A week in Provence

After years of saying we’d visit the South of France “someday”, Philipp and I finally made the trip down to Aix-en-Provence. We wanted to visit some close friends who live there, Philipp wanted to show me the place where he’d worked for 13 years, and I was excited to discover a new region of France.

The drive was around 10 hours, but through the mountainous center of the country, which is absolutely beautiful. We even saw snow on some mountains ... not too surprising, as there were areas that had 10 feet of it this winter!

While in the South, we spent time with our friends, drove through tiny mountain villages, explored the gorgeous shore, walked through the outdoor markets, ... I don’t know how many times I said, “It’s so beautiful here!” but it seemed that everything I saw was more and more beautiful. So here is a small sample of some of the many photos I took.

We made a little detour on the way back to visit the famous Viaduc de Millau. The structure is impressive. And so was the wind. Philipp decided to use his wind meter (for kite surf) and see how fast the wind was blowing. (max over 42 knots). We are both so happy that we went to see it.

Forgive me

I've been a bad blogger. Again. Leaving my readers for more than a month ... without a word ... wondering where I am and what I'm doing ...

OK, I know there are only a handful of people who read my blog, and I know that not having any new posts to read for a while hasn't exactly left you heartbroken. But I do feel a sense of responsibility to you, and have felt bad recently, knowing that I'm letting you down.

So here's a little catch-you-up:

• The first couple weeks of February were exciting, getting ready for our upcoming vacation to the States. There always seems to be a lot to get done just before leaving town. (or country)
• We had an uneventful trip, but for fun (and economics) we decided to leave from London instead of Paris. The airline tickets were half the price, and the train to London (via Paris) was actually less expensive than the train to Paris!
• We flew into Charleston, and my Mom and Dad drove down from Cincinnati to join us. We rented a house on Folly Beach, and although the weather was a bit cooler than usual, we had beautiful sunshine all but one day.
• This was the opportunity to see my parents and to show them our future hometown. They enjoyed it ... the architecture and landscapes, the friendly people ... all the reasons Philipp and I are so eager to move there!
• I also had a few job interviews, and am happy to have made a few contacts there. It's still too early to know what openings will be available, but I've at least got my foot in the door.
• Once we arrived back in Angers, we had a couple busy weeks of getting settled in the castle, house guests, a weekend by the sea ...

So there's a glimpse at what we've been up to lately. And now, we're quickly approaching the end of our time in France. It's hard to believe! But I promise to add some more blog entries before it's time to go.

AMSTERDAM !

I've accomplished my goal!

5 marathons in 5 countries

Here's the recap:

1. 5/2006 - Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon
2. 4/2007 - Paris Marathon
3. 9/2007 - Berlin Marathon
4. 3/2008 - Barcelona Marathon
5. 10/2008 - Amsterdam Marathon

The weather was perfect for running on Sunday morning ... cool with just a little breeze. (The wind did pick up a bit at times.) The start / finish was at the 1928 Olympic Stadium, within walking distance from the apartment Philipp and I rented. This was nice for two reasons: 1) We didn't have to depend on public transportation to get there and back, and 2) I was familiar with the last couple kilometers once we passed the apartment, so I knew just how much farther I had to go.



This was important, because the second half of the marathon was really tough for me. I knew that I shouldn't start too fast, which I didn't. I held a good pace for the first half, but wasn't overdoing it. Then, just around the halfway mark, the 3:45 pace team passed me. This was a blow to my psyche, because I'd wanted to finish in that time. I sped up a bit to pass them and stay in front of them. Unfortunately, at this point my heartrate had been just a little too high for several minutes, and this added pressure didn't help. Although I knew better, I kept pushing on at a pace just a little faster than I should. As a result, by km 30, I was hurting. I was exhausted, and despite my fueling (by eating energy gels) every 45 minutes, I was running out of steam. I saw Philipp, and walked with him for a few minutes. He was, as always, very supportive and encouraging. And I kept going.

I knew my goal of 3:45 was out the window. I'd had a goal of qualifying for Boston in 2010, and it was difficult to shake off my disappointment. I thought I might be able to beat my fastest time, but as I felt more and more tired, and was forced to take more and more walk breaks, even that didn't seem possible. I began focusing on just finishing.

The last several kilometers were tougher than any of my other marathons so far. I suppose what I'd done was hit the wall, by pushing too much early on. I'm still mad at myself for this, because I know better! But I can't change what happened, so I must see this as a lesson every marathoner must learn.





And I cannot be disappointed in my performance, because despite the fatigue at the end, I managed to make a new Personal Record: 3:55:11 !





Here's a video that Philipp shot of my finish. I'm in a green top and black running skirt. I look much more energetic here than I had for the previous several miles!

And here are a couple pictures from afterward:

outside the Olympic Stadium, with my very fashionable blue poncho

(an alternative to the mylar blanket)

back in the apartment, with my medal

(and looking out the window at the half marathon runners)

And ... of course ... I offer my thanks to Philipp for all his encouragement over these past several months of training. He's a great support and cheerleader.

He also helps provide me with pre-race fuel ...

... and even gave up watching the Formula 1 Grand Prix that took place at the same time as the marathon. Here he is in his Formula 1 Wooden Shoe. ;)

Kristin comes to visit!

What a wonderful week we had! Kristin came to spend several days with Philipp and me. It was her first trip to France, and we tried to give her a true French experience. She was excited to see the members of Philipp's family who'd come to the States for the American wedding, too. Here are a few highlights of what we did:

• visit Philipp at the castle and see the progress of his work


• visit Antoine's studio ... he even sketched a dress for her!


• tour Sebastien's salon ... it's so beautiful and historic!


• drink some good French wine


• walk through the Saturday market downtown and buy ingredients for lunch


• eat French radishes and escargots


• drive along the Loire River ... catch glimpses of the castles tucked in among the trees


• visit two vineyards ... sample their wines ... stock up on a few cases


• eat dinner in a traditional at Le Caveau, a "troglodyte" cave


• drink some more good French wine


• spend the night in Tancoigne ... the beautiful house in the country


• see the church where Philipp and Kerry were married, and the castle where we had the reception


• meet several other members of the Cosneau family


• have the traditional "Sunday night crepes" at Philipp's parents'


• visit the Chateau d'Angers and historic downtown


• drink even more French wine


• take the TGV to Paris

Kristin's final 24 hours included a whirlwind tour of Paris with Philipp's sister, Laurence. The three of us went EVERYWHERE and saw EVERYTHING. (except the Louvre, because it's closed on Tuesdays!) This is what we did:

• walked through Notre Dame


• toured the amazing Opera Garnier


• took the funicular up to Montmartre, where we ate lunch in the park, walked through Sacre Coeur, looked at the artists in Place du Tertre, ...


• visited the Cimetière de Montmartre, where we saw Nijinsky's grave


• saw the Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre


• finished our day at a beautifully illuminated Eiffel Tower

It was so wonderful to spend time with Kristin, and we agreed that her first trip to France was a full adventure ... and won't be her last!

Summer Vacation - the Final Chapter

It’s now been exactly two weeks since Philipp and I arrived back in Angers. I think it’s high time I wrapped up writing about our vacation. Here goes ...


ROAD TRIP !

A big part of our decision to vacation in the States in August was due to the Hanoum / Farnsworth Reunion in Thetford, Vermont on August 15-17. I attended Camp Farnsworth from 1986 to 2002 (a few years missed due to Up With People) ... a total of 14 summers ... as camper, CIT (counselor-in-training), counselor, Program Director and Assistant Director.

Founded by Madama and Chelebe Farnsworth in 1909, Camp Hanoum (later renamed Camp Farnsworth) was a place for girls to experience the adventure and camaraderie of summer in the country. It’s now a Girl Scout Camp, and considered a second home to many. The camp – and more importantly the girls and women who have made it the magical place that it is – have so much to do with the person I am today, that it was important to me to get to go back and experience that camp magic again ... if only for a weekend.

If you’d like to watch a short video about the camp and the 100th summer celebration produced my WMUR in Manchester, NH, click here. If you attended our American wedding, you may recognize “Corky”, Nancy Frankel.

