crashes. This seems to be the highlight. Sometimes they all make a nice weaving pattern when they have speed restrictions. The fun starts the day before the big race with the trials for pole position.

5. Ladies Speed Skating. From mustaches to monster thighs, these women scare me. I hope I never see one of them skating towards me in a dark alley. I wonder if they are really aliens.

6. Curling. I still don't know how it works or what the game even looks like. I just know that people sometimes have the urge to play this at the English Garden i Munich. But the signs clearly say it is verboten. And this is about all I know about curling.

7. Soccer. Who knew this World Cup thing was this big? Something for the World's Best that is not being played in America, predominantly by Americans? The party and the war paint made me nostalgic for College Gameday. Next time the games are in a country I live in I will definitely watch one or two.

8. Ski Jumping. As close as man comes to flying, but they need to put in a yellow line to show where first down is. I want to know when the guy is flying through the air where he needs to land to move into first place. Otherwise they can show one man jumping and then just skip to the end. And why don't women jump?

9. Biathlon. In this highly exciting sport, you watch people cross country ski carrying a gun on their back. I'm not sure for how long. They all look more or less the same and it seems to go on forever. Then when they are exhausted you oooh and aaah as they shoot at targets and hopefully hit them. Pop - ahhhh! - pop - ahhh! - pop - you get the picture. First competition was held at the Swedish-Norwegian border in 1767. The fan response was overwhelming.

10. Cricket. I only get one channel in English. Of that I only get a few minutes of sports. Of those few minutes, there is an abnormal fixation with cricket updates. Where are you, Baseball Tonight and Sports Center?!

So, for those of you getting ready for your Superbowl parties tonight (oh what I would give for some good wings and chili and a seven layer dip), M. and I were 2 of the 20 million viewers who just watched Germany win the WORLD HANDBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS. And for handball munchies, we had, well, nothing. But the commercials were great.

Posted from Munich