One Day in Edinburgh Scotland

Edinburgh Scotland was the first stop on my trip to Scotland. Unfortunately, I only had one day in this booming city. It certainly was not enough time, but I was able to see some of the mail highlights. This quaint little street view is that of the little B&B I stayed in, about a 2 miles from one of the major attractions. It was kind of a nightmare to find, but the staff was friendly, the room was cozy, and I'd stay here again.
The first stop on our busy day was Holyrood Palace. This is the official home of the British monarch, who resides here the month of June every summer. For a summer home, it was quite lovely. Of course the ground were beautiful, and the palace well kept. As it turns out, the famous Mary Queen of Scots lived here for some time as well.

Before entering into the palace, we came across Queen Mary's Bath House, protruding over the sidewalk. We were not able to go inside, but such a random, historic item had to be photographed.


Once we reached the entry to the palace, we of course did more picture taken. No photos are allowed on the inside of course, and the photo's probably wouldn't have turned out very well anyway. Those old buildings never have the best lighting.

 Attached to the palace is Holyrood Abbey. This beautiful place was sadly destroyed in a fire long ago. But the ruins are still quite lovely to wander through, with some great photo opportunities. I need to learn how to become a professional photographer.



       

After seeing the abbey, we had to explore the beautiful 10 acre grounds. Every summer, the Queen has an annual garden party here. Lovely.

Because we had gotten to this palace right when it opened, we were lucky enough to enjoy the bulk of tourists. If you can ever be the first at a sight, do it. It was wonderful to wander through without the hordes of people helping you to develop claustrophobia.

From here, walked along the Royal Mile up the endless incline through the major touristy area of the city. There were lovely shops, pubs and random things to see along the way. We even passed through St. Giles Cathedral along the way. I might have snuck a quick picture of their beautiful stained glass windows too. I've traveled to a few old churches throughout Europe, and seen my share of stained glass windows. I'd have to say that those in Scotland are by far the most beautiful I've ever seen.

From there, we proceeded to the top of the mile for the show stopper. Edinburgh Castle. This place is always crowded. I'm glad we were here AFTER the busy touristy season. It was still crowded, and very cold. The wind up here easily cuts through all your layers of clothing.

Turns out, this castle is a military fortress, as opposed to a royal residence. The Castle has 3 separate gates, and different levels to protect in times of siege and battle. This castle is also considered to have been the most attacked castle in Europe, having been sieged at least 26 times. It is still used for military operations and offices today.

 

Of course, you can't forget to take a quick peak at the conditions for the prisoners of war. This was day one in Scotland.

Running the Loch Ness Marathon

 
I did it. I survived the Loch Ness Marathon in Scotland, and can make another check mark on my list of international marathons completed. Of course there was more to this trip that just the race, but that was certainly one of the highlights for me.

That probably sounds crazy. And yes, I did get my picture taken with Nessie. She's out there somewhere.

Where do I start to talk about the marathon? In the morning, all runners had to catch the bus at about 7am. We were then transported to the start of the marathon, which was about a 45 minute drive. You get off the bus, and are surrounded by nothing but nature. Seriously. No towns, no people (other than the runners and race organizers), and a few sheep. Even if you wanted to back out of the race, there was no where to go for miles. Kind of a genius idea.

Race morning was freezing. Once we were dropped at the starting line, the wind picked up and got even colder. An hour of standing in the cold is no fun under any circumstance. They did have hot tea and coffee available to kill time and help warm, but it was still bitter cold.
 
 About 4,500 people from all over the world ran this course.

As the race commenced, we were serenaded by a band of bagpipes. Then we were off. The course went along a 2 lane windy road, up and down the hills, all around Loch Ness. The weather turned out to be perfect. Sunny, blue skies, a nice cool breeze, and highs in the 60's made this a perfect running day. The race was well organized, people were friendly, and the scenery just picturesque.








Now, I was pretty nervous about the race. Training did not go well by any means, especially through a triple digit southern summer. I wasn't sure how this would go. Surprisingly, I felt great the entire time. A few blood blisters formed on my toes, but once they popped I felt much better. I knew I was not prepared for the hills of this race, but I didn't realize how underprepared I was. So many more hills than people let on.

Because this route is a bit remote, spectators can't really cheer you on until the last few miles when you enter the town of Inverness. Yet every little dwelling we passed by throughout the day, people were outside their doors cheering us on. Scottish people are so great! There were a few motivational signs along the way, but mostly I just loved being out in nature. Best part, no mosquitos!!!! Not one mosquito bite! I think I might move there just for that. I sang along to my ipod, I ran and walked, and I just enjoyed the moment.

Then I hit mile 21, and I was ready to be done. My calves started stiffening, my blisters were killing, and I sick of  all the hills. Those last few miles felt like an eternity, but not nearly as long as that last one. Anyone who's done a marathon knows the final stretch seems endless. Luckily, the crowd is the biggest at the end. It's hard to not feel motivated when lots of people are screaming for you to keep going.

Finally, the finish line was there and I could stop running. Yay! Once I got my medal, I headed straight for the portaloos. Hours of drinking lots of water had finally caught up to me.
So far, this is my favorite race to have done, despite the fact it was my worst time ever for doing a marathon. Even though I wasn't prepared, this is probably the prettiest course to do. I hope someday to do it again, this time more prepared for those blasted hills. And I even have bragging rights. How many people can say they ran the Loch Ness Marathon?

Next on the list in 2016, Athens Greece. Will I make it? Only the funds will tell.

Less Than Two Weeks Away

It's here it's here it's here!!!

My crazy, marathon running in Europe trip is here faster than I can believe! Am I ready? Not at all.

I leave for Scotland in less than two weeks, determined to run a marathon. This will be marathon number 3, and I've never felt so unprepared in my life. Training for a race in the south during the summertime, with horrendous heat and humidity, has been beyond terrible. I wish, more than you can ever know, that I could stand to run on a treadmill in the air conditioning. I just can't do it.

So I've been up at 4am, drenched in humidity, and covered from head to toe in mosquito bites. And I've never felt so unprepared in my life. Running has been a struggle, combined with a common running injury that involves a lot of low back pain and physical therapy. This race will be the biggest adventure ever. I know exactly what I'm getting into, and I'm nervous.

In the end, I refuse to back out now. So ready or not, here I come Scotland. No matter what happens, it will be an adventure. And who knows? Maybe I'll discover my super power in the process.

Australian Parks

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The last day spent in Australia was reserved mainly for seeing the parks and gardens of the city. There were so many of them, all beautifully maintained. Across the street from our hotel was a beautiful little place that I could go running in. The weather was beautiful and it was a lovely end to an amazing trip. I will just let the pictures speak for themselves.