It was so nice to walk around camp, over the same familiar paths, around the beautiful lake. There wasn’t enough time to reconnect with everyone, but we tried to make the most of it. There were games and activities, campfires, and all the traditions from the camp birthday, which is celebrated every year.

Philipp as Robin Hood (he was really good!)

in front of our cabin

The weekend went by too fast. Philipp and I then headed to Essex, VT to visit some friends, Lauren and Mark. Lauren, also a French teacher, had come to Angers a year or two before I did, and stayed with Philipp’s parents. We had visited them during our New England road trip in 2005, but instead of seeing baby Andrew, this time he was a big brother and the “baby” (nearly 2) was Emilie.

We went to visit Shelburne Farms, a huge working farm and cheese factory. The kids enjoyed seeing the pretty chickens and petting the small animals. The highlight for me was milking a cow! We all enjoyed the cheese samples, too ... (AFTER washing our hands, of course!)

On our way back down to Cincinnati, we had to stop off and visit our good friends Suzi and John in Chillicothe. As always, they were gracious hosts. We enjoyed a delicious dinner, socializing with other friends, and then we spent the entire next day in their beautiful pool! It was heavenly. (So was my chicken taco salad with avocado dressing from Casa del Taco. I get one EVERY TIME I pass through Chillicothe. mmmmm!)

Finally, we headed back to Mom and Dad’s. The final week went quite quickly. First, Philipp and I enjoyed a night at the beautiful Willis Graves Bed and Breakfast in Burlington, KY, an anniversary gift from my parents. We all headed back up to the lake for a day, where Philipp and my Dad sailed, I read my book and went for a run, and Mom did some quilting. We were all very satisfied with our day. Dad, Philipp and I spent an afternoon at Cincinnati Museum Center, where Dad is a dedicated volunteer, to see the Bodies exhibit. It was really interesting, and I’m glad I went. It’s true that although our bodies are the only thing we have with us from birth throughout our lives, we know very little about them and how they work; this exhibit tries to change that.

After a few more trips to Wal-Mart to stock up on necessities, it was time to head back to France. Once again, we traveled on separate flights, but we both arrived in Paris safe and sound. (Unfortunately, although we arrived on Friday morning, my suitcase didn’t make it back into my possession till Tuesday morning. Delta and Air France are famous for doing this to me ... this was the third time!)

And now our vacation is over! :( But we’ll have many more adventures to share with you soon.

Summer Vacation - Part Three

There are some simple pleasures about staying with my parents. One is having breakfast out on the deck. Although the temperatures reached 80+ degrees nearly every day, it was still cool and lovely in the mornings.

But after a relaxing breakfast, there were always ways to fill our days. Philipp usually logged on to MSN to try and chat with family members. We had errands to run, stocking up on essentials (contact lens solution, favorite kinds of toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) essentials-for-Philipp (Reece’s Pieces, Oatmeal Creme Pies), and a few not-to-be-named electronics items. (in case there are any customs officials reading) ;)

Most of all, Philipp and I were excited to spend time with my parents. The first day of our trip, Philipp and my Dad went to see an air show. Apparently it was quite impressive ... especially since the aircraft were all remote controlled! They weren’t dinky little toys, though. Some of them had a wingspan of several feet.

The airfield was on the north side of Cincinnati, not far from the brand new IKEA store. So ... as you can probably guess ... Mom and I opted to do a little browsing instead. She had never been to an IKEA before, and was quite impressed. We especially liked all the kitchen cabinets and drawers that close themselves, and enjoyed testing them throughout the store. (Although the ones without this feature tended to make an awful BANG!)

Before heading back down to Northern Kentucky, we had to visit our favorite international grocery store, Jungle Jim’s. It’s famous around here. And definitely unique. It’s just plain huge, and it carries things you’ve never seen before. And some things you’d never dream of eating!

