Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Running Post

You know those days when you really need to have a good run because it has been a whole since you have had one?

Well I had one of those days. The sun is out in London today so I figured I take advantage of it sine I'm sure it wont last long. I quick run down to the London Eye and back 3 miles cake walk. HA! I was wrong so very wrong. I hit mile one with cramps in both calves and feet...that's new and never happened before. I also hit mile 1 at 15:30 also never happened before that is way slow like 3 minutes slower than my slowest miles have ever been.
So I took a stretch break at the Parliament building a decent one like 5 minutes and headed on my way back to the house at a running pace. I made it about half a mile before I had cramps so bad I wasn't sure I could walk the last 1/2 mile home. I took another stretch break which allowed me to walk home. My 1.5 mile run took 25:10! What the heck!
I guess the saying is true: If you put shit in you will get shit out! Plan of attack lots of water and better food...aka fruit, veggies, water, and maybe a little time off my feet today. Yesterday I walked 11 miles for the Chilly Challenge. London makes it so easy to clock miles because you have to walk every where. Well for me that means a 30-45 min. walk between all places to I make sure I get my heart rate up and make it extra cardio for the day. 
On a positive note at least I laced up and hit the pavement for some miles! 
I hope you all have wonderful and productive days!

-Felicia

Munich, Germany

Today is a lazy day. Kyle left this morning at 4:30 yes that time comes twice in a day and I will see both! I have had a cold for the last 1.5 weeks so there has been no running. It is hard to run in the snow when you can breathe out of your nose or swallow and water. But I am happy to report I am taking one last rest day just to be sure I am healthy and will hit the pavement first thing tomorrow morning! I must say I am pretty excited. With Kyle being here (though I was sick) we treated the last week like a vacation. And vacation means way to much food, way to much beer, and not enough sleep!

This past weekend we spent in Munich, Germany! It is a wonderful place, the people are super friendly and for the most part in the busy areas speak good English. So below you will find the pictures of around Munich and the Hofbräuhaus München. The whole reason we chose to go to Munich is because Kyle has wanted to go to the Hofbräuhaus München for the last 7 or 8 years ever since he went to the one in Las Vegas the first time. So this year for Christmas I bought the plane tickets and he paid for the hotel! We don't buy each other presents we go on trips instead, it has been this way since we started dating. Year one we went on a cruise, year two we went to Las Vegas and Miami, year three we went to London/Munich.







 I take back what I said about running tomorrow...the sun came out in London so I am going for a noon run, shower, and coffee shop. I have plays to read today!

Cheers everyone enjoy your day!
-Felicia

P.S. I did catch up on your blogs before I wrote this one! Everyone is doing amazing keep up the awesome work!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Windor Castle & St. George's Cathedral





I put the pictures first this time. So after this post you are all caught up in the big things I have done since I have been here. Windsor Castle is giant I mean giant! I houses 150 full time and then there is the castle part. Private where the queen visits once a monthish, and the public part you can tour and she, the queen receives guests. Down side to the castle is that you can not take photos inside any of the buildings! So things you are not seeing the staterooms, ballrooms, grand halls, kitchen, and the queens doll house. The castle is very interesting because parts of it that you think are hundreds maybe even thousands of years old are only from 1992. There was a large fire in the public part of the castle in 1992 that destroyed a great deal of stuff that had to be rebuilt! I will say the whole things is magnificent to see and you should it you ever make it to London in your life. The other part of the castle is St. George's Cathedral. The cathedral is on the castle grounds inside of the wall. It is where the queen and he family attend service when they are staying at Windsor all other times it serves the 150 people who live there year round and some of the employees of the castle. The cathedral has several small prayer rooms inside of it that where built in dedication to a.)someone with lots of money who paid for it or b.)someone who died a heroic death in battle.

Well Kyle just got here, he is taking a cat nap so I am writing this I have to try and wake him up in 10 minutes to head out into the snowy cold London to look around for a bit before making dinner and watching movies for the night. Wow sorry for the really long run on sentence.

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone!

-Felicia

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

HARRY POTTER DAY!

I promise in a few weeks we will get back to the regular program for this blog. But right now I am sick and stuck in the house while the sun shines and I should be running and doing planks! So you get my adventures to Harry Potter Studio Tours of London!!!!! I shall let the pictures speak for themselves and if you can tell me what they are from it will make my day.
If you are not a Harry Potter fan I am sorry!











Sunday, January 20, 2013

Ireland!

This morning as the snow continues to fall in London I am here to share with you my last few days. Everything except the helicopter crash I shall leave that part out. This will be a multi post event. As I need to tell you about Ireland, Tate Museum of Modern Art, my 4 mile run, Harry Potter world London, Borough Market, and Windsor Castle. Once I have hit all those points you will all be caught up on my adventures through London.

Ireland is beautiful and I ate so much good food there that I think I gained like 5lbs. However I will tell you it was all worth it. I have promised myself to run atleast twice a week and start my strength training again when I get back to the states and have a gym to go to. (Sorry not London adventures)

While in Ireland I went to the Garden of Remembrance, the Ireland national museum of art, National Geographic Ireland Museum of Photography, Temple Bar area, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Guinness Storehouse, and the Old Jameson Distillery. I drank more in one day then I have in a month I think.

The Guinness Storehouse will allow you to pour your perfect pint. It was really cool I have never been a bar tender or pour a pint of beer before that didn't come out of a pitcher! At the distillery I was one or eight chosen to do a whiskey taste testing. Jameson prides itself on being distilled 3 times which is why it is so smooth. So we had a shot of Jameson, a shot of Johnny Walker, and a shot of Jack Daniels. Now I am not a whiskey drinker but I can say the Jameson was not my favorite. It burned to much on the way down and I could feel it in my nose. Though I don't know if this is just because as a graduate student I am use to drinking cheap liquor or if that is how I really feel about it. Maybe I'll do a taste test of my own.
I shall let the pictures speak for themselves in the Land of churches.



  











 











After 2 drinking tours and a few sleepless nights i can say that I had a magnificent time getting lost in Dublin. Though as in London things in Dublin close earlier than one would think...like 7:00 on a Saturday night. But it was a great time and I can not wait to go back again. 

I am off to Camden market to buy some food for the week I hope! I'll be back a little later to write a few more posts. Enjoy your Sunday everyone and keep clocking miles! 

-Felicia