The Sky Parties At Night

Just as everyone goes to bed at night, the aurora comes out to play. Some nights it's just a shy green band across the sky. Others it's mad chaos of swirls. Last night, it was one of those nights where you could hear them move.

It sounds like wind, but with just a little bit more of a hiss. I finally figured out how to use Konnie and her manual focus in the dark. The car is still in the shop getting tuned up for the AlCan, so I had to settle for my light-polluted neighborhood for photographing.

I stood between the motion detecting lights, my fuzzy slippers crunching the frosty grass....and captured these shots :









Note the two brighter stars in most of the shots? Those are planets Jupiter and Uranus. Jupiter is the red spot and Uranus is blue. They were also visible a few in photos on my previous aurora post.

Ladies' Night In

Since I don't drink at all when I marathon train, I couldn't have my usual birthday party. Matt was working midnights, so it seemed like the best time to schedule a girls' sleepover. We painted our nails, ate junk, and had facials. It was awesome. I love my friends!!

Summer to Winter....

....in just a few days. That's how it happens in Fairbanks. Our warm fall weather disappeared overnight, thankfully after the marathon, on Tuesday. Strong winds (for FBX) of 20-30 mph blew the ridge of warm air out and replaced it with more typical September temperatures : highs in the 40s.

Today was just as windy as I set out for my first, post-marathon long run. It was hard. I've been trying to decide if it's the old cold from last week or a new one that is getting me down this week.

Before I knew what I was doing, I agreed to running it on the Equinox Marathon trail. Pace from race morning six days ago taunted me with it's tongue stuck out : "HAHA no coffee today! let's see you run fast now! Mwahaha" Totally couldn't do it. I finished my windy, hilly, yucky trail run with really terrible chest pains. After my lungs rewarmed, it seemed to go away. But they scared me pretty well. I never dress warm enough heading into cold weather...maybe I need to run a little easier or with a face mask. The cold always sneaks up to me. For how terrible I thought it was, I averaged a 10:00/mi, funny how that feels slow now.

Matt and I also got the estimate for our car repairs : $1,500. So much for a cheap tuneup before the AlCan. We did know that we had some strange sounds coming from the wheels, so we have to have clips on the front and wheel bearings on the back replaced. Tires are also needed, but not factored into this estimate. BOO!!!! Why couldn't I have married a mechanic? ;)

Angel Rocks

Three days after the Equinox Marathon, and one day after my birthday, Matt and I decided that a soak in the hot springs would feel fantastic. We went for another recovery run, which happened to end up being at a near-usual pace. Then we had lunch and headed out to the hot springs. Just over partway there, we decided to hike Angel Rocks. Not easy to do on a set of stiff legs, but we did anyways.

It was a beautiful day. Sunshine everywhere. As we marveled at how beautiful it all looked with sun hitting the golden leaves, I realized that I had been on the hot springs road in every season except the fall. It was gorgeous. We met this guy on the road. Konnie got to see her first moose. He just munched on leaves, while I stood about 10 feet away from him.



Gosh I love sunshine. The Chena River does too!!! :)



This is the slowest, most difficult hike I have ever done. I blame the marathon entirely. It was nice to take a really slow pace and enjoy the scenery. I have done this hike in the spring, muddy as hell, in the summer, with swarms of mosquitoes nipping at my heels, and in winter, slogging through 10" of powdery snow. Today's hike was more about reflecting on this chapter of our lives, and learning just what my new camera can do.



I especially love the advantage the bigger sensor has over my point-and-shoot camera.



It's interesting to think of our time here in Alaska in a yearly cycle of life and death. Upon our arrival, everything was starting to thaw, new life blossoming all around us--the door of new possibilities, and new adventures, opens. Now as we pack up to leave-- the grass dies, leaves blow off the trees and fade--the door closes on this chapter.



As we reached the top, the views got more spectacular. Even though I had seen them many times before, it all looked new. The ground looked like a patchwork quilt of green and gold (go pack go!!) as the luminous birch and aspen trees mixed with the spruce.



We descended after a sore spot on my IT band became too much to handle. If we weren't running another marathon soon and I could drag out recovery by hiking and pushing myself, I would have. But we dive right back into long runs this weekend, so hurry legs! get better soon!



As I looked back at Angel Rocks, the first of my "last time doing XXX" had begun. The last two weeks will be full of "lasts". Hopefully I will return to visit Fairbanks again someday. I really love it.