In our first week, my parents planned a little get-together with friends in the park near their house. On Tuesday nights in the summer, there are free outdoor concerts there. Two years ago, Philipp and I discovered a really fun band, Robin Lacy & DeZydeco, when they performed there. (What’s zydeco music? find out here. I even found this clip on YouTube.) Knowing we were excited to see them again, my parents invited some people for a picnic in the park, the concert, and then dessert back at the house. It was fun to catch up with people, the concert was a blast, and I made my first vacherin. (Philipp’s mother’s famous frozen custard and meringue dessert ... everyone loves it ... only a privileged few have the recipe.)

Dad, Mom, Kerry and Philipp at the concert in the park

Philipp and Robin Lacy

Kerry and the vacherin

It was a fun first week, but before we knew it, it was time to start out on our road trip to Vermont! Check back for the next installment. (coming soon ... promise) :)

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My Summer Vacation - Part Deux (transatlantic adventure)

On August 8, Philipp and I left for our much-anticipated trip to the States. It was a very ... long ... day. The alarms went off at 5:00. Time for showers, breakfast, throwing a few more things into the suitcases, and all those last-minute things like unplugging the TV and taking out the trash.

Philipp's parents took us to the train station for our 6:48 departure. It's about 2.5 hours to the airport by TGV. (Train à Grande Vitesse = high-speed train) We dozed a little, but it was FREEZING in the train, so I was happy when we arrived at Charles de Gaulle.

You know how the rest goes ... go to the check-in counter, answer questions about who packed your bag, whether you have any contraband inside, if you're a terrorist, etc. ... wait in the lengthy line for security ... find your gate and wait ... and wait ... And in my case, try to ignore the American tourists whose voices carry over the more discreet Europeans in the gate area. I like to play "guess the nationality" while waiting for international flights, and trying to spy the passport to see if I'm correct. I usually am.

I had to find ways to amuse myself that day, because - alas - Philipp and I didn't fly together. Security purposes, you know. (Actually, it's a complicated story of where our round-trip tickets originate, fluctuating airline prices, etc. Thanks for not asking.)

My first flight was delayed (always is) so when I arrived in Philadelphia with only 62 minutes until my next plane left, I knew the chances were slim that I'd be on it. (grr ...) I hurried to immigration, through customs, rechecking my bag and another security check, and dashed for the shuttle bus. There were two other women on the shuttle. One was a young French woman who'd been on my first flight. Her connection was supposed to have already left, but she was on the way to the gate, anyway. The driver asked us when our flights were leaving, and I responded with, "Mine's in ten minutes, and hers is leaving right now!" "Right now!?! Well, let's go!!" he responded, closed the door and we were off.

If I made this Paris - Cincinnati flight more often, the airport staff would surely start calling me "the girl who sprints through Terminal F". Because that's what I do every time. And I never make my connection. Once, I even watched them close the airplane door from my place in the shuttle bus. Aargh! Foiled again!

So, instead of arriving in Cincinnati at 7:30, I arrived at 11:40. I spent 4.5 hours sitting in the terminal trying to block out the sounds of CNN ... John Edwards had just admitted to his affair and apparently the entire news world came to an instant standstill except for this incredibly important "breaking news". Barf. I paid $8 for a flour tortilla wrapped around a piece of lukewarm chicken and some wilted lettuce. I treated myself to a bottle of water, since I knew USAirways had started charging for it. (The flight attendant did offer free ice, though. Pretty generous, after all, when you're only paying a cool grand for the ticket.) At least I wasn't on the flight to Milwaukee ... I heard them asking passengers to use the restroom before boarding because the plane's lavatory was out of order. Yikes!

This entry is making me sound like a disgruntled traveller, which I am really not. I am a bit disenfranchised with the airlines who charge extra if you check a bag (and those that charge extra if you don't!), or want $2 for a Dixie cup of water (but the ice is free!) But Air France still gives free wine, and you can catch up on lots of movies on USAirways, so it isn't all bad.


Anyway ... I digress.

I finally arrived in Cincinnati! Philipp (who had arrived at 10:30) and my parents greeted me with hugs, we got my suitcase (which had actually made the first connection and had been hanging out in Cincinnati waiting for me) and we headed home. Sophie was aloof, as always. We had a piece of Mom's famous Almond Cake (Philipp's favorite), opened some gifts from my parents, and eventually headed to bed. With the exception of the limited sleep we each got in the plane, we had been up for 26 hours or so. Bonne nuit!

