In June, my 1 year anniversary of my right ankle reconstruction passed, I traveled to Europe for the first time...and the second time in my life, and participated in some faculty development workshops in between.
Portugal Trip- International Scholar Status
My university allowed faculty to travel to up to 3 conferences with unlimited funding this year, so I took full advantage. I submitted an abstract for a conference in Portugal, it was accepted and I was granted funding, so everything fell into place for me to go. I was there for a full week. The major highlight of this trip was that I became an international scholar by presenting my research at this conference...less than a year after earning my PhD. This was also my first trip to Europe and I enjoyed every minute of it. It was quite interesting from the conference standpoint, because even though there was a detailed hour by hour schedule, the organizers didn't seem to mind how long each session took, so we got well behind schedule each day. The Portuguese way is a little more relaxed than the hustle and bustle here in America. Also, I got to see the eastern most tip of Europe, hike up to and through a castle, and a palace! It was also really cool that they had free bikes for anyone to rent and dedicated bike roads next to the main road. I rented one on my last day and rode about 10 miles up the hilly and very windy coast of Portugal on a cruiser bike with no gears!
Here are my favorite photos:
London Trip
I was home just long enough to get my bag unpacked and packed up again for another European adventure, another conference...and another trans-atlantic flight. The flights were my least favorite parts of both trips. My arrival to London wasn't as smooth as Portugal. They closed down a key section of a major highway and it took well over 2 hours by cab to get to the hotel (for what should have been a 30 min trip), and cost approximately 120 British pounds, which is over 200 American dollars.
The most surprising thing about London for me was that it reminded me of any other major American city. There was a lot of traffic, a lot of people rushing around, and similar fashion. The most difficult thing to get used to was learning to look the opposite way as we do in America before crossing the street, since they drive on opposite sides of the road.
My favorite thing that I did on this trip was visit the London 2012 Olympic Park. I am an olympics junkie. I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!!! Near the end of the trip, I was able to reserve a spot to swim in the 50m competition pool...the ones that the olympic champions swam in! I wish someone was there to capture the girly grin on my face when I walked in to the aquatic center and saw THE pool that I had seen on tv during the olympics. When I got in the water, it was as if I forgot how to swim. I was so enamored by where I was, that I was hardly focused on completing my workout set. I tried my best to just take it all in and not worry about the quality of the workout. After I left the aquatic center, I walked around the park to view the other venues. When I got to the velodrome and cycling complex (road bike circuit course, moutain bike course, and bmx courses), I found out that I could rent a road bike and ride it on the 1 mile competition circuit course. The funny thing about renting a bike there, was that I told the bike fitters with confidence that I ride a 51"....of course that is 51 inches, so the first thing they asked is, "What is that in cm?" Metric system...we are such dumb Americans to have our own system. I am glad I am a scientist because I didn't have much trouble converting to metric on either of my trips. Once I got going, the first thing I noticed is how much lighter the bike was than my road bike. Mine is not too shabby, but I think this was a full carbon fiber frame. The next was that it had an automatic electronic shifter! All you had to do was press a button and the gears would automatically shift. I rode for about an hour...which is all I could manage after swimming and being ill prepared nutritionally and equipment wise for a 2 hour brick workout. It was on a whim that I even thought of trying to make the ~1 hour trek by the tube (subway system in London) to the olympic park, and I am so glad I did. Just walking around the olympic park and getting to try out two of the venues made me feel the olympic spirit, the won't stop, can't stop, never quit attitude that the olympic athletes have.
Also snuck in a visit to King's Cross Station...any Harry Potter fans?
The most devastating part about my trip was that I left 2 days...2 days before the Tour de France came through London for the first time. So, I was tortured by the signs and other biking related tidbits around town the whole trip. I did score a TDF sprinter's green jersey from the Olympic Park Cycling Store.
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Reflection
I intentionally took this month off from racing because the hardest part of going to 3 conferences, practically back to back, counting the one at the end of May and the two this month, was keeping up with my training. I averaged 25-30,000 steps per day on foot on my trips and cycled in both Portugal and London, and also swam in London. It was tough as usual to manage all those steps with these feet, but they didn't hold me back. I had such a great time! I am simply amazed by how extraordinary my life has been thus far, and through the thick of all I have been through with my feet, I know that I am not only back on track, but excelling again.
This quote that I photographed from the Winston Churchill War Museum in London sums it up:
