We had a fabulous 28 day trip all over Europe. We started in Switzerland visiting Dave's family. While there, we also took an overnight into France with Dave's cousin and her husband. Dave and I were able to get in some nice runs along Lake Geneva. There was a paved bike/running/walking trail along the road, and in some spots you could get a nice view of the lake. It was flat and the weather was cool in the mornings, so it made for some good paces while running. After 6 nights in Switzerland, we went to Italy. It was difficult to run in Monterosso, because it required a lot of back and forth down short, narrow streets and back and forth from the new town to the old town to get in the miles, but the view of the Mediterranean Sea made it quite nice :) After our 5 nights there, we had 3 nights in Rome and 2 nights in Venice. I didn't run in Rome, because all the people and cars everywhere, along with some of the side streets being cobblestone....and rain on the morning I planned to run, made running difficult. We did walk many miles each day we were there, so I felt adequately tired at the end of each day. In Venice, I did go for a run, along with several walks. My pace was slower, as I was continually having to go on a bridge (usually with many steps) over a canal. I got turned around while I was running, so after logging 5.5 miles on my Garmin, I had to get the map out and figure out how to get back to the hotel. It was about 1/2 mile walk back to the hotel, but I was able to find the way. Next, we went to Lake Bled in Slovenia. We stayed in a place right across from the lake. We had to cross the road, but then there was a paved trail around the lake. The trail was about 3.7 miles around. I ran the trail 3 times over the 5 nights we were there. One day, I ran 13 miles on the trail. It required 2 times all the way around, then out and back for the last couple of miles. Dave went ahead and ran 3 times around, to get in 15 miles. Next, we went to Obertraun, Austria. We were there 4 nights. I ran one day that we were there. I ran from Obertraun to Hallstatt and back, along a paved trail by the road. The trail included nice views of Lake Hallstatt and the mountains. We also took several walks. The last stop was Bacharach, Germany where we stayed for our final 3 nights. I ran one of the days there. The bad thing was, it was 1/4 mile down hill into town and then after running 5.5 miles, 1/4 mile back up hill to the castle where we stayed. The views from the castle...and just the idea of getting to sleep in a former castle, made the climb worth it. Then it was time to return home.
I felt pleased that I was able to keep running on the trip. When I missed a run, it was usually because we were going for a long hike or walk that day, so I felt adequately active. We enjoyed ourself with eating and drinking basically whatever we felt like, and we were still able to maintain our weight. I noticed I wasn't always able to keep the best pace, but I think I was looking around and enjoying the scenery....which was what made running on vacation fun! I felt great returning from my trip still feeling on track toward training for the half and full marathons coming in the fall!
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