Elephant in Nantes!

I once saw a man walking a camel on a leash down the street in Paris.

I'm not kidding. It was a chilly morning in 1998. I was on Spring Break from my tour with Up With People, and my friend Kelli and I had decided to spend a few days in Paris. On the day we headed to the Père-Lachaise Cemetery (this site has a very cool virtual tour, by the way), we saw the man -- and his camel -- as they passed in the other direction on the other side of the street. Just out for a leisurely stroll, I'm sure.

But why am I talking about camels in Paris??? Because yesterday, Philipp and I (along with his cousin Véronique) went to see the Great Elephant in Nantes!

On an island in the Loire River in the heart of Nantes, you can find the historic shipyards. Rather than allowing this area -- now past its heyday -- to fall into disrepair, the city is refurbishing it into a trendy restaurant area. Also on the island, you can find an innovative endeavor that evokes the futuristic industrial musings of Jules Verne: Les Machines de l'Ile. (Check out the site for further explanation.)

The clear highlight of a visit to the Machines is ... of course ... the Great Elephant! Here's a little video I made of it. (unfortunately, I accidentally erased the video where you can hear the elephant's magnificent trumpeting)

And to get an idea of the scale:

And if you know Philipp, you can guess that he was most interested in how it works:

We also saw the scattered parts of a giant spider that is their next project. And there is also a really cool merry-go-round that seems to be very "Jules Verne-y". You can see it below. And in case you're wondering ... Jules Verne was from Nantes. There's also a Jules Verne Museum, but we didn't get to visit it. Perhaps next time my parents come to visit ...

10 Days in Cologne !

As a teacher, I don't go on many business trips. OK, so perhaps my life is a sort of continuous business trip, seeing as I live and work in France. But regardless, from time to time, it's nice to have a break in the routine and do something different. And that's just what I had the opportunity to do a couple weeks ago.

When Fabrice (the director of Écolangues, one of the places I work) asked me if I'd be interested in going to Germany to teach an 8-day intensive English class, I didn't require much convincing. I've always liked Germany, and was immediately excited about the opportunity to spend a couple weeks there.

Fabrice has been taking teachers to Cologne for these workshops for many years, to train interns working for WDR, the German TV and radio station. He uses an interesting teaching method which includes songs and games in a learning environment that is deliberately different from a traditional classroom. It took some time for me to get used to some of the teaching methods, but overall it was like a combination of camp and Up With People. I had a small group (8 people) who were very receptive and quite motivated, and overall it was a really positive experience for me.

I lived with a host family, which was fun. Although I worked long hours (9-5 plus a 1-hour commute each way on the tram), I did have the chance to discover the city a little. I was really impressed with Cologne. It's easy to get around, the people were very nice, and there are a lot of parks and green space. I could even leave my host family's house, go two blocks, and arrive in a huge park. I went for 3 runs while I was there, and could even have gone 15 km through the park, all the way to the Rhine (although I didn't go quite that far).

Things I like about Cologne:

• The Chocolate Museum! (need I say more??)


• Kölsch (beer from Cologne ... mmm!)


• The Dom (Cologne's beautiful cathedral ... see photos here)


• Garten Eden (yummy Chinese and sushi restaurant)


• Ganesha (yummy Indian restaurant, friendly staff)


• Brauhaus Sion (brewery and restaurant ... I finished a big meal with an apple streudel the size of my head!)


• the Rhine River (very pretty ... see photos here)

hmm ... is it me, or do the majority of those things have to do with food and drink?

So was there anything I didn't like about Cologne? Well, there was one day that was brutally hot, and I longed for some good old American air conditioning. Other than that, there was just one thing ... Philipp wasn't there! It was hard to be away from Philipp for so long. Luckily, my host family had internet and unlimited telephone service to France, so we did get to talk and write. But in addition to missing him, I worried about what he was eating. I prepared and froze several meals before leaving, knowing that he wouldn't cook for himself. He'd be happy eating cereal for two weeks!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We finished the classes on Friday, July 4. Instead of heading back to France right away, I had arranged to spend the weekend near Cologne, with a friend and her parents. Katrin was an exchange student who spent 6 months with my family in New Hampshire when we were in high school. It was so nice to see her and her parents again (I'd seen them one other time ... in 1995). And they were such gracious hosts! We had lots of good food and good wine. (from the photo below, you see that the area is surrounded by vineyards). We went for a long bike ride and a drive in the mountains, and Katrin and I walked along the path through the vineyards. It was a wonderful weekend, and I continue to send a big VIELEN DANK to them all!

