Germany Post Catch-Up 2: Wolfsburg Autostadt

The snow, ice and frozen slush is still out there, but we are back at work, already the second day, but fortunately on a delayed schedule, which gives the DOT another chance to coat the road with more salt and sand before I have to head out... By now the ice is so packed on the streets that I kind of doubt, that a snow plow would have a chance. Maybe the sun can get everything thawed soft a little, so they can plow before everything freezes over again tonight.

Anyways, to finally finish up my Germany report, here are the pictures from our trip to Wolfsburg, the birthplace of the "Volkswagen" brand and headquater of the Volkswagen Group.

Wolfsburg is not an obvious sightseeing choice, but it was almost on route on the way back from my friend's house and I am on the everlasting quest to show Terry each and every town I ever lived in.

Back in 2003, I spent six months in Wolfsburg while writing my thesis at Volkswagen. During that time, I had a season pass for the "Autostadt". We spend a lot of time there and it's a lot of fun to visit and discover all the pavillions from the different brands in the Volkswagen group. Some pavillions are more fun than others, but you can definitely spend a whole day on site. Unfortunately, the plant was closed due to winter break, so we were not able to do a plant tour, but at least we could visit one of the car storage towers.

The park is much prettier in the summer, but they did put an ice skating rink on one of the ponds that was just stuffed with kids of all ages while the parents had a nice pot of Gluehwein.... Oh Gluehwein... I miss you!



The two storage towers, each holding 400 cars that are going to be delievered to customers over the next days.



Terry posing "in" one of the vintage Volkswagen utility vehicles.

The car tower from the inside. We sat in a glass cube and the robot picked us up to bring us all the way up "there".



They have a little visitor platform at the top from which you can overlook the city of Wolfsburg and the plant.




The view from the top down. The tower wasn't very packed at the time... I guess because of the holidays?




On our way down... It was fascinating.




One of the motor cycles in the "Zeithaus" the onsite museum.



This is Mini Cooper number 1,000,000.




In front of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4... In this baby are 1,002 horse power.



A light installtion in Skoda pavillion.



The "Zeithaus" from the outside.



The Christmas decoration was still up, but the towers are always lit up that way.



Side view of the "Zeithaus".



South Carolina Snow Day

It's like a flashback from a week ago. Just when we thought we escaped the snow in Germany, the snow is coming down in South Carolina as well!

So this morning, I took the doggie for a walk to stretch out the legs a little and snap a couple of pictures.

Please tree, don't let your branches snap and hit power lines.

First time that Karma ever saw snow.... She LOVED it way too much!

Speed limit or not, some people were plowing through the snow.

Even the swamps freeze over today!

Paris Mountain in the clouds.

We picked up a new boy toy for Karma on the way.

A snow day is a killer for training, but at least, I got some race registrations out of the way. I am now official signed up for....

and....

It took me a little this time, but it seems like I have my race schedule together for 2011.... Yeah! ;-)

Race Report: 2011 TR YMCA Resolution Run

Results (based on Guntime):
2h 17m 48s (10:31 min per mile average)

Age Group (30-34) 8/12
Overall 122/161

Hubs joined me for my last couple of yards... 

 

Pre-Race:

The race started at 9.15am and that means, that we didn't even set the alarm. With the jet lag still in our bones and regular morning workouts last week, we were up by 6am. Hubby brought me breakfast to bed (Thanks, babe!) and after that we got ready, slowly... very slow. The race started just 10 minutes down the road and I already picked up the packages earlier this week, so there was really no reason for us to be there early. We got there half an hour ahead of the time and I was just cold. The gym was open, but of course, I didn't know... I just wondered where everyone was.

After chatting with a couple of run and tri buddies, we started lining up.... Did I mentioned that I didn't feel this race.... at all? ;-)

Race:

 

The race course was a loop, which is always nice. It also was on roads that I know and run often, but I never did this particular loop. The rough spot was passing the street, where we live on, at around mile six... and knowing, that it's going to be a while. Yupp, really didn't feel this race.

But I am getting ahead of myself. I started out conservatively according to coach's orders.... You know... Two weeks of basically doing nothing and then winging a half. But once I was out there, I felt fairly good. The first couple of miles ticked away as usual, but right around mile 5, things didn't fly too much anymore.... But fortunately, a two mile downhill was coming up... That was quite a relieve. Once we hit the Swamp Rabbit Trail around mile 8, I started to mentally struggle. I pretty much know every stone on this trail and I know the mileage from one to the next intersection and I know that it's a gradual incline from there back to Travelers Rest. On top of it, there were wind gusts. I felt them before a couple of times, but in some spots on the trail, the wind was ridiculous. Fortunately, there were water stations every two miles or so and even though, I didn't take water a lot (was carrying my hand-held), just seeing a friendly face and people with cowbells every now and then was good. There were not a ton of spectators, none really, but the volunteers came out with family and they made as much noise as possible with a hand full of people.

