Way back when in 2008, inspired by Maggie Mason's
Mighty Life List, I started the
Bossy List, 100 things I wanted to accomplish in the next 10 years. Over time I
edited it and
tweaked it and slowly (oh so slowly) actually crossed some things off the list. It's long overdue for a another tune-up, but in the meantime let me tell you about an item I crossed off this month.
February 1, fresh off my first
Runner's World Run Streak followed immediately by a successful Whole 30, I was as lean and fit as I've ever been and ready to take on a new challenge, so I ran my first half-marathon. At the end of it I felt highly accomplished and simultaneously wanted to die. The next day we flew to Berlin for a week, I did not pass a pastry without cramming it into my mouth, then I was working, then I got SHINGLES (true story), and eventually I fell off the running/health wagon altogether. So what did we do? We signed up for another half marathon. For motivation! In September—so far away! So much time to train!
And we did train. We ran in hot and humid Houston, we ran in chilly and hilly San Francisco, we did another
Runner's World Run Streak and even ran every day on a week-long cross-country road trip. And pretty much every long run went horribly for me. Many of them ended in tears (CM is a saint, yes I know). I knew the half marathon would be a disaster. But I kept running. Why, you ask?
Because before and after the race we would be spending the night in a castle. An actual
CASTLE.
So we trained. And I ran the
race. It wasn't a disaster, exactly, but it was about 6 miles longer than I wanted it to be, and I'm certainly not feeling the urge to run for 2 1/2 hours again anytime soon.
But back to the castle. It was schmancy and lovely and pretty much exactly how you'd hope it would be. But ultimately, maybe not totally our thing, as we're already contemplating a return trip to the area (the
Wachau) and will probably stay somewhere more simple and cozy. But first!
88. Spend a night in a castle.
Some pictures from our weekend (some by me, some by CM—you'll be able to tell the difference):
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| So! Many! Runners! |
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Atmospheric panoramic from the starting line
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BEFORE: smiling, cold
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| AFTER: smiling, NOT cold |
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|
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| Reward |
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| Our castle room |
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View from our room
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Spa area in the basement of the hotel. Guess who forgot her bathing suit? Sad trombone.
Luckily, there was also a sauna. And we were in Europe. No suit? No problem. |
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| Scenic Dürnstein & the Danube |
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| View from Dürnstein at sunset |
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| The road Google Maps sent us down in our rental car that dead-ended at the bike path, which meant we had to turn around and drive back up through the pedestrians. Haha, Google Maps, you're hilarious. |
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