To new adventures!

Twenty Six

Today is my twenty-sixth birthday. Every year I take a picture with Matt. This will be our last Alaska one. With the patio and the golden birch tree behind us. It was taken with my new birthday present though, I'm very happy with that!



It seems like my life just keeps getting better and better as the years go on. I hope this trend continues.... :)

Matt and I went for our first post-marathon run. Three miles, slow, and walked a little bit. Some regimens believe that one should rest an entire week after a marathon and not attempt running until the full seven days has passed. I like to go out a couple days afterward and work the kinks out. Makes the rest of those seven days feel sooooo much better. I'm surprised at how fast I recover after long races these days. I used to hobble around for days, only dreaming of running. Or try to run, and then fail because of how stiff my legs were. Now they seem to be holding up to the beatings. That's good news....since I may find a January marathon, just because I won't have to stop running. Being an addict is so much fun.

Equinox Marathon

The Equinox Marathon is a big deal here in Fairbanks, even for the non-runner. It signals the official end of summer. The weather on Saturday, race day, was all but the end of summer. It started off at 30F and reached 60F by the time I finished. Perfect marathon weather. :)

My body decided to hit me HARD the week leading up to the race. I had a bad cold and was in the coughing stage for race day. I got my period, which usually leaves me feeling really run down, AND I only slept four hours the night before the race. All those things considered, plus the recommendation on the entry form to add 30 min to your finish time because of difficulty, I was hoping to break five hours. It would be a miracle, I thought race morning.

Again with my magic elixir of coffee and Lucky Charms, I was almost twitching at the starting line. The first six miles of the course were extremely crowded, 400 full marathoners and 80 relay racers pushing each other out of the way to pass on the single track lane. There was one man that kept passing Matt and I on the downhills and then walking on even the tiniest of uphills. He passed me each time with a swift elbow to my side. I gingerly passed him back, with an "on your right". Eventually others finally got the hang of passing people politely with a warning, but dumb elbow guy did not. We eventually lost his sorry ass on a long uphill at mile 6. THANK GOD. I might have slugged him otherwise. How rude.

At mile 9, at the base of Ester Dome, I had to walk a little. Matt said he'd leave me when I walked, so he took off ahead. I managed to stay within sight of him for a mile or so, but eventually he disappeared. The steep uphill had EVERYONE walking. Chatter of racers stopped. Only silence. And panting. Other than this, I remember nothing of Ester Dome. Someone could've carried me, for all I remember. At the top, my happiness was quickly deflated as I descended the out-and-back part. I found Matt, whom looked to be only 15 min ahead of me on that part. He gave me a high-five and I kept running. At the bottom of the out-and-back, there were cookies. My cookie was too dry and I choked down about half of it before I gave up. Breathing as I walked back up the hill, or eating the cookie. I opted to breathe.

Below Alder Chute at mile 18, the Birch forest path had a bit of light wind. Golden leaves swirled all around and the sky illuminated them like heavenly gold. It was beautiful. The downhill to mile 21 was a blur too. I remember wanting some more water, but that's mostly it. I don't know if it was the caffeine or my sinus headache, but I hardly noticed any discomfort at all like I had in training. By mile 25, the final uphill, I walked. All others did too. I cruised down the hill to mile 26 at an 8:00/mi....I could smell the finish. The course had been rerouted because of construction and at mile 26.15, we were forced to climb partway up the beginning hill and then go down to the finish. CRUEL. The crowd at the finish line watched me slow to a walk. One man near me said, "almost there, don't give up"...so I didn't. Just as I hit the high point, I turned, ran and felt a little more energy swell up inside, and I ran. Finished in 4:36, just two minutes shy of a new PR.



24 of 209 overall
9 of 48 age group



In general marathon terms, that's SLOW. But with this one and it's 11,275ft of elevation change, I think I'm most proud of my performance in this race than any other. It also means that I'm going to go for a 4:00 marathon in November, just to see what happens. :)



Matt's race went well, too...sort of. Just after he saw me, he took a dive and scratched up his face, knees, and elbows. Dried blood crusted on his eyelid and scratched up his sunglasses. He also wore holes in his running tights. He managed to limp it off and still finish in 4:08.



