"Enjoy your nasty body"

Big showdown with my personal trainer A. He is not my trainer any longer. We had an argument about the price tag/conditions for his workout, text messages were going back and forth. What happened was that he started to ask me to bring him new clients so that “they pay for what I can’t pay for”. That is ridiculous though because we had a deal to work out for a month twice a week for a certain amount of money and we both agreed on that deal – there was no talking about the obligation to bring him new costumers, I am not a recruiter. I was really disappointed but also I got mad. It is one thing if you are a d*** during class but outside of class, I do ask for a little respect and a decent trainer-client relationship. Anyway, we argued back and forth and at some point I said that I don’t want to discuss this via text message because it is not going anywhere. He then said

“No redone to talk about it in person ‘cause we just talked about it.”

That really pissed me off. He cannot avoid a face-to-face conversation if I am asking for one, after all, I am the paying client and again it is a matter of respect and good manners. So for me – although I have paid in advance for a full month - our trainer-client relationship was finished. 3 days later, I get another text message:

“What day were you thinking for this week Sue?”

Seriously? Sure, just pretend that nothing happened!

“Hey A., based on our last interaction, I think it is best if we leave it as is. I am really disappointed. It’s unfortunate because I think you are a great trainer but I have to be able to trust you as a client and it seems like your conditions for the workout have changed. Take care, I am sure I’ll see you around. Sue”

Well I thought that was fairly friendly from my side. But now see what his reply was. Sit down before you read this…

“I think it’s safe to say that I won’t be dating or marrying a German woman. Way too weak mentally!! If you see me in the street you don’t know me. Enjoy your nasty body ;)”

WTF???? You gotta be kidding me! FYI, I wasn't planning on dating you either. Sorry to all German woman out there, you just all lost your chance to date this guy because of me...(you can thank me later). And I wonder who the weak person is in this case. Many things I could throw back but I won't, I am taking the high road.

Trainer, I think we are done. Game over. I will "pant and touch myself" as much as I want in the future. I can take a lot but I do have a little bit of dignity and pride, there is no need to get personal. And hell yes, I do enjoy my "nasty body" quite a bit!

jump - run - jump - run - jump - run -...

Yesterday, I started the day with 6 am Basic Training class. We worked out with Jenn at Fillmore Street. It is a tough hill but it wasn’t too bad as we were also running stairs and not just the hill. It was a great workout. I was quite busy at work and I worked all day before I met with A.T. in the evening for another workout.

Honestly, I was really scared to work out with him again, last time was really tough… This time, I worked out together with Ryan and Paul, so the atmosphere was different (more friendly). The workout was great. Although, when I think about it, people watching me must think I am nuts for doing this workout. We started with stretching and some agility exercises for “quick feet”. He lined up app. 20 cones for different exercises. The funny thing is that if you mess up at cone 18, you do it again. And again. And again… he is very consequent when it comes to educating people (in terms of paying attention, listening and focusing). Last time when we did the cones he told us to NOT start before the person in front of you has reached the last cone. As I got in trouble for an early start last time, I waited patiently this time.

“So now please tell me, what are YOU waiting for???”

“well last time you told me to…” (oops. I was confused...)

“Last time is in the PAST. This is not the PAST. This is NOW. You have got to let go the past.”

“OK.”

“Last time when we worked out it was sunny, but it is the PAST. Today it’s chilly, that’s NOW.”

“OK, I get it, ok!”

“You gotta let go the past!!”

“OOOOKKKKK, got it!!!”

Arrrgh! Take-home message: do NOT argue with Alhaji… Then my “main program” began: jump rope. Ugh. Me and the jump rope... I am not really good at it. Of course, it wasn’t just jumping rope – every time I messed up with the jump rope, I had to do 10 push ups. Then 10 crunches. Then 10 squats. Then 10 lunges. Each jump-rope interval was approximately 3-4 minutes long and in between, I had to run to a stop light that was approximately 200 m away. And jump rope again. Run. Jump rope. Run. Jump rope. Run….I guess you get the picture. Overall, I did 40 “punishment push ups”, 20 “punishment crunches”, 30 squats and 20 lunges *sigh* that’s how bad I am at jumping rope…haha. Well, at some point even 10 “punishment squats” felt like a nice break from all the jumping… I then did 100 (!) toe touches (for the abs) and 20 “Russian Twists” followed by 20 more squats with a 20 lbs kettlebell. He also made me do the “upswing”-highbar-exercise again. Last time, he had me try 30 times and I just couldn’t do it. Yesterday, I only had to do 10 but…tadaaaaa: I managed to actually do one, hurray! Sounds ridiculous but already better than last week. We did a little more agility training and a few more exercises for the abs, than I had do drag a 110 lbs disc weight across the green and back and the I was done for the day…

A.T. comes across a little harsh sometimes but I think that’s what makes me work out harder (although I do get a little pissed sometimes…). I am not even sure how much of this “meanness” is just a show, I think in fact that he is a nice guy. His workouts are incredibly hard but a ton of fun and I know he will help me to achieve my goals. And I have to admit that he is right in most of the things he says, it is more the way how he says it that I have to get used to… but I am a tough one and I can take it, I just have to stop talking back… ;-)