Barcelona Pictures

As promised ... some pictures from our wonderful long weekend in Barcelona:

The Arc del Triomf

Modernista building by Gaudi

Philipp on the outdoor escalators in Parc Montjuic (Palau Nacional in background)

Sagrada Familia



Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor (Church of the Sacred Heart), on Tibidabo

Torre Agbar

Barcelona Marathon: Race Report

(photos to come soon)

What a fabulous day in Barcelona! I had an amazing time discovering this beautiful city, enjoyed a very well-organized race, and hit a new PR of 3:55:32! So now, while I’m still hobbling around, I’ll try to remember the details of this amazing experience.

Registration: Easy on-line registration in Spanish, Catalan, English or French. 40 euros, if I remember correctly, and a fairly lenient cancellation policy. No medical certificate required.

The Expo: Great volunteer support to welcome you and answer questions. Lots of staff / volunteers spoke English, but not all the exhibitors (including from Runner’s World). :( Zero lines at packet pick-up, even at peak times. Technical t-shirt. Optional name bib provided to all runners. Pasta party is free and open to runners’ family. Atmosphere very friendly. Pretty standard exhibitors – lots of European marathons to make me dream of my next one, as well as shoe / apparel / fuel vendors. There was an area set up for press conferences / presentations, but I didn’t see a schedule of events. (but I didn’t ask, either)

The Start: Map of start / finish area from web site very clear (expo was at the same site), all areas well-marked. Rather long lines at the porta-potties 30 minutes before start. They turned the fountains on along the street a few minutes before start, which was cool. I didn’t understand the announcements before the start, but I figure they were the standard welcome and introductions. I would have liked some good motivating music to get things going, but there was none, except for a couple minutes of opera. (huh?) I was disappointed by the actual start, because I missed it. I didn’t hear a 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... or a gun or anything. No applause or cheers from the runners, either. The crowd just started moving forward, and I looked ahead and saw that the clock had started. Rather anti-climatic.

The Route: We started at Plaça de Espanya, where there was a lot of crowd support. Throughout the course, there were pockets of supporters, but there were definitely places with no one, too. I think this is pretty par for the course with smaller marathons; I believe there were around 9,000 runners. There were a couple places where the route was not really marked (no blue line), but as a middle-of-the-pack runner, I had no fears of getting lost.

The actual course is beautiful. See it here. We ran past (and through) so many famous landmarks of the city ... the Olympic Stadium, Sagrada Familia, Torre Agbar, along the Mediterranean and under the Arc de Triomph. My personal favorite moment of the course was crossing a bridge around km 30-31, and suddenly seeing the beautiful Mediterranean in front of me. The breeze was refreshing, and just what I needed as the temperatures began to rise. It’s a good thing there are so many tall buildings in Barcelona, because it helped to have the shade when possible, too. Finished by running between the two towers back at Plaça de Espanya ... Magnificent!

Runner Support: Frequent water / Powerade stations, always well-stocked. (at least through the middle of the pack ... I don’t know what they were like after I passed.) Volunteers were attentive, friendly and supportive. They gave full bottles of water and Powerade, so I was almost never without a bottle in my hand. Some sponge stations, too – but one ran out before I got there, and another was so short (only 2 tables) that I missed it, thinking there were more tables ahead, but there weren’t.