Welcome Fall! :)

Aurora

On September 15, we got a wonderfully clear night complete with northern lights displays in every direction. These are all Matt's shots. I am getting a camera for my birthday on Monday and Matt let me try the camera out. As it turns out, it's hard to learn how to use a new camera and all it's features while standing outside in the dark without a tripod, fumbling for buttons you can't find. My pictures didn't end up as much more than a green blur. His, on the other hand, are fantastic :

Reality

Yesterday, moving became more than just a fun idea for me. Up to this point, when I told someone about our move, they mentioned it being fun and a big adventure. Last night, I had to tell my band friends. It wasn't the same excited response. Everyone was sad. The director even got glossy eyed when I told her. The first half of rehearsal, I couldn't focus. One wrong note after another. Part of it was the congested headache that I had from the cold and the other part was thoughts of leaving. I couldn't stay. I had to leave. So at break, I couldn't take it anymore. I felt like I was going to puke. I packed up my stuff and went home. I told everyone I didn't feel well. When I got to the car, tears flooded my eyes. I got home, Matt was doing dishes. I didn't say anything, only cried in his arms. He asked what was wrong, I couldn't find the words. After a long time, I finally told him I didn't want to leave Alaska. He thought that something had happened to my saxophone, that was why I was home early and crying in his arms. No.

Ever since we found out that we were moving, I've been completely mixed on my feelings of leaving. Of all the places I have lived, this is the only one that I've called home. I've become Alaskan. I like the people here. I like that they are quirky, outdoorsy, and embrace the 40 below, not run from it. Being outdoors in the winter is necessary to surviving the dark winters, but also a badge of courage. One that I wore proudly. One that got me out the door at 45 below. When people ask where I'm from, I don't say "I live in Alaska and am originally from (insert childhood hometown here)" like most of my friends do. I say, "I'm Alaskan." Will I feel comfortable saying that when I move to California? That sounds so foreign.

With the high turnover rate at the Alaska offices in Juneau, Anchorage, and Fairbanks, we will have opportunity to move back to Alaska within a few years if that is what we truly want to do. Will anywhere be as good as Alaska? I sure hope so.
My favorite running route is on a bike path that winds around, connecting neighborhoods, from right outside my door. It never comes in contact with heavy traffic. I will miss you :


Fairbanks better stop looking like this or Matt will have to tie me up to get me in the car :




The bottom better drop out, like 20 below, or I might not leave....

Well, I’ve got a strange mix of a cold and jet lag that has me glued to the couch for most of the day, frantically trying to squeeze as much recovery time before the marathon as possible.

I finally have a plan for the Equinox Marathon. Walk 5 miles up Ester Dome (at 17:00/mi). That means I need to run an average of 8:47/mi to PR. And I think I’m crazy enough to go for it. I will still be happy with a slower time, but I’m going to aim high.:)

I’m chilling on the couch with the laptop, watching the Pack, and back blogging. They are dated as written, not as added to the blog. So look back about a week to get them all.

Homeward Bound

Up at 3:30am, only four hours in bed—I slept only about 30 minutes because of the uncomfortable bed. ANOTHER day of Decaf coffee.  All our hotels served only decaf. Do I have to ask specifically for strong coffee? Four groggy hours in Frankfurt dragged by. Matt and I were happy to be flying on a long trip home. Surely, we’d sleep a bunch to readjust back to Alaska time. Our plane was only half full, so Matt and I spread across three seats, and later, five. Total victory for flying at the end of summertime!
Matt and I had plenty of time to plan errands for the next month. Disconnecting this, canceling that. Cleaning. Gonna be busy!

Airport Adventure

Matt and I started our day with another run. I really enjoy running in the morning. The sun is just coming up, bathing the world in soft light. Dew still clings in the air as it burns off the grass. Everything is quiet.



We got lost. At one point, with Matt navigating, I said, “There’s a sign for the Hauptbahnhof( near our hotel). We should go that way!” He replied, “No, that sign must be wrong. My instinct says that (other direction) way!” “ummm…okay.” After another half mile in the wrong direction, he finally realized his error and we ended up at the hotel with nearly one mile more than planned. Whoops!:P
We focused our day on visiting the Aldstadt, Residenz, and shopping. Instead of buying useless trinkets that I’ll throw away in ten years, that sit on the shelf until then, I prefer to buy useful things. I bought a cute scarf, ballet, flats and some chocolate. It is more fun thinking of my trip when I wear something from there than having one more thing on a shelf to collect dust.
We decided to stay at a hotel near the airport due to Matt’s and my early flight the next morning. Somehow, we got on a shuttle to the wrong hotel. When we were waiting at the wrong hotel, our shuttle driver zoomed up, hitting a car with the passenger side mirror. When she stopped, she jumped out and readjusted the mirror, came up to us like nothing happened. We got in, making sure to use a snug seat belt. Not two minutes later, she hit another car. She mumbled something about not being used to driving a vehicle that size in German. I thought she’d get out and fix the mirror, but she did not. When we got out of town and onto the highway, she sped up. The mirror flapped in the wind. Then, the reflective part flew off, hanging only by a cable. I thought it flew off to the side of the road. Upon arrival, she checked out the damage, shrugged, and helped with our baggage—not really giving the mirror another thought. Totally worth our shuttle bus fee.
The three of us walked into town and by 11pm, went to bed.

