A beautiful Amsterdam fall Sunday {and the marathon!}

This past weekend I got to cheer V on in an 8k race that was done in conjunction with the Amsterdam marathon. V did awesome- and further convinced me that I need to train to have any hope of keeping up with him- and it was really fun to root him on. I also got to watch the marathon kick off and finish in the Olympic stadium of Amsterdam.

Watching V have a great time doing the race, and seeing all of those amazing people taking on the marathon, inspired me and got me thinking about my next race. I did a half-marathon a year ago (a year! time is flying!), and now that grad school madness is over, I'm ready for more. So in order to keep me honest, I am announcing it here that I will do another race next year. Who's in?

 

Paris half marathon is in March, the Brussels 20k is in May. Also would be wonderful to do Amsterdam, as its so incredibly flat, but its not until October next year (obviously). Really, who's in?

There's V, in the middle, just about to finish. You did great!

Of course it didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous, crisp fall day. I suppose if it had been raining I wouldn't have been as tempted, but lets forget about that possibility.

We spent the rest of the brilliant Sunday cruising around the city on our bikes, taking in the delightful weather. Our destination was this gem of a restaurant:

On the noordermarkt square, the restaurant had views of this church, the aptly named noorderkerk.

 The beautiful weather made Amsterdam even more picturesque than normal.

And I got to enjoy it all from my bike. Its a good lifestyle here in Amsterdam. Biking everywhere, along beautiful canals, spending a Sunday popping in and out of restaurants and shops.

We even caught a sight of the half-marathon, which didn't start until 1:30. Seriously, who's in for next year? :)

After a gorgeous and fun morning and