Xena: A Mermaid, Vikings and uhh Legos??

[Xena]

I’m off to Denmark for a few days for work, so I’m vaguely building my challenge around mermaids, Vikings and all things stereotypically Danish.

It’s another weird challenge running-wise. I have a marathon at the end of Week 3, so a mileage goal doesn’t really make sense. The mileage takes care of itself. This marathon is again more of a fun trip and build-up toward a focal event in May.

 

1.       Vikings are strong! Basically I want to get back to regular strength training. With my travel and race schedule, I think I’ll only get to the gym twice (W2, W3), but I have a total of 8 strength workouts scheduled starting in Zero Week. [Full credit: Gym twice, 8 total workouts at least 20 minutes, not counting stretching]

 

2.       The Little Mermaid looks off into the distance: I'll cover that distance with 7 key runs. 2 interval workouts (6 miles including 4-5x800), 2 mid-distance runs with a tempo mile thrown in, 2 20-milers (second one is after the marathon and is a slow run-walk), 1 marathon. These workouts are my training priority. I will do them and will rearrange as necessary to fit them in. [Full credit: Do all 7 runs to the best of my ability]

 

3.       Legos (also Danish!) are perfectly aligned: Yoga with focus on mobility for running. I have a plan that generally includes Monday post-run yoga, a few quick post-run stretches, a few mobility exercise to add to strength workouts, and 3 planned yoga classes (this can get skipped within reason…I know what’s reasonable…for example substituting a hike for the yoga class). [Full credit: 3 yoga classes, 3 Monday yoga…or reasonable excuses…the rest of the goal won’t be officially graded]

 

4.       Danes are among the happiest people on earth…so here is my vaguely Scandinavian scavenger hunt list.  I realize some of this is very silly. [Full credit: something in each category and 8 points total]

a.       Look like a Dane: Get highlights and/or make an attempt at Eurostyle. Can count up to one point per week here. This one reminds me of @Stribs's eyeliner/eyeshadow goals :-)

b.       Plan my return: I’m hoping to do a backpacking trip in Norway (perhaps this summer, but I need to start planning)! Read Norway travel info; make any kind of actual progress (e.g., book a ticket and/or hotel/shelter). [p.s. I realize that Norway and Denmark are completely different places, but close enough for a challenge theme]

c.       Hygge: Spring decorating…table, mantle, flowers etc, have a “home spa day” (takes about half a day…I have a ritual of sorts), make gravlox

 

By the way...I've noticed the little mermaid is kind of slouching. And if she twisted a bit more, it would be a decent hip stretch.

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

Following along again for Viking Mermaids.

(I only had to go to the fourth row of Google Image search to find this)

[Novaurora]

On the follow!!!

[jonfirestar]

Following along! 

 

 

[Terra]

This is lovely!  And I can't wait to see what you do for hygge!

[Echoceanic]

I like how you have all your bases covered.

[NeverThatBored]

Wow, that mermaid IS totally slouching. What a strange choice by the artist.

 

Following! 

[Terra]

I might be borrowing the idea of incorporating hygge into my challenge...  

[Xena]

19 hours ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Following along again for Viking Mermaids.

(I only had to go to the fourth row of Google Image search to find this)

see next response

12 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

Following along! 

 

 

 

You two are awesome! I love the fusion pics :-)

 

1 hour ago, Terra said:

I might be borrowing the idea of incorporating hygge into my challenge...  

I love the idea of hygge, and I know it’s been discussed on your thread a fair bit, especially with some ideas from Katrin. I’m kind of using it as an umbrella for a lot of things, but I guess that’s what I like about it. I use it to encompass all the things that make me feel safe and cosy in my little space.

 

1 hour ago, NeverThatBored said:

Wow, that mermaid IS totally slouching. What a strange choice by the artist.

I read a little about the statue. The artist used a famous ballerina as the model, but she didn’t agree to pose nude, so he used his wife to model the body. Maybe she was slouching because she was a little discouraged about being the second choice. And, uh, maybe mermaids have trouble sitting upright when weighed down by the full force of gravity :-)

Today was a full-on snow day!! Luckily I’ve kept power, so it’s been pretty fun. A nice way to catch up on some work and have a quiet day at home. Still got a lot to go on my sushi list from last month, but have knocked off a couple items recently: scheduled a mammogram and read some articles about business leadership and mentoring. Next on the list is to clean the bathroom floor (ugh).

Pre-challenge-wise, I did some strength work at home today followed by some stretching. It was enough of a blizzard that I didn’t think running was a very good idea. We’ll see if I can get out tomorrow.