Running the Nike women’s Half Marathon

Today, I ran the Nike Women’s Half Marathon. Originally I had signed up for the full marathon (it seemed like a good idea in April…) but in contrast to last year when I was running 26.2 miles and trained together with the Nike running club for months, I hardly trained long runs this year. I did a lot of bootcamp, but I didn’t run more than 7 miles since the SF half marathon in July. So I didn’t expect to break my personal record on 13.1 miles but nonetheless I wanted to run the race. It was so much fun, the race has a fantastic atmosphere. It was chilly this morning at 7 am and 2h in the race, it started raining. But by then, I was sweating a lot and I didn’t mind the rain at all. As I officially signed up for the full marathon but dropped out after 13.1 miles, I probably won’t get an official race time (because I got disqualified) but according to my stopwatch I ran it in 2:18:43h – that is 2:30 min slower than my last race. It’s a 10:35 min/mile pace (which translates in 6.5 min/km or 9.2 km/h), it’s not great but considering the huge amounts of hills it could be worse. Running past the Cliff House approaching the Great Highway around mile 8 I felt really great and I even considered running the full race for a minute, but that would have been quite stupid (in respect to injury). And with the next incline in Golden Gate Park, I quickly dropped that idea… (why does it seem to me that even if you run a loop in this park, it is always uphill…?). I want to do more speed training to eventually get closer to a 2h-half marathon time, but it won’t be easy to take 15 minutes off.

Overall, I had a fantastic day and I enjoyed every minute of the race and that’s what it is all about, right? The finisher Tiffany’s necklace looks nicer than last year’s on the first glance but if you look closer, it is really poorly processed. Oh well, at least I got one – I heard that some finishers got a 2006, 2007 or 2008 finisher necklace because they ran out of the 2010 necklace…and the design of the finisher shirt is really nice this year, too. I love racing, I still feel the rush and I want to run another race in a better time (may be a race that is less hilly…). Woot woot, I feel great!!!

"Stop panting and stop touching yourself!" (....!!!)

Yesterday, I probably had one of the hardest workouts I have ever done. I worked out with A.T., a personal trainer. He is a really cool guy and definitely kicks your butt – but for a while I thought I was in hell. For a while I also thought that he felt like being in hell, because he got really annoyed about my bad performance….But let’s start from the beginning.

We started to work out at the stairs near the Fort Mason Center, it was only our second session. Next to the stairs is a steep sand hill and with a wall at the top of the hill, so it’s a great workout location. We walked up the stairs carrying 2x 15 lbs kettle balls and started with some kettle ball swings. We ran down and sprinted up the hill in the sand. Followed by more kettle ball exercises. Ran down, sprinted up in the sand again. Did 10 wall jumps. Ran the hill again. More kettle ball exercises, more wall jumps, more hill sprinting. I am not exaggerating when I say my legs were burning like fire, it was painful and jumping up the wall gave me the rest…I was breathing really heavy (oh well, not a surprise, right?) and he kept saying “Shut your mouth!” and “Your panting like a dog, shut your mouth!”. I didn’t even have the air to argue but I REALLY NEEDED TO BREATH through my mouth, my heart rate was up to 200… A. got really mad at me but I got really mad at him because I needed to breath or otherwise I would have collapsed; but he thought I am “breathing the wrong way” and that I was panting... people passing us listening our dispute gave me this pitiful look shaking their heads (like “girl, why the hell are you doing this…?”). When we ran up the sand hill another time I tripped and fell. He said “Stop touching the ground” (hey, I was falling on the floor, I didn’t touch it on purpose!) and as I was wiping off the dirt he said “and stop touching yourself! Shut your mouth, you are panting again.” Jesus Christ! And the one that was the hardest to take was “You are not a trainer, aren’t you?” Great. No I am not, but I am working so hard to reach my goals. That was a slap in my face. But guess what, I am not giving up because I know that I have it in me! I need some time but I will make my dreams come true. I thought he might jump in his car and take off, he was clearly annoyed (not to mention that I messed up almost all kettle ball exercises… I guess I was more focused on my breathing and on "not touching anything" rather than on holding a perfect squat with a straight back…).

We worked out at the Marina pull up bars afterwards. He showed me an exercise that I couldn’t do – I don’t have the strength to do it (it was something similar to an upstart on a horizontal bar). He made me try 30 times before he allowed me to stop… As he got mad again, I said “Look, I am trying, do you see this??? I am trying! But chances are, after trying 20 times, it probably won’t happen because my muscles are getting weaker with every single attempt!” and he answered: “Look around – everybody is trying, everybody! Stop trying and start DOING it! JUST DO IT!” *Sigh* (later he admitted that he stole that slogan from Nike...I suspected that anyway...). We did push ups, crunches and exercises for the legs, it was the most serious and crazy workout I have ever done. At some point he wanted a "Yes or No answer" from me but I needed to say more than "Yes". As he wouldn't let say more than "yes" I started to get really frustrated so I started yelling "Can I actually say something PLEASE???". He started laughing and said "Is that how people communicate in Germany?" Haha. Sure, we are usually yelling (just like in WWII movies...).

When you read this post it is probably hard to believe that I tolerated all the insults and actually paid for it, too. I wouldn’t say it was exactly fun but I definitely felt great afterwards. I felt (and still feel) every muscle of my legs, my backand my arms. And I truly believe that he can push me to the next level. After the workout, I told him that I don’t want to feel like I am constantly failing and annoying him because that doesn’t feel too great. He said that he is not my friend, he doesn’t like email, facebook or all that kind of stuff, his job is not to be nice,we won't go for coffee, his job is to kick my butt and bring me in good shape. His mission is “to transform me in a Munich beast”… hahaha, that sounds a little dangerous! We left on good terms but I definitely have to get used to his work ethics – I don’t think I had someone talking to me like that before but I also think that this was one of the hardest and most efficient workouts I have ever done! It sounds a little sick but I am already looking forward to our next session on Tuesday!