Barcelona: If you go, plan to stay a few days, because there is so much to do, and so many sights to see! It really is a beautiful city, with wide avenues for strolling and shopping, old areas with narrow cobblestone streets, diverse architecture, the mountains, the sea, the sun, ... Transportation on the metro is easy and inexpensive; we got three-day passes that covered both metro and bus. Unfortunately, the bus was rather confusing: there are a million different lines, many of which go in little loops but not from one place to another, and we never figured out why our passes were good on the red buses but not the yellow ones. It was also very difficult to locate a map that had all the bus lines and stops labeled. The only other negative thing I can say about the city is that I was quite surprised at the number of areas in the city that smell like sewers. I don’t know if it has anything to do with the number of building sites in progress, but it was strange for what is, despite its rich history – a modern city.

Running my own race: A new mantra came out of this marathon: “run your own race”. It was my fourth marathon, and the first time I’d really trained with a specific speed goal in mind. (under 4 hours) I was really aware of my pace this time, and kept reminding myself to stay steady, and not go out too fast. When runners passed me and I wanted to speed up, I just told myself, “run your own race”. And in the end, I passed around 1,200 runners. (cool!) It helped to know that I was around three minutes ahead of goal from early on in the race. For the first 20 miles or so, this was like a safety blanket ... even if my pace slowed, I still had a buffer zone. I passed the 4 hour pace group around mile 11 (I think) and that was another confidence boost for me. As long as they didn’t pass me, I should be OK.

I was really good about hydrating, because I knew the temps were going to rise. It was a clear morning and an 8:30 start, so I could pretty much count on it being hot when I finished. I had 7 Powerbar gels with me, and I ate every one. (I was so happy to buy them at the expo, because I can’t get them in my city, and the French ones I put up with during my training are really gross.) I had the first one about 30 minutes before the start, and then one every 35-40 minutes throughout. I had one at 3:20, and found that I still had one left, so I ate it at 3:40, to give me one last boost to the end. As I headed into the last several kilometers, I started telling myself to just keep going at this pace, and I would rock my goal. It would all be over in 30 minutes ... in 10 minutes ... so just keep going. When I spotted the towers of the Plaça de Espanya ahead, I knew the finish was close. What a great motivator! The clock was at 3:59 as I crossed the finish (it’s tough to have an up-hill stretch at the end), but my chip time was 3:55:32! This cut 17 minutes off my previous PR! I’m definitely proud of this one. Now, suddenly, that BQ is starting seem more attainable! And I’m starting to think about where my fifth marathon will be.

You meet 'em wherever you go!

If you're reading this blog, chances are you know me ... and you probably know that after college, I spent two years traveling with Up With People. The first year I was a participant in the program, which included international travel and home stays, volunteer work and a Broadway-style musical performance. The second year, I worked as a North American Admissions Representative, and recited those words several thousand times in presentations and interviews!

The Up With People theme song begins like this:

"Up, Up With People!
You meet 'em wherever you go.
Up, Up With People!
They're the best kind of folks you know.
If more people were for people, all people everywhere
There'd be a lot less people to worry about, and a lot more people who care!"

So did you catch the second line? In UWP we joke that "you meet'em wherever you go" because with over 17,000 alumni (that was 10 years ago ... there are surely more than 20,000 now!) worldwide, you do run into them often!

I had what I thought was a pretty good example of this following a train trip across Germany in 2002, when I was headed to Prague to start my teaching job there. I'd reserved a seat on the train, and was seated next to an elderly man that turned out to be the grandfather of a girl I'd traveled with in my cast.

But then, last Wednesday, I got a new story ...

It was an ordinary day. In the afternoon, I headed to Ecolangues, one of the schools where I teach English to professional adults. Shortly after I arrived, Fabrice (the director) showed up with his little granddaughter ... he was babysitting for the day. I said hello, and went back to preparing for my student.

After my class, I headed out to the parking lot across the street. I noticed a man and a woman at a nearby car getting a baby in her car seat, but it didn't register until I backed out of my spot that the man was Fabrice. I put down the window to wish him a good evening, and he said he wanted to introduce me to his daughter, because she'd spent some time in America, when she traveled with a group called Up With People ... and had I heard of it?

I thought it was a pretty cool coincidence that his daughter had travelled with UWP, too, but that was nothing compared to the surprise I felt when I saw her turn around. It was Severine! The only French cast member of our group of 170 people! We couldn't believe it! We'd traveled together in the same cast 10 years ago, but hadn't had any contact since. I didn't remember that she lived in Angers, because the city didn't mean anything to me at the time. We weren't particularly friends during our year -- each of us with different circles of friends -- but that didn't minimize the happiness we felt to see each other again!