[Novaurora]

22 minutes ago, Xena said:

I read a little about the statue. The artist used a famous ballerina as the model, but she didn’t agree to pose nude, so he used his wife to model the body. Maybe she was slouching because she was a little discouraged about being the second choice. And, uh, maybe mermaids have trouble sitting upright when weighed down by the full force of gravity :-)

The story is actually really sad too, so the position of defeat makes sense.  My mom's family is originally from Denmark, so my grandparents would scar me on the reg with the "real" Hans Christian Anderson versions of fairytales.  

 

Glad you had a good snow day, even if you couldn't go for your run.

 

[DarK_RaideR]

If you're in Copenhagen, make sure you don't miss the Glyptotheke (Sculpture museum)!

[Morag]

OH SHOOT

Where are you in Denmark and from when to when? I live an hour or so south of the border

Shoot me a message, please.

 

[Xena]

1 hour ago, DarK_RaideR said:

If you're in Copenhagen, make sure you don't miss the Glyptotheke (Sculpture museum)!

 

That's the top recommendation my friend sent me. He said the cafe there is lovely too!

[DarK_RaideR]

14 minutes ago, Xena said:

That's the top recommendation my friend sent me. He said the cafe there is lovely too!

Indeed, and so are the exhibits. Can't find my photo of it right now, so Google will have to do:

[Rinna]

11 hours ago, Stribs said:

scar me on the reg with the "real" Hans Christian Anderson versions of fairytales.  

 

    So not happily ever after.

[Xena]

Work was closed again today due to power outages. I was super lucky and didn't lose power at all. It meant I got to catch up on all kinds of things while sitting home in my pajamas. With all the crap I had to do, I don't know how I would have survived without the snow days!

 

A little sore from my venture back into strength training (love/hate relationship with windmills....If I'm not careful about alignment, they overwork my lower back, but then I think the lower back could probably use the work anyway...). Going to do some kind of yin/restorative yoga before bed. And definitely running tomorrow.

 

Didn't really exercise, but I did sign up for three races today :-)

[NightWatcher13]

Sweet! Have fun in Europe, and with the snow days at home  Somehow we've only gotten a dusting here the past couple of days, so no school cancellations here.

 

I'm loving the Danish folklore theme. Also, viking women FTW. Those were some epic (and terrifying) folks - and apparently on top of everything else, they had full control over household finances 'cause viking men thought we had some sort of money magic.

8 minutes ago, Xena said:

Work was closed again today due to power outages. I was super lucky and didn't lose power at all. It meant I got to catch up on all kinds of things while sitting home in my pajamas. With all the crap I had to do, I don't know how I would have survived without the snow days!

 

A little sore from my venture back into strength training (love/hate relationship with windmills....If I'm not careful about alignment, they overwork my lower back, but then I think the lower back could probably use the work anyway...). Going to do some kind of yin/restorative yoga before bed. And definitely running tomorrow.

 

Didn't really exercise, but I did sign up for three races today :-)

More races!!! Are they the online do-them-when-you-can type?

And careful with the overworking of the lower back - if they're hurting because you're not in alignment while you're doing them, they're probably putting more strain on the joints and ligaments in your lower back rather than strengthening the muscles :/

[Xena]

9 hours ago, NightWatcher13 said:

More races!!! Are they the online do-them-when-you-can type?

 

Nah. One is a local low-key trail race in April that I can use for training. It's a marathon that takes 4 loops. Because it's very cheap and I'm using it for training, I don't feel bad if I drop out after 3 (that's what I did last year). I'm training for a super nerdy local event (so small and unofficial that I can't even call it a race). "Last man standing" format. 1 loop of the trail (~3.6 miles) every hour starting on the hour until you can't do it anymore. Last year I got 12 loops. I think I could potentially do significantly more.

 

The second is a half marathon on trail out in Western Massachussetts. I did it several years ago and it was really fun. ~3 miles pretty steeply up, next 3 miles pretty steeply down, and then the rest of it rolling. It's fun. The third one is a marathon in October (Crazy Horse, South Dakota). The October marathon is one of my three focal races for the year (along with the last man standing race above and a trail ultra in early November).

 

9 hours ago, NightWatcher13 said:

And careful with the overworking of the lower back - if they're hurting because you're not in alignment while you're doing them, they're probably putting more strain on the joints and ligaments in your lower back rather than strengthening the muscles :/

 

You are completely right of course! I watched some form videos last night. I have a pretty good idea where I went wrong. I'll be able to practice them unweighted while I'm traveling.

[Infinity.Creates]

Mermaids and Denmark! Sounds like an amazing trip,

[jonfirestar]

22 hours ago, Xena said:

Last year I got 12 loops. I think I could potentially do significantly more.