Englischer Garten and Dachau

Matt and I went on a run in the Englischer Garten. I really love how there is a peaceful escape from the city noise in gardens scattered around the city. This park is the largest in Munich and we ran seven miles without retracing our steps or covering the whole length of the park. Beautiful tree-line paths, lakes, streams, ducks, swans. The best part was not fearing the dogs. They seemed oblivious to humans passing by them. It was nice not having to stop for aggressive dogs. The sun was out with only a few clouds, much like every other day thus far….



Until we reached the gates of Dachau. Literally. The run was beautifully sunny. The train ride was beautiful. Our lunch spot was beautiful. Gloomy day for our trip to the concentration camp. We walked through the memorial site in the rain. Rain seemed more tolerable after learning what had happened here less than a century ago. This experience was too horrific to put into words. Imagining the suffering was like being stuck in a nightmare, and I can’t even imagine how truly awful it was to be a prisoner there.
I only took a few pictures, but each looked like I was shooting in black and white. Totally void of any color.



We took a self-guided audio tour through the buildings—the cramped barracks, the crematorium, the poison gas showers. The shower room, even though was reportedly never used, lacked windows and made me extremely nervous…like something terrible was about to happen to us. A very eye-opening experience.



To lighten the mood back in Munich, we visited the loud and almost cliché Bavarian HofBrau house. Music blared. Voices of drunken tourists echoed through the cavernous high ceilings, but the food was good.
I called it a night early. My feet hurt from all the running and walking—the giant hotel bathtub called to me. Matt, typically a non-drinker, had a liter stein (3-4 beers) and was very willing to go home. Chris, the party animal of us, decided to go for more beer.




Matt and I returned to the hotel : me in the tub, him outside on a few towels. We chatted about our upcoming move and the changes that would entail.

Schloss Neuschwanstein

We spent our day exploring the countryside on our way to Fussen, home to Neuschwanstein Castle, home of Ludwig II. The train ride forced us to switch trains in Kaufbeuren. I enjoyed a quick stroll through town during the stopover.



As country homes, farms, and forests whirled by my window, memories of Alaska did the same. This week has been a distraction from the upcoming reality of moving. When I finally get time to think about it, my stomach turns with both excitement and apprehension. I hope Matt and I like it there.
Fussen is overrun with tourists. We accidentally found a paddle boat rental place on the lake : 1/2hr. for 5euro and escaped the crowds. We got slight sunburn and magnificent views of the castle from our boat.



Then we climbed the hill to the castle for our guided tour. Neuschwanstein Castle is perched upon a mountaintop and towers above the entire area. This castle is model for the Disney castle in their logo.



Inside was elaborately painted from floor to ceiling. Flash photography fades the paint, so I have no photos of the inside. King Ludwig loved composer Richard Wagner and swans. The castle was entirely decorated with those two themes. He lived here only about six months before being deemed mentally ill and sent to a mental hospital. This castle is the most visited in all of Germany. It was kind of a let-down for me. All the hype, I suppose. Although it held it’s own magical beauty, Chateau de Versailles will always be my favorite. I think it is the most extravagant in all the world.
The best thing about the castle was the view. On the edge of the Bavarian Alps. Small town below. Lakes. Farms. Nature. It felt like total isolation in nature. Nice.



I slept for part of the train ride back to Munich. Tomorrow, we visit Dachau concentration camp. I might need a pick-me-up afterwards.

Frankfurt to Munich

Our second run in Frankfurt took us on the City Circle par path. Again, we found lots of runners. Running sure is a great way to see the city! We happened upon a triathalon, too. That explains where all the fast people were all weekend : resting up!