By that time, I was in no-man's land. I haven't been running close to anybody in the last 4 miles. I couldn't see anybody behind me and only one guy in front of me. I slowly closed the gap and after that, I didn't see a soul ahead of me... And there were still two miles to go and the mile splits were getting slower and slower. Only in the last mile, I was able to go a little faster again... Knowing to be almost done, always helps.

When I made the last turn, I soon saw Terry walking towards me and then we jogged it in (see pic above)... I was so glad to be done and to have another medal for my collection.

Post-Race:

After the race, I started to walk around and downed a Gatorade in record time. My legs felt really tight right away. Of course I was instantly cold and hungry too, so we walked into the gym to grab a little something (bagel and cream cheese) and warm up. First we thought to wait for the awards, but at one point, I was so cold, I just wanted to go home. The walk to the car wasn't that long, but I felt frozen solid by the time we finally got there.

Race Review:

This is a great race to kick off the year. They had a great turnout with 160 runners for the half. I also really liked the course and of course the fact that it was so close to home. The price is right for this race as well, because you have an option to get a t-shirt (cotton or technical fabric) with an extra charge, so you can make the race as cheap or expensive as you want.

I was positively surprised by the amount of aid stations along the course and they even handed out gels a couple of times.

The only beef I have is, that it was a little complicated to find the race results online!

Definitely a race to do again next year! ;-)

Oh Finally...

... I finished up the audio book for "The Count of Monte Cristo"... The unabridged version... over 50 hours of recording.

While I am not a fan of a book that takes less than a week of commuting to get through, 50 hours are a little excessive and I am very happy to finally got it done.

Fortunately, I prepared for this moment ahead of time and was able to listen to an easy breezy one hour of "Radio Tatort" audio play. It's available as a podcast on iTunes for free... get it here.

In general, I am a big fan of free stuff (who isn't) and by the rate I am plowing through audio books (thank you sucky commute!), I had to find an alternative (a legal one) to by everything and anything off amazon. And while I was browsing the web, I found this little gem:

librivox.org

From their website:

LibriVox Objective

To make all books in the public domain available, for free, in audio format on the internet.

Our Fundamental Principles

• Librivox is a non-commercial, non-profit and ad-free project
• Librivox donates its recordings to the public domain
• Librivox is powered by volunteers
• Librivox maintains a loose and open structure
• Librivox welcomes all volunteers from across the globe, in all languages

Given that all books have to be in the public domain to become a part of this project and then on top of it, have to be picked up by the volunteers at librivox to actually record an audio book, the selection is not very fresh. But hey, don't we all want to brush up on the classics?

I already have a couple more books lined up (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Die Judenbuche), but before I tackle those, I will keep it a little lighter and shorter for a while.

So... and now I will take it easy for the rest of the night... Tomorrow is half marathon day.... Oh boy!

Germany Post Catch-Up 1: Meyer Werft

After spending the first week in Germany at my parent's house, it was time to change the scenery for a little while. Last year we made a trip to Bavaria, so this year we travelled in the opposite direction up North.

We stayed with my best friend from high school and her husband.

After taking it easy on the day of our arrival, we were presented with tons of activitivies to do the next day and out of all the offers, Terry and I wanted to visit a shipyard.

This way, we ended up at the Meyer Werft in Papenburg:

The guided tour started off with a little video about current projects (the Disney Dream, I believe) and the history of the company. Of course I can't remember any details, but there have been tons of ship models.

From earlier productions:

To more recent productions... Not as recent as the Disney and Aida cruise liners, though.

There was Mr Duck....

This is a peek into the construction area for the Disney Dream... The picture really doesn't do it justice. By looking into the construction site from an elevated position the dimensions of the boat were not that obvious. When this boat is done, the cruise ship will be over 1,000 feet long!!! And the construction building is even bigger, because they'll be able to finish up the boat inside and on top of that start building the next one in the back of the building... insane.

This was a picture in one of the exhibitions and it gives you a slight idea of the dimensions. This little tugger boat is being put on the other side of the boat by a crane to push the cruise liner out of the building into the port right at the shipyard where they do the finishing touches to the boat.

And here are a couple of pictures from newspapers that documented the journey a boat has to take, once it's done... From the shipyard over a little canal to the ocean.

On the way to the shipyard, we actually drove on this road. There is a tunnel under the canal. Of course it's not that exciting to drive along, when there is not boat towering over you! ;-)

On our way back to my parents, we stopped in Wolfsburg for a little visit to the Autostadt... But that's another post for another day.... Tomorrow maybe? ;-)

It's All About YOU!

This morning, I hit the track for a group track workout. On the way back to the Y, I ended up running with one of my training/ racing buddies. It's two miles back and so we had a little time to chat. Now that the holidays are over, of course everyone is talking about getting rid of the extra pounds you gave yourself for Christmas this year.

How fitting, that yesterday was also the season premier of the Biggest Loser 11 and of course, I watched it... Not quite until the end, I fell asleep before that. Anyways, some stuff got me thinking during that episode that I brought up with my running buddy during our cool down, especially since both of us have weight loss story to tell.

If you tevoed last night's episode and don't want to hear anything about it, it's time to stop reading now. For all others.... Here are my two cents:

When it comes to weight loss and exercise, nobody can do it for you.

You have to make the decision for yourself and have to find ways to stay motivated.

Why do I throw this at you? Well, let me recount a little of last night's story line on BL.

This season, they have (had by now) 11 couples. Since it's BL, there had to be a twist and a big one it is. There will not only be Bob & Jillian, but also two unknown trainers. The contestants had to complete a challenge and in the sequence in which they completed that challenge, they were able to choose to go with B&J or the "Unknowns". If you decided to take the "Unknowns" as your trainers, you were given 4 weeks (!!!!) of immunity. A max of 5 couples could choose that option.

When I heard that, I thought that this is a no brainer. The first 5 couples finishing will choose to train with the "Unknowns". Oh boy... I was WRONG! Three teams decided to go with B&J even though they had the chance to have 4 weeks (!!!!) of immunity. Their statement was mostly, that they trust B&J's track record of the last 10 seasons. When those three teams told B&J the next day that they choose them over 4 weeks of immunity, even B&J couldn't believe what they did.

And now to come full circle in my two cents thrown in above.

It's not about the trainer! It's all about you!

You can have the best and/or highest paid trainers in the world, it's still you that has to make that commitment. Nobody is going to move your body, no matter how much they yell at you. If you don't decide to make a change, it's not going to happen. Of course you can seek advise and you should always ask for help, but the basic decision has to come from you and you only.

I have to point out the girl from the acqua team that decided to go with B&J. I thought she was completely ridiculous in believing that she can only be successful with the established trainers. That girl lost 100lbs in the last year ON HER OWN. She doesn't need no freaking trainer to do anything. She obviously made her decision a while ago and no matter what trainer she is going to work with and as long as she sticks to her agenda, she is going to be successful.

I am done.

PS: I actually wanted to post some more pics from the Germany trip, but this was really bothering me today... So tomorrow, you will see some pictures from our visit the Meyer shipyard where they currently build one of the Disney cruise ships.

Excuse me, have you seen my bandwagon?

We are back... Safe and sound in the good old U.S. of A. Escaped the snow and the cold temperatures... Actually, what was even better... We finally got to see the sun again. Seriously Germany, that weather was kind of a joke and if you ever (EVER!) expect me to move back (and on top of it, convince my husband to move to Germany) this has to get better. I can deal with the temps and the snow... It's hard, but I can deal... But not seeing the sun for over a week.... Not funny... At all.

As I mentioned in my vacation posts, the training suffered big time. I got two runs in (one 5-miler and one 11-miler) and then the walks with the dog. Some of them were quite the exercise too. Try breaking a trail through six inches of snow and you'll know that you worked. Or try not to plant your face on the ground on icy sidewalks and you thank yoga and the balancing poses forever. One exercise I did frequently: eating cookies. I also enjoyed mother's cooking in general and the wine was flowing on a regular basis.

Did I gain weight? You betcha! How much? I don't know!

I haven't stepped on the scale since getting to Germany and I won't step on the scale for another two weeks. For two weeks a year, I give myself "carte blance" to eat whatever I want. Last year, I did the same thing and when I got back home, I stepped on the scale the next day and almost fainted. The feeling of guilt was there right away. This year, I will give myself two weeks to get back into my workout routine and regular eating habits before performing the reality check on the scale. I just don't want to feel guilty for those two weeks of dietary freedom. Given, if the weather conditions had been better, I probably would have balanced out the gluttony a little more... But I don't even go there. No guilt.

After not doing much for the last two weeks, I thought I should feel all giddy to get back working out, but honestly, this time I felt like being a lazy for a little while longer.

Fortunately, I have a coach and there are workouts on my plan and so I did, what I had to do. First up was an hour of easy running and even if I didn't feel like it throughout the day, once I was out there, I felt good. Really good... Like all happy to be running again.... After that, I went to the conditioning class at the Y and that was a reality check even without a scale involved. A couple of times, I thought I am going to barf. I have high hopes that it's going to go better next week. Needless to say, I pretty sore today.

This morning then, I had my first swim class for the season and I really enjoyed it. Seems like they found the button for the heat in the pool and the locker rooms at the Middle Tyger Y... I hope it stays that way. We did a 4x50 yards kick board race and I found that I haven't lost my kick. A quick 200 yards time trial also went well, so I am all happy....

Oh and this weekend, I am going to run a half in Travelers Rest. I put this race on the calendar in order to keep me on my toes over the holidays... Funny... In retrospect... Really funny... We'll see how that goes! ;-)