My money is on you getting at least 14 laps this year  That event always sounds so fun and amazing. 

[MattSkywalker]

Yay, another running fellow. Following!

[Xena]

13 hours ago, IAmInfinite said:

Mermaids and Denmark! Sounds like an amazing trip,

 

So far so good! Gonna try running out to the statue tomorrow (only down side is that it's gonna be coooold!)

 

5 hours ago, jonfirestar said:

My money is on you getting at least 14 laps this year  That event always sounds so fun and amazing. 

 

Definitely gunning for 14! It's such a fun and weird event. Just a few people spending a LOT of time together on the trail.

 

1 hour ago, MattSkywalker said:

Yay, another running fellow. Following!

 

You can follow, lead, or run alongside...either way, another runner is always welcome.

===========

 

Yesterday I tried running from home with aspirations of throwing in a couple half-mile repeats. Unfortunately it was completely icy on the bike path. I turned around after 0.3 miles and almost went straight home. Then I realized that it was just the bike path that was icy and I had no excuse not to run on the road. Got in 3.5 miles. Not as far as I originally intended, but farther than if I had quit after the icy bit.

 

Oh man...with the time difference I'm confused!!! Ok, later yesterday I was traveling and stopped for a bite at McD's...haven't had that for a while and was reminded of @peelout

 

Flew a redeye to Denmark. Saw a mini version of the little mermaid at the airport...will take a cheesy selfie on the way home :-)

So my "dress like a Dane" joke goal ended up being useful [from an article I found that gave some stereotypes of Danish fashion]. I threw my giant bulky sweater in my bag at the last minute because it was prominent in the little article I read. It turned out it is FREAKING FREEZING HERE!!! That scarf was a lifesaver!

I have seen a couple of the super high-on-the-head bun hairstyles and lots of very tight jeans. But the monochromatic black dressing seems to be over-reported.

I didn't do too much today. Had to wait really long to check into my hotel (gonna take a shower, and do some yoga and bodyweight stuff after getting offline). Was super-tired early in the day and guessing tomorrow morning will be rough. But I'm gonna hit my top two tourist goals tomorrow :-)

 

[Maigs]

I'm so jealous of your trip. Have fun!

[MattSkywalker]

On 3/16/2018 at 4:00 PM, Xena said:

Unfortunately it was completely icy on the bike path. I turned around after 0.3 miles and almost went straight home. Then I realized that it was just the bike path that was icy and I had no excuse not to run on the road. Got in 3.5 miles.

 

Way to go, that's the spirit! I will store this example in my mind to draw upon when the lazy me starts getting too much power.

[Xena]

I had some adventures today. It is still REALLY cold (not so much the temperature, but the icy wind). I decided to start with the Glyptotek (art museum mostly known for sculpture). I saw a mermaid (spoiler alert: It turned out to be the only one I would see today).

 

 

I decided to play a little game looking for a "Ravenclaw eagle" (for the Ranger mini), but the best I could do was a valkrie:

 

 

In the Degas sculpture exhibit I saw some good reminders of stretches I should be doing...plus one more from the Egyptian area.

 

 

2 hours ago, MattSkywalker said:

 

Way to go, that's the spirit! I will store this example in my mind to draw upon when the lazy me starts getting too much power.

 

...Thanks, but I almost chickened out today. It was COLD!! But roused myself out the door to try a run toward the little mermaid (supposed to be ~5 miles round-trip). I looked at the directions and it seemed easy (reality check: It is easy, I just have a bad sense of direction). Unfortunately I made a wrong turn and got confused. My iphone cut out pretty quickly (they are rubbish in the cold). I should have brought a paper map with me! Finally gave up and asked for a pointer back toward my hotel. Ran for a while...was about to go inside a hotel for some more direcitons, but found a bus stop with a helpful map. Ran somewhere between 6 and 7 miles, I think...Garmin cut out a bit after 5. So the Little Mermaid will wait till tomorrow. I know now where I went wrong, and I'm bringing the paper map with me tomorrow!!!

 

On the plus, I did find a "Ravenclaw Eagle" (of sorts)

 

Went out for a fantastic dinner! Super savory chicken entree. Was really lucky...because I was by myself they squeezed me in at the bar that overlooks the kitchen (avoiding a 1.5 hour wait). Toward the end of dinner, two Danish women next to me struck up a conversation (I even asked about hygge...and learned how to pronounce it!). That was great to talk to some local people about Denmark etc. (I'll get to talk to more once I go to Roskilde, but those will be colleagues so it will be more work-related).