My Running Adventure

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[boxturtlerunningteam]

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instagram.com/bodyposipanda

[did-you-know]

Slow runners live longer. Studies show people who jog regularly but slowly have a longer lifespan on average than those who push themselves to go faster. In fact, strenuous runners tied with sedentary people for highest mortality rate. Source Source 2

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The reality of Instagram Modeling

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This is important.

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I mean also just a handy guide

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[2play4ever]

What if the goal of your workouts wasn’t to lose weight or tone muscle or get stronger or look fitter? What if the goal, every time, every exercise, every rep…was simply to feel good? Use your workout to feel good in your body and all the rest will come naturally- your goals attained so easily you may even forget what they were and just delight in your delight. Find the “feel good” of your exercise practice and it will strengthen you in being positive. Your workout will naturally give you so much to be positive about you may realize you are living your dream life.

Christiaan Peters (via rep-by-rep)

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Day 7 - October 26 (Last Day)

Last day in Iceland. We started with a really fun tour with Extreme Iceland into an old Lava Tube. A very fun and enthusiastic local (whose name I cannot pronounce or spell) took us on a mini bus to the Blue Mountains and the cave. It was an amazing experience, and the cave was radically different than the caves I saw when I was in France. We had to climb, duck, and get on all fours at times, but it was fun. There was a long-deceased lamb in one of the caverns, and gorgeous ball-room style ceiling in another, and some unique ceiling architecture in yet another. The area surrounding the cave was more of the moss-covered lava fields that we say on the road to the Glacier Lagoon. On the ride back to the city, our wonderful tour guide enthusiastically suggested places to visit and eat. The only complaint I have about the tour, was a group of very crude Americans that were also participating. 

We decided to have fish and chips for lunch (because we were on the ocean - duh) and had some of the best cod I have ever had. It was a fairly small portion, but good. 

Then we wandered around Reykjavik, postponing leaving as much as possible, because I did not want to go home. But all good things must end, and soon we were driving to the airport to leave. :( I hope to return during the summer, when we have more light and time. 

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Day 6 - October 25

Today started out with another excellent breakfast at the guesthouse before checking out and moving on to see sites north of Reykjavik. The snow also began today, so it was a cold day with a dusting of snow covering the landscape.

We started with Kerid Crater, a volcanic crater with a lake/pond inside. It was the first of two crater sites we were planning on seeing. 

Heading closer to the capital, we stopped at Raudholar Lava Field. It is an area just south of the city with red volcanic rocks and some unique formations. I wish there wasn’t a dusting of snow, as it obscured the red of the rocks. I MAY have snatched a rock from this field for my souvenir collection. 

After the Lava Field, we headed back to Dansport, so I could pick up my finisher shirt for the half marathon. I found it very different that there was no package/shirt/etc with the bib pick-up, as there has been in every race I have run in North America. But the shirt is also much better than anything I got before, so I can pay extra. 

After the shirt, we proceeded north, stopping at the Alafoss area to look at the waterfall and see some of the small street. It was cute, but somewhat hard to find. 

Then we drove and drove. Around some beautiful fjords. So many scenic places, I could have spent a week stopping and taking pictures. We did stop and get a view of Reykjavik from across the fjord. The wind was so powerful I thought the car was going to flip just sitting there. 

Somewhere along the road we came to a 5km tunnel. I have never been in a tunnel anywhere near that length. It was a fun experience. And we didn’t realize it was a toll road until we came out the other end and they asked for money. Whoops.

Lots of scenic vistas later, we arrived at Grabrok Crater - which was actually 3 volcanic craters in close proximity. The largest of which we were able to climb (there were steps). The view from the top was amazing! There were rocky landscapes, mountains, and old stone foundations from previous settlements. After climbing down were explored one of the ruins and then returned to the nearby city (Bifrost) for a late lunch. I had a burger and fries, Mark had a mashed fish meal that was delicious. 

On the drive back, we tried to stop at the Settlement Museum, but it would have taken an hour (we were already losing light) and it was waaaaaay expensive. We elected to take the scenic route back, avoiding the 5km tunnel. The entire drive was GORGEOUS. I wish we had more light and time to stop and take pictures. We managed to stop at two waterfalls - Fossarrett and Thorufoss. 

 Fossarrett wasn’t a huge waterfall, but it had more stone walls around it, making for a beautiful little scene. Thorufoss was HUGE. But we drove through several kms of road construction and had lost the light by the time we arrived. We could see the falls, but it was too dark for pictures. Would love to go back and see them in the daylight. 

Finally we made it back to Reykjavik and wandered around some more. Got noodles from the noodle station and packed up to prepare to leave tomorrow. 

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Day 5 - October 24

Today was a long day of driving. We were originally only planning on seeing two sites, but stopped at other sites along the way. The two planned site were the Black Sand Beaches at Reynisfjara and the Glacier Lagoon. 

Our day started with an amazing breakfast at the guesthouse before starting out on our quest. We stopped to take 

On the way to see the Black Sand, we realized we would be driving past Eyjafjallajokull and some waterfalls. So when we came across the first falls (Seljalandfoss) we stopped and took some pictures. I also made the climb around to the back of the falls, since I have never been behind a waterfall before. 

Seljalandfoss marks the western edge of Eyjafjallajokull and we drove along the south side of it for a while, before coming to the Visitor Centre located near the site of the 2010 eruptions. We did not stop at the second waterfall that marks the eastern edge (although it looked massive from the road) as we were trying to make sure we would get to the Glacier Lagoon before dark. 

After more driving we arrived at Dyrholaey which on one side of an inlet that has black sand all around. It was very rocky, with nesting birds, but was beautiful. We took a brief break to explore the rocks and views. 

Next up we drove to the other side of the inlet and arrived at Reynisfjara which I was super excited to see! Black sand seems so alien, but so beautiful too.I got two jars of black sand to bring home!

After the beach, we made a beeline for the Glaciers and the Lagoon (even missing out on stopping at some interesting rock formations along the way - saying we would stop on the way back if we still had the sun). We stopped at the first parking area associated with the Lagoon and proceeded on at 40+ minute hike trying to get closer to the Glacier. And still made it maybe halfway to the ice. We turned back and drove further until we arrived at the Visitor Centre, which had icebergs much closer to the road. I regret spending so much time on the hike, because we lost the light for the drive back, but it was still an adventure. 

The drive back resulted in a small snowstorm sticking with us most of the way to the Guesthouse. We joked that the bad weather was because Mark pissed near an elf-stone at the beginning of our hike. We did stop at the interesting rock formations, but it was dark by then, so pictures we a no-go. Mark snored for most of the trip back.

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Reykjavik Autumn Half Marathon

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Day 4 - October 23

Today we finally got out of the city to explore the nature area’s of Iceland. We started with Thingvellir National Park. It is another area where you can see the edge of the continental plates above the water. We hiked along both marked and unmarked trails, climbing over some areas to find scenic outlooks. By the time we finished with park, the tourists had started to arrive en-mass. 

Next stop was Geysir, a highly active geothermal area. We saw multiple eruptions while there, and climbed a mini-mountain to get a view of the surrounding area. All the geothermal areas in Iceland have a distinct hard-boiled egg smell. It was also unreal seeing creeks of hot/steaming water. Seemed so unnatural, but fascinating. 

Gullfoss was next on the list. It is a massive waterfall with multiple levels and a scenic ravine. 

After the waterfall (and being soaked by rain, mist and geothermal spurts all day) we made our way to the Secret Lagoon Geothermal Bath, I found it to be more enjoyable than the Blue Lagoon. The water was hotter, and the geothermal supply could be easily seen and explored around the bath. It was also quieter due to fewer tourists. 

Finally we made our way to our guest house which was super cute and very much like an Ikea showroom. Our host was adorable and the breakfasts were fabulous - complete with Skyr and hard boiled eggs.  Mark also was adopted by two local ginger cats at the house. That night we went to Mika restaurant in the next town over and had some of the best pizza I have ever eaten.

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Day 3 - October 22 (RACE DAY)

Race this morning. We went to Borg restaurant and gorged on a delicious breakfast buffet before the race. 

The race went well. It was rainy and windy, but not too cold. The first half of the race I was making record time and on my way to a new PR, but after turning around my legs turned to lead and I struggled to maintain running. I still finished ahead of the Summit Run and feel good about how I did. The other runners were all supportive and friendly. I realized just how global running and racing is and that the running community transcends political borders.  

This race was also the first time wearing an ankle chip, instead of one built into the bib. Race gear was also minimal, with no extra items provided during bib pick-up and I had to buy my finisher shirt afterwards. Chip time 2:18:45.

After the race (and a quick drive back to the BnB), we went to the Whales of Iceland Museum. Like the Penis Museum, it was much smaller than I was expecting. The whales are also just painted/dyed foam, not skeletons or taxi-dermed in any way. Mark loved it and turned into a giant geek.

Post-museum I had an extensive photo shoot with Harpa, geeking out over the interesting facade and envelope construction. We were also finally able to get make it into Hellgrimskirkja and get some beautiful views of the city.

We were scheduled to visit a just outside the city, but were unable to make it there before dark. Mark still explored the small cave in the dark. 

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Day 2 - October 21

Today started with a ride on Icelandic horses through Lava Fields just outside Reykjavik. My horse (Brun-dich?) was super cute. We took the faster group so we could experience the more interesting gaits of the Icelandic horses, as well as cover more ground in the Lava Field. The scenery looked like an alien world, but was still absolutely beautiful.

After the ride we went to pick up my race bib.

Race bib acquired, we went to the Phallological Museum. I went a little photo-happy in there. It was interesting to see, but much smaller than I thought it would be and a little bit creepy. But still something people should check out if they are in the city. 

Afterwards we wandered around Rekjavik, looking at tacky tourists shops and Hallgrimskikja Church. We were unable to enter the church due to maintenance and decided to come back at a later time. 

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Day 1 - October 20

We landed in Keflavik and proceeded to the scenic route to Reykjavik. 

We stopped at the Bridge Between the Continents, which is one of the few places on Earth where you can see the continental plate boundary above the sea floor. It was really cool to see, and Mark geeked out about the plates and geology. 

Next was the Brimketill Lava Pool, which we almost drove past due to unclear directions and the site not being well marked. You could taste the salt in the air. Even on the coast in Vancouver, I never tasted salty air like this. It was beautiful to watch the waves crashing and filling the Lava Pools.

Our final stop of the day was the Blue Lagoon. I came highly recommended by my sister, and although it was beautiful and interesting, it is a tourist trap and very expensive. 

We were supposed to also go to a cave and a geothermal area, but we were unable to locate them. We moved on to our AirBNB, which involved 2 hours of driving around lost before finding a map of the Greater Reykjavik Area.

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Day 0 - October 19

Today we drove up from Regina to Edmonton in order to catch our overnight flight to Reykjavik. During the drive I got a phone call for an interview, which is super exciting. 

Highlights from the flight include:

- Seeing Aurora while flying above the clouds

- the in-flight entertainment had a touchscreen drawing pad (meant for kids) that I was waaaaay too amused by