We chatted about the few cast members each of us still keeps in contact with, and about what we're up to these days, and promised to get together for a coffee someday. I don't know if and when we will, but we both have a great "you meet 'em wherever you go" story now!

Memories of Berlin

It's been a week since Philipp and I arrived back in Angers, and I figured it was about time that I got my act together and updated my blog. So let's travel back to six weeks ago, when we packed our bags (Philipp did his in an amazing flurry in just 30 minutes!) and took the night train to Berlin!

Although I've travelled all over Germany both with Up With People and on my own, I'd never been to Berlin. Philipp was there over 20 years ago, when the city was obviously much different. For him, that trip had been in the making for ten years, because it was then (30 years ago!) that Philipp's parents welcomed their first international students into their home. Two young Germans -- Gerd and Alfred -- came to study French, and in the process became a part of the Cosneau family. We were so happy to have the opportunity to spend time with Gerd, his wife Gabby and their daughter, Danielle.


We arrived in Berlin, tired from the train ride but ready to explore the city. In the course of our four days there, we explored several areas of the city, visiting monuments and parks, taking a boat ride, and discovering (or rediscovering) a beautiful and dynamic city. I was very impressed with the greenness of the city, and how calm it is. Gerd and his family live in the city center, but their street is as calm as any rural neighborhood.


Our hosts were gracious from the very beginning, when Gerd met us at the train station and took us back to their flat for a delicious German breakfast. We stopped for fresh bread and basil on the way. I love German bread! And I loved having the excuse of fueling up for the marathon to eat a lot of it! Gabby had prepared an amazing feast: breads, croissants, jams, honey, Nutella, turkey salami, cheeses, tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, fresh mozzarella and basil, coffee, tea, ... I thought it interesting that they always started with the sweet toppings for their bread and had savory toppings after, because I preferred it the other way round. But one time, I ate so much bread and cheese that I didn't have any room for bread with Nutella. They told us that they didn't usually eat such an extensive breakfast, and I understand why ... it was so good ... I always wanted to eat more!



Sunday morning, we got up and out to the starting line for the Berlin Marathon! I was a bit nervous, as I always am before a race. And as is usual for me with marathons, I begin to wonder why I got myself into this situation ... thinking about the hours of running that are ahead of me. But soon the excitement takes over and pushes out all my anxiety. The music ... the people ... the idea that 40,000 runners and a million spectators are all coming together to celebrate this event is overwhelming.


The race itself was fabulous. I found that Berlin was better prepared for the crowds of runners than Paris, where some water stops had run out, and at times we were forced to walk when the roads narrowed and the runners created a traffic jam. The avenues were wide, lined with so many supporters! Apparently a lot of Danish runners do Berlin because there were Danish flags everywhere. (I only saw two American flags during the whole race.) My supporters were in two teams: Philipp and Gerd, and Gabby and Danielle. In all, I think I saw them about seven times throughout the race, as they dashed on metro and bikes to spot me at various places throughout the city. I wrote the miles on my arm so I'd know at what point to look for them. This was a huge support for me. It was emotional to run through the Brandenburg Gate just before the finish line. Here's a picture of me, just before I finished (in 4:19:48) --

Our entire long weekend in Berlin was wonderful. Danke Shoen to Gerd, Gabby and Danielle for making it so memorable!

Where in the World is Kerry ???

I'm sorry I haven't written anything in so long! I've been travelling (Angers - Berlin - Paris - Cincinnati - Virginia - South Carolina - Cincinnati). I've been running (4:19:48 in the Berlin Marathon!). I've been going to weddings (Vivian and John on October 7th, Jodi and Neil on October 13th). And I've been preparing (Philipp and I will have our American wedding on November 3rd). So although I'd love to show pictures of my adventures, tell stories of all I've seen and done, it will have to wait until things calm down a bit.

Thanks for visiting my blog ... be sure to check back ... but not too soon. ;)