When we got to the airport, Chris had a problem checking in. As it turns out, he mistakenly booked a flight for Dec. 5 instead of Sept. 5. Good thing we got to the airport early! He finally decided on taking the train instead of flying because it was cheaper. He was due to arrive in Munich two hours after us, but that was ok with us. Our plane had computer problems, so what was supposed to be a 30 min flight, turned into two hours on the plane. Chris got to the hotel before us. Oh well.
We checked out Olympia Park, site of the 1972 Summer Olympics. I always wondered how the host cities used the former Olympic sites. The swimming pool was cool. If we have time, I’d like to swim! All this walking and running makes my legs sore. So much for tapering.

Old and New

Matt and I tried out the bike paths along the river. It seemed to be THE place to run. Lots of runners were out for a Saturday morning jog. What I found most interesting in our 5.5 mi run, was the other runners. They were dressed like serious runners, in synthetic clothes, some with water bottles. All were svelte Germans. But they were SLOW. Like 11:00/mi slow. Coming a country where thin=fast most often, it was odd. When starting a 5K in the US, you can usually pick out the casual runners and the ones that will win. Everyone here looked seriously speedy. It was surprising how many we passed at a 9:00/mi. There were a few faster ones, but most were slow. I’m not really fast, so it was weird to pass, rather than be passed. WTF.





We had a good breakfast. The coffee was DECAF. Boo.

We stumbled upon many street fairs. The Germans sure know how to party! I don’t even know if there was an occasion, but everywhere we turned, there was something going on. The Main Tower is 180m high and the elevator to the top climbs at 18km/hr. As we neared the top, the change in pressure made my head compress. The view from the top was spectacular! We could see old buildings mixed with the new, wind farms, nuclear power plants—a real modern city. We also found few English speakers.



Next stop was the Dom cathedral. We looked inside and took the stairs up the tower. It was a scary trip up. The stairs circled around and around—climbing them too fast made me dizzy! Then, near the top, the stone walls gave way to windows. Looking out made my heart race. Being able to see a hundred feet down did not comfort me at ALL! The platform at the top of the tower allowed for closer views of the Gothic architecture. I’m not a big fan of the Gothic designs. It looks too messy.
Inside of the church, it looked very new. It was easy to tell that this church was all but destroyed in 1944. It didn’t quite have the authentic look that the French churches I’ve seen did.
We ventured south of the Main and found an Aldi grocery store. In the US, they are known as the cheap stores to find knock-off food brands, near expiration, at low-low prices. This is where I bought my chocolate!! Only 8 euros later, I had lots!  We had dinner at a pub. The food was too salty and I had to drink lots of water to negate the salinity. Not twenty minutes after we got to the hotel, I was fast asleep.

Frankfurt am Main

Thursday and Friday kinda blur together on a trip like this. A nine hour time change (forward) cheats me out of half a day. I’m glad for a few things though :
1. Matt’s string of nine overnights pretty much messed up my sleep
schedule—so what’s another week of being off?
2. They serve food on my flight! Woo!
3. I’m glad I like coffee now! Big help when I really need it!


It was hard to leave such a beautiful Fairbanks afternoon for the airport, but promise of another Euro adventure coaxed me through the doors.
The flight was pretty comfortable—for 9+ hrs. I think I slept four of them and watched two movies, and had two meals to burn up the rest of the time. I’m always surprised at how simple it is to enter the European Union Customs than into the US. A simple glance at my US passport and I’m in. No questions.
It took awhile to find Chris at the airport train station, but eventually we did.
When we arrived at the hotel, it was difficult to not stay in on the comfy bed. Somehow, we convinced ourselves to go out and do some exploring.
We pretty much saw all the sights on our quest to find the lone Wells Fargo ATM for Chris to stock up on British money. We never did find it. We did happen upon a riverside bike path that flowed along the Main River.






We will have to visit there for a run before leaving town. Frankfurt seemed to have a very active jogging and cycling community—a mix of recreational and fitness participants. There were also a lot of bike lanes on the major roads. It always amazes me how big cycling is here. I’ve only lived in mountain biker areas.


About 80% of this part of the city was destroyed by bombings in 1944, but few buildings remained, either by luck or extensive restoration. It was evident with the historic buildings mixed with the skyscrapers in the financial district. We grabbed local beers from a shop and headed to the hotel for the night. It was 8pm. Long restful sleep rejuvenated us for a new day to come.