Hitting the wall (literally)....

Today – just like on every other Friday- I went to the 6 am Basic Training class. It is hard this time of the year because it is pitch-black at 6 am in the morning and working out outdoors is definitely more fun (and less dangerous) when you actually see what you are doing. I should buy a head-lamp or something. Anyway, we ran to the Marina-pull-up bars and did a little circuit with jump ropes, tricep dips, pull ups, push ups and resistance bands (for a chest press). After doing each exercise twice, we ran to the Fort Mason Center to run up the stairs (or, to be more accurate: to run up the dirt path next to the stairs…). There is a wall at the bottom of the stairs and our task was to climb up the wall…Mission: impossible. I think the wall is approximately 2.2 m high (but I might be totally wrong with this estimation), I cannot even touch the top of the wall without jumping. So we ran towards the wall to get some momentum and some people actually managed to get over the wall…I felt more like a fly smashing against a window or something, it was hard to get a grip…but I will practice to get up this wall, it would be a great skill to have, I can’t believe that I had such a hard time. I wasn’t even close to get up there….But hey, the challenge is on! We kept on running and did some exercises for the abs and many more push ups, it was a really great and challenging workout. I stayed to assist for the 7 am class but there were only 4 people today and another assistant trainer, so instead of assisting, I took the class as well…we ran to the Crissy Field center to do some pull ups and plyometric push ups and then headed to the Lucas lagoon for many more tricep extensions, rows, hammer curls, crunches (including decline crunches…) and laps around the pond. It was fun but by 8 am, I was REALLY exhausted and incredibly thirsty. From tomorrow on, I will try to work out twice a week with Alhaji who is a personal trainer. He sent me a text message yesterday telling me to hydrate – I am scared…! I have only worked out with him once but my upper body was sore for 3 days…If I am still alive after tomorrow’s workout, I’ll let you know how it went. Happy Friday!

Back to Basic Training!

I didn’t work out as much as I wanted in Germany because of my cold…now I am back in San Francisco and can’t wait to work out again – I missed it. Alhaji Turai, the trainer that I have once met with the Basic Training instructors contacted me today to ask when we are working out again….I am not sure if I am ready for another Alhaji-workout and also, I am not sure if I will be able to afford it… But without doubt, he would bring me back in shape! But right now, I feel like Basic Training will keep me busy enough, it is already very challenging for me, I am not sure if I need an extra-trainer right now… Our workout this morning was really hard, we worked out with Jenn. It was no joke. We ran approximately 1.5 miles to a place near “la petite baleen”, which is a great place for a workout. There are many square rocks so it’s ideal for step-ups and squat-jumps, toe-taps and all other kind of stuff. We did many exercises for the legs (including endless "wall-squats" and sprints) and for the abdominal muscles, I know that I’ll be sore tomorrow. Jenn is now giving me more responsibility which is great but sometimes I wonder if I will be able to meet her expectations. I really want to be a personal trainer but I also know that I have to make major improvements in order to get there. I can’t guide a group of people where 80% are running faster than I do. I have to get faster and fitter. I think that I have neglected my rest-days as well, I will try a new strategy now. I won’t go to the Bar method as often anymore (may be twice a week) and I will try to push myself beyond my pain-threshold in Basic Training workouts more often. I really want to perform well and follow my dream. I know I can do it!

A great day in Munich

Last Saturday, I met my friends Netty and Christian from Dachau. Christian had to work on the Oktoberfest (he is a MD) so Netty and I decided to join him to stroll over the “Wiesn” and get some drinks in our favorite restaurant in Munich afterwards. The Oktoberfest was CRAZY! We arrived there around 4.30 pm and it was insane…thousands of people and pretty much everyone was drunk. Most of the beer tents had closed their doors because they had too many people in already… we didn’t go there to drink beer (we prefer cocktails… but we wanted to buy some souvenirs). It was almost stressful to be there sober, seriously…being surrounded by so many drunk people isn’t funny, particularly if you have to pay so much attention that no one burns you with a cigarette, drops some mustard on your clothes while eating a sausage or – even worse – starts vomiting next to you. We also saw a pair of jeans that had no owner (unfortunately, we didn’t see the owner who must have been “pants-less” at that point…). We escaped the Oktoberfest fairly quickly and had dinner and drinks at Joe Penas, which is our favorite place for cocktails. We picked up Christian at the Oktoberfest on our way back home and as we got there before his shift was over, we were allowed to wait in the waiting room for the medical professionals. It was so interesting to see what is happening “behind the scenes”..! If you see how many people get injured you start thinking twice whether to party at the Oktoberfest again…it’s quite scary. That night alone, almost 50 people needed to get stitches (most of them get hit by a stein)….It was a great Saturday and despite all the drunk people, it made me realize how much I miss Bavaria, its people and all its traditions. I love California but my heartbeat is still Bavarian.

Sue's bootcamp, part 1

Last Tuesday, I went for a short 5k run, I still had this annoying cold and didn’t feel all that well. When I came back, my Mom wanted me to show her some of our bootcamp exercises, since I have been talking about it non-stop. We grabbed the bikes and cycled to the park. I brought all my equipment with me – a medicine ball, a resistance band, a mat, cones, a jump-rope – everything. I found a great location in the park that was ideal for our “beginner bootcamp”. It was on a hill overlooking the lake, it had a couple of stairs, benches, poles, a curb and a stone wall (ideal for step-ups and tricep dips). My Mom had no idea what she was putting herself into and neither had I. Half of the time we had to stop exercising because we had to laugh so hard… My Mom's final conclusion was that it looks so easy when I demonstrate but it is really difficult when she actually has to do it… but overall, we got a good workout in. Since my Mom has never done such kind of workout, I also wanted to be gentle and also pay attention to her form which is probably more important than a high number of repetitions in the first class. I had a lot of fun and I think Mom did, too – she was quite sore the next day but she asked for a second workout, so I think she liked it.

The next day, my cold was getting worse (probably because I hate to rest…) but I had promised my Mom to test a new trail with her. It is a 10.5k “Nordic Walking” trail. Nordic Walking is really popular in Germany, I said I would join her on the trail but without all the Nordic walking equipment. We were only 1k into the trail when it was closed. There were signs saying “Trespassing, danger of life! Falling trees/logging.” I said “Mom, we can’t go there!” but my Mom was like “Why? I don’t hear a saw…let’s go!” and off she went. Indeed, there were no people working but the trail was completely covered with fallen trees, it was quite an adventure to climb over all those trees…and I think I got bitten by at least 5 mosquitos. After 30 minutes, we thankfully got on a “regular” trail again. I have never done Nordic Walking before, but somehow it is not my thing… it is faster than walking but slower than running, I always felt like I want to start running… but it was nice to chat and hang out with my Mom and Nuernberg’s countryside is really beautiful!

A new visa and a new hair cut!

I am still in Germany enjoying the time with my family! I did a lot less traveling than expected because I got a really bad cold. For some reason, I am never sick in San Francisco but I ALWAYS catch a cold or a virus when I see my nephew and my niece. They are both in pre-school, and I guess my immune system is not used to that kind of stress…In addition with a jet lag it’s almost certain that I get sick 72h after seeing my family…the good news is that I will live and it is worth it.

I had an appointment at the US Embassy last Monday to interview for my H1B-visa. I got an appointment at 8.00 am, which is the earliest available. Last time I had an appointment at noon and I had to wait 3h, this time I thought I am smart and avoid a long wait. I had to get up at 4.30 am to drive to Munich. I got trapped in a traffic jam on the Autobahn and arrived at the Embassy at 7.50 am… My plan to get coffee and breakfast before my appointment had to be changed then… They have security controls at the Embassy worse than at the airport. They even took my car keys away from me because no electronic items are allowed…come on, it’s a car key…! Oh well. While I was waiting in line outside the building, I met an old friend of mine, Geli, who is now working in Washington D.C.! We couldn't believe that we both came back from the States at the same time to go to the Embassy, what a coincidence. It was so good to see her and it made the long wait so much more fun. I haven't seen her in 3 years so we had a lot to catch up. The security check took almost 25 minutes and when I was finally in the building, there were already 12 people waiting… I gave them all my paperwork, my fingerprints and was told to wait for the interview…10 minutes later, they told us that the computer system was down and no work could be done at this point, but they are trying to fix it asap…30 minutes later, they offered people to reschedule appointments for the next day because they couldn’t solve the problem. For me, there was no doubt that I would wait, no matter how long it would take because I didn’t want to get up at 4.30 am the next day again and drive 130 miles to Munich… At 10.30 am, I finally had my interview – it took less than 1 minute.

“So, what kind of research do you do?”
“Parkinson’s Disease”.
“Well, that seems quite important, right?”
“Right.”
"And you have worked there as a Postdoc?"
"Yes, the last 3 years."
“Ok then, you’ll get your new visa. Have a nice day and safe travels to the US!”

I GOT MY NEW VISA, it was worth the wait! I am soooo happy!!! I spent the rest of the day in Munich, I had such a good time. I love Munich, I really think it is the most beautiful city in Germany. Unfortunately, I couldn’t bring my camera (no electronics allowed at the US embassy), so I have no pictures from Munich to post. But I will be back next weekend and hopefully make some nice pictures then. I finished my visit to Munich with a visit at my favorite hair stylist – now my hair is much shorter than I actually wanted it, but it's ok. Although, now that my long hair is gone, I think it looked really good on me...Hmpf.

A Sunday packed with Franconian traditions

I woke up this morning at 7 am and decided to go for a longer run today. Yesterday I ran my favorite loop which is approximately 3.5 miles on tempo, today I wanted to run a slower 8.5 mile loop. It was beautiful this morning but it was freezing cold! I checked the temperature before my run, it was only 1 degree Celsius (~35F)! I didn’t even bring the right running gear for such low temperatures but I layered up as good as possible and started running. I ran towards a part of Nürnberg that is called “Kraftshof”, it’s in Nürnberg’s countryside with many farmers,fields and lots of forest, it is really beautiful and very traditional. I ran half of the distance on beautiful trails through the woods (my Dad was really worried about me running so early all by myself…Dad!) and the second half of my run was passing fields and Nürnberg airport. I only met 5 people during my run, it was so quiet and relaxing. Back home, Mum was already waiting with breakfast and coffee, it was a perfect start in the day!

Later, my parents cooked a traditional German dish for lunch: Sauerbraten! It was soooo delicious but also quite filling. My parents decided to rest a little on the couch, I grabbed my Dad’s bike to go for a short 10 mile-loop (I had to remove spider webs first...). That was a really good decision! I biked to a little place called “Neunhof” and then passed “Kraftshof” on my way back home.
When I approached Kraftshof, there were so many people – first I thought it’s a wedding, but as I kept on biking, I approached a police car closing off the roads and more and more people. I asked them what was going on and they said it’s the “Kraftshofer Kärwa-Umzug” which is something like a pageant, an opening ceremony for a country fair.

So I got off my bike and watched the whole thing – it was so much fun! Bavarian marching bands, horses, beer, happy people – I was so lucky to run into this event by accident! I love Bavarian traditions, I love Germany and I am enjoying every minute of my stay!

How to blend with the French

Last night, I had a blast! I had a fun evening and I made 5 new (French) friends. There have been quite a few French men talking to me the last 2 days but honestly, those were not the kind of men that I wanted to talk to. Paris has many really handsome men to offer, but they are unfortunately not the ones that invited me for coffee ;-) But anyway, I didn’t come to Paris to meet men but to inhale some European flair and lifestyle, I just needed a little “taste of Europe”. Last night, I wasn’t hungry at all (because I had this huge chocolate pastry in the afternoon), but I decided to go out for dinner nonetheless to watch people and mingle with the French. I passed so many restaurants but couldn’t decide where to eat. Some of them had a great menu but where completely empty and others were packed but I didn’t like the food or the crowd was too touristy. It also seems like the people in Paris don’t have dinner around 7 pm unless they are tourists. I couldn’t find a place I liked so I was about to walk back to my room (I wasn’t hungry anyway…). I passed a little Pizzeria on Rue Damrémont where the waiter was just coming back carrying 6 baguettes. He smiled and said “Voulez-vous une baguette, Mademoiselle?” I looked inside the restaurant and there was only one couple in there but he seemed friendly so I decided to stay for dinner. A very good decision! I had a glass of red wine and a “Pizza Quattro staggioni”, the food was really good. ). I was sitting at the community table (that seats 7) and I was almost finished with my dinner when a group of 7 French guys came in the restaurant. Since they could only fit at that one table where I was, the waiter asked me if I’d be ok switching tables so that they could all fit – of course that was no problem at all. I decided to have one more glass of wine as the place just started to fill up and as I enjoyed watching the people. There were only locals there except one German couple, they were really funny. He was annoyed because he couldn’t understand the menu (although I have to say that “Pizza Margarita, Fungi, Regina and 4 Staggioni” are named exactly the same in Germany, too…) and she tried to calm him down trying to translate (“Aber Schatzi du magst doch Mozzarella und Tomaten, oder? Das wäre dann die Pizza Margarita”…). It was pretty entertaining (and no, “vino rosso” is NOT a dry white wine…!). 5 minutes later, another group of 5 came in and the waiter asked if they could join my table (since that was the only space left for 5. I wanted to pay anyway and make room for them but before I could even look, they had ordered wine and refilled my glass. They turned out to be a really nice group – three men, two women, all about my age. We talked all evening (mostly English and a little bit of French) and by the end of dinner, we had decided to all meet in Vegas for Christmas and in Munich for the Oktoberfest next year…they were so friendly and so much fun, I had a great evening. We exchanged email addresses and business cards, I hope to stay in touch, they made my Paris-experience a lot more valuable. I am glad I went out last night!

Today, believe it or not, I have copied an almost perfect “French look”! Ha! I think I have figured out what it takes. So here is my secret advice… First of all, you need a “do-not-dare-to-talk-to-me-look”. Secondly, look busy, e.g. by carrying a book or by talking on the phone (although this is not recommended if you have an iphone 4G because it is a primary target for thieves…). Thirdly, dress a little bit funky and even if your clothes don’t match just pretend that you are the hottest person on this planet. Wear heels. Apply a tiny bit of rouge. And most importantly: have attitude! For a "perfect" French look it seems like you have to smoke a cigarette, I skipped that one. And I didn’t wash my hair today but again it doesn’t matter as long as you wear it with confidence... Even though I spent most of my day in Montmartre which is a very touristy area of Paris, many people asked me for directions thinking I was local, talked French to me in the shops or asked me to participate in surveys on the street (which were meant to target the French population). Also the people in the restaurants spoke French to me today, I was very happy.

I am also happy to report that France seems to be “scarf-country”! Everyone who knows me knows how much I love scarves! I saw so many beautiful scarves but they were all around $100, quite expensive…I only bought one but I saw at least 5 that I wanted to have… I had lunch before I went to the airport, I ordered a salad but I had no idea what I was getting myself into (as I couldn't understand half of the ingredients listed...). Who said a salad has to be healthy..? But for sure it was VERY delicious!

I had a fantastic time in Paris, it was a great treat. Now I am sitting at Charles-de-Gaulle-airport waiting for my connection to Nürnberg. I am really looking forward to see my family in a couple of hours. Oh and one more thing: if you love your car, don't bring it to Paris..I would definitely get a heart attack! Driving isn't that bad but parking is crazy (see picture!). I haven't seen a single car that had no dings or scratches...Ok, I am still "very German" in that respect, I know, but we love our cars :) Au révoir Paris, servus Nürnberg!

Paris, deuxième jour

This is the only full day that I can spend in Paris, so I wanted to see as much as possible. Another goal was to blend better with the French women (who really look very stylish and elegant), so I dressed in black pants and a really nice shirt. Unfortunately, my “French look” puffed away in one second as I put my running shoes on… I tried my black boots instead but there was no way that I could walk long distances in them. In the end, I decided against the "French look" in favor for comfortable shoes - I am glad I was wearing my sneakers because I walked 7h today! I had such a fantastic day!

I started heading to the “Champs de Mars” and the Eiffel Tower. I didn’t really want to go up the Eiffel Tower because I have done it 13 years ago and there was a long line as well. But then I saw an empty register…why? Because they sold tickets for the staircase…I had to think about the Lyon Street stairs and of course I saw the challenge right away…I bought a ticket (still paid 4.50 Euro) and started climbing stairs (I only met 2 people on my way up…). According to the security guy, it is approximately 700 stairs each way. I am not quite sure it didn’t seem to be that many but I was definitely sweating by the time I reached the second platform (you can’t walk all the way to the top, you can only walk to the second platform).

Later, I walked to the Arc de Triomphe and strolled down the Champs Élysées all the way to “les Jardins Tuileries” and to the Louvre. My last stop was Notre Dame and by then I was really exhausted from all the walking. Oh well, not exhausted enough for a short stop in one of my favorite clothing stores, “Kookaï”. I bought two sweaters and a scarf, I have no idea how I will squeeze it in my luggage (which is already exploding), but it has to get in there somehow.

It was such a beautiful day and I have seen so many beautiful streets, gardens and buildings. I always tried to speak French in shops, Cafes or Restaurants but people always replied in English. I guess my French isn’t that good anymore :( This morning, I ordered a “café au lait” in a little café (it said “café crème” on the receipt…I always thought “café au lait” is a French thing…?). The waitress asked me in French if I wanted to eat something and I asked for the menu (in French…) and she brought me a cocktail menu. I have no idea what she was thinking but she just looked at me and said “Croissant?" Hahaha, I guess that’s what all tourists order when they have no clue. But I didn’t give up and said “Non, merci, j’amerais bien avoir un pain au chocolat s’il vous plaît.” Ha! And I got my chocolate croissant and my coffee and I was happy :) Note that in this picture posted, I am having a “café grande” – just to put things in perspective with American portion sizes....

When I walked to the Eiffel Tower, a man came my way, he picked up something from the floor shortly before I passed him and it happened to be a golden ring (585 gold) that someone must have lost on the street. He said “Mon dieu, c’est d’or!”, he tried it on but it was way too small for his fingers, then he looked at me and wanted to give it to me. I didn’t take it, I am not sure why I am so suspicious but I thought “maybe he didn’t even find it but already had it and it’s just a scam…” because clearly, someone in sneakers walking towards the Eiffel tower is a tourist and I felt like an easy target as I was all by myself. And secondly I thought that even if he really just found it, he has to bring it to the lost & found office because someone will miss the ring, right? Anyway, I rejected the gift, I guess that was the right thing to do. He said “Well, this could have been your lucky day, now it’s mine.” That’s ok.

I really love the flair and the lifestyle of Paris. As much as I enjoyed my stay in Paris, it would have been twice as much fun with company, I have to admit. I guess “Mr. Croissant” was my best friend the last two days :) I am really looking forward to seeing my family in Germany tomorrow evening, I had enough “me-time”. But not before I eat a few more pastries and bread, they are really to die for!

"L'americaine" en France

Paris, I am on my way! I boarded my plane to Paris Tuesday afternoon. Of course I went to Basic Training in the morning and when I got there, Michael said “And because Sue will be gone for such a long time, I thought we do a special workout today…the beach!” Awesome…beach workouts are usually the hardest…and to make me remember it even longer, we had to run to the beach carrying a 10 lbs medicine ball. Everyone was like “Thanks, Sue…!” but hey, it wasn’t my idea! I can’t believe that I will be without Basic Training for the next 2.5 weeks, that makes me really sad. When the class was over, I got so many hugs, made me very happy. I will miss you guys!

At SFO, I had to wait for more than 1h to check my luggage and when I finally got to security, they picked me to go through the “body scan”. Great! So I am standing in this glass thing, raising my arms, it scans, then he calls his co-worker, they scan again, then they have a really ridiculous smile on their face…it was really awkward. As this little glass chamber opens again he said “You are good.” Aha, thanks. I am sure he meant “good to go”… That was a very bizarre experience. I always thought I don’t mind the body scan but I think I have changed my mind. I flew Air France for the first time. Since this blog is also about food, I highly recommend bringing your own food when flying Air France economy…it was worse than expected. Well, but I have to say I usually hate it when people complain about food on the plane because everyone knows that it is not good in general – after all it’s transportation, not a restaurant… I slept at least 6h on the plane (thanks, beach workout!) and didn’t feel too tired when I arrived in France.

It took me almost 2h to get my luggage and finally get to the bed & breakfast that I have booked. It was in Montmartre and it was a really nice place and area. Also, it was the only room I could afford in Paris, it is ridiculous how much hotels charge in Paris for 1 night ($300-400 on average for 2 or 3 stars). Since it was only 2 pm by the time I checked in, I decided to walk to Sacre Coeur and to the Cimitière de Montmarte. On this cemetery, there are many famous artists burried; poets, writers and composers, like Emile Zola and Jaques Offenbach. I realized that my style was completely inappropriate for Paris, I felt a little bit stupid. People asked me if I am American before I even started talking…! Is that what happened to me over the past 3.5 years? Don’t get me wrong, I love California and there is nothing wrong with looking American, but I always thought I haven’t changed that much really. And I didn’t even wear my “Marina-sweat pants outfit”… :) Two french guys passing me on the street invited me to have coffee with them, a third guy invited me to “Moulin Rouge”… Clearly, I was showing too much cleavage - at least compared to all those elegant French women! I guess my boot cut-hippy jeans with holes in it and the sunglasses in my hair didn’t help either, but for my excuse, I just came off a 12h flight and I wasn’t in the mood to make an effort to look stylish at that point, I was just tired. One guy started talking to me and told me how beautiful and elegant my American look was… that was so ridiculous considering how awesome the French women surrounding me were dressed. I felt really silly. In all those cases, I was very suspicious so I kept running…no coffee, no Moulin Rouge, no small talk. But the bottom line is, that if you want free coffee with a weirdo, you have to go to Paris and dress the “American way”… Sorry America for representing you as a German in France in such a bad way, I apologize.
I bought an amazing “pain aux raisins” and of course I also bought a baguette with ham and cheese on my way home. So simple but yet sooo tasty! Yumm! I fell asleep at 7 pm, I was really tired.

Relaxing in wine country and getting ready for Europe

After Alhaji’s workout last Wednesday, I was sore all Thursday and Friday…my upper body and my arms were in serious pain. I guess that’s what you call an efficient workout! I went to a Bar Method class on Friday and I could barely lift the 2 lbs weights…It was a painful experience. I didn’t go for my long run on Saturday because I desperately needed a rest. I have been working out so hard all week, it felt good to take a day off. I bought new running shoes though and now I can’t wait to take them out for a run! I also decided to take Sunday off, it’s been a long time that I didn’t work out for two days. I spent the day up in Sonoma in the Dry Creek Valley with my friends Amy and Jen. We visited two of my favorite wineries: Mounts and Mill Creek. We did two wine tastings, and all of their wines were soooo delicious! I had a hard time deciding what to buy. I ended up with a 2002 Merlot (which was amazing!!), a 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve and a 2007 Zinfandel. I can’t wait to open them but I will save them for a special occasion(because they weren’t exactly cheap…).



This morning I worked out with the 6 am Basic Training class. We first ran to the Marina pull up bars and did some pull ups and then headed to the warming hut. We did some exercises for the abs, sprinted up the stairs a couple of times, did hip dips and planks in between before we headed back to the Exploratorium (running on the beach). It was a beautiful morning! Back at the parking lot, I shadowed the 7 am class and assisted Sandra a little bit, it is so much fun working with people. There are so many inspiring personalities, it makes me want to work out harder and be in better shape so that I can (potentially) be a good instructor for them one day. I took them for an Indian run from the Warming hut to “Hopper’s hands” and I did a little bit of the warm up. I really enjoy getting more responsibility week by week. But there are definitely many things that I still need to learn! I really need to study my books now, my goal is to get certified within the next 3 months.

I am heading to Europe for the next three weeks to renew my visa and to visit my family. I will miss San Francisco, my friends and Basic Training a lot! I am so much in love with this city! I will bring my new running shoes and I will do a mini-bootcamp with my Mum in Germany (watch out Mum!), I want to come back in good shape and hopefully also a little bit faster. I will do some speed-training while I am in Europe and get some good long runs in. I am so excited to go but also a little sad to be gone for so long. I will miss my bootcamp classes a lot but I promise to work out hard!

A great workout with Alhaji Turay

This morning, Jenn, the founder of Basic Training, invited the team to work out together with a guest trainer, Alhaji Turay. Jenn invited me to join them and of course I wanted to participate! I woke up 4 times last night because I was so nervous…. A workout with a bunch of super-fit people and….me! Oh well, thankfully I like the challenge :) My fears were baseless, the workout was so much fun! When I arrived at the meeting point, Alhaji was putting together some equipment, which included a baseball bat (which Jenn called the “motivation tool”…), a bag filled with rice and many heavy weights. Alhaji did a great job keeping us busy and showing us new exercises. I did them better than expected. For example, I had to drag a 130 pound weight across the green and back (he said “I don’t care how you do it, just do it!”), and later he told me to carry Rachael piggy-back across the green (and of course, she had to carry me, too…). I never thought I could carry a person but it wasn’t bad at all. I reached my limits when he asked me to do 10 regular pull ups – I can’t do one single pull up without assistance…! We also worked out with kettle balls (some of which were 30 pounds heavy), did agility training, push ups and we also worked out our abs, it was a great mix of exercises. I definitely had a great time working out with the team! My back feels pretty sore now.

I ran approximately 3 miles out to “Hopper’s hands” to break in my new trail running shoes and to relax my muscles this afternoon. It was meant to be a recovery jog, kind of slow but enjoyable. It was very windy and my feet started to hurt after the first mile. I hope that it’ll get better after a few runs, the shoes don’t feel comfortable yet. I’ll head to a Bar Method class with Keryun tonight and then I will probably sleep like a baby….

BIG NEWS!

Labor Day! But that doesn’t mean that I am not working out though… today was a very intense day as far as my workouts are concerned, I am really pushing my limits these days. I went to Basic Training at 7 am, we did timed 0.5 mile-laps near Crissy Field. My fastest lap was 3:42, not exactly brilliant for a little less than half a mile. I guess first of all I am not a fast runner anyway but secondly, I also paid my dues for those two “strawberry fields” that I had at Tipsy Pig last night… (It’s strawberries with vodka, Soda, lime and rum I believe). Oh well. I don't want to neglect my “social life” too much because of my workouts. I still want to be able to have a drink (or two) and meet my friends to have a good time.

It was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed the running which added up to a total of 4 miles. I went home, took a shower and headed out to the Bar method right after. I took a class together with my friend Kendra (who initially introduced me to the Bar Method) , Jen was the instructor. Not sure if it was because I worked out with Basic Training in the early morning but the class felt hard for me today. Kendra and I grabbed a coffee (or Jamba Juice, respectively) after class and walked up Fillmore Street – all the way to the top, that was another workout right there….Unfortunately, the shop we were aiming for closed in June, I guess we should have been going there more often….
I went home and enjoyed the sun on our rooftop deck for a while (see picture above), had lunch and then headed to the Lyon Street stairs late afternoon. I wanted to get a short (30min) hill- and stairs-workout in, I need to gain speed and endurance. I ran the upper stairs a couple of times and did 3 hill sprint repeats (see picture to the right). In between, I did sit ups and arm-/upper body exercises using a resistance band for recovery. It was a short but intense workout. Some Italian tourists looked at me as if I were nuts while they were smoking their cigarettes watching me….


So what is all the craziness with me and my workouts? Let’s make this official: last week, I have decided to get certified as a personal trainer. This is HUGE for me!!!! I am very excited about my decision, I have been thinking about it for a long time but now I am finally doing it. It is a big challenge but I want this and I know that I can do it. Jenn and all the other instructors from Basic Training are incredibly supportive and encouraging me on my way to get there. I am now “shadowing” Michael’s and Sandra’s bootcamp classes, which means that I am taking notes of the exercises and helping them out a little bit. It is so much fun, I can’t describe how happy I am. And all the clients are so nice to me, too! It is amazing what difference it makes if you actually take a class actively or watch it. Now the game is on! I have to get in good shape fast and I need to study for my certification. As I said earlier, September will be my month of change... Luckily, I have many great friends who already volunteered to be my guinea pigs if I have to design a class and need a test run upfront :)

I met my friends Kendra and Janet tonight for dinner, we went to Barney’s and I had a huge Bacon-Cheese-Burger. That probably doesn't help to achieve my fitness goals.... but after all those workouts today, I think I definitely deserved it. I can't tell you how happy I am. Honestly, I'm a little scared, too, but I know that I can do this, I really want it. I will work hard and do whatever it takes to achieve my goals and dreams!

A long run on a foggy Saturday

Saturday = running day! I still haven’t decided whether to run the marathon in October or not, but I will definitely run the half marathon (even if I will then be disqualified …). I really need to get my mileage up again so I was planning to run 10 miles today. I ran to the Golden Gate Bridge down to Baker’s Beach, following the Coastal trail to Lands End and the Cliff House, turned into Golden Gate Park returning to the Presidio taking 5th Avenue and Arguello. …). This is usually a very scenic run but today it was so foggy that I could barely see the ocean. As every week, I took a wrong turn in the Presidio and my 10-12 mile run turned out to be a 15 mile run (I walked most of the last 3 miles. Why the hell do I ALWAYS get lost in the Presidio??? A part of me enjoys it because I always discover new roads and trails but it is starting to get a little bit ridiculous… Let's blame the fog today for my bad sense of orientation, I could barely see anything (the picture above shows Ocean Beach near the Cliff House but was taken a year ago). I was really tired when I came back home and rewarded myself with a vanilla-latte (love it!) and a really delicious fruit salad. Tonight, I went to see my friends Conny and Roland, we usually try new and healthy recipes. We made an Indian quinoa bowl with kale, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, cashew nuts, chicken and avocado. A really healthy dish and soooo delicious. Yumm!

Smile at strangers!

A friend of mine wrote “Smiles at strangers” on her facebook profile. I read it and I really liked it (besides, she is a very cool and smart person). I think I usually smile back when people smile at me, so why not give away a couple of smiles to other people as well? Honestly, I never really thought about it. Today I decided to smile at strangers on the street or in cars and see what happens. The first couple of smiles were kind of akward, I would almost describe them as shy. I don’t think I am a shy person but I guess I don’t smile at strangers very often in general. I had a hard time keeping eye contact in the beginning. For no reason! No matter if male or female, if old or young, almost everyone smiled back, I would say 9 out if 10 people smiled back and seemed positively surprised. Every dog-walker and every parent with a kid smiled back and the people that didn't smile back were easy to spot in advance… You should try it – it sounds a little crazy (I know..), but it was actually fun. I am not planning to smile at every person that passes my way now, but I will definitely try to be a little bit more outgoing rather than being trapped in "my own little world" and thoughts when I walk down the street or go for a walk along Crissy Field.


This morning we worked out at the beach with Sandra and Jenn. It was windy and the Golden Gate Bridge was completely hidden in fog (the picture above was taken 5 h later) but I definitely wasn’t cold during the workout! I always thought the “Indian runs” with medicine balls are my worst enemy, but today I realized it can get even worse: Indian runs with a medicine ball in the sand! We did 3 sets of them and at some point I thought I will pass out. I think I was breathing like a horse. In between our runs we did many exercises to build core strength as well as jumps, burpees, push ups, bear crawls and crocodile walks. For the first time I can remember, my forearms are starting to feel sore now, the sand makes the workout so much harder as there is barely stability. We were all really exhausted by the end of the workout but it was a great class! I have been really consistent with my workouts the last couple of weeks, so now it is time to make some small changes in my nutrition.
In general I eat relatively healthy (I think), but I do eat in our work-cafeteria quite often which isn’t the best choice (but it is convenient). Today, I made a salad with arugula, chicken, tomatoes, peppers and avocado for lunch, it was sooo delicious! I went to another Bar Method class in the evening, cooked some pasta with vegetables to be fueled for my run tomorrow. Now it’s only 8 pm and I am about to fall asleep. It was a nice day and I promise to smile more at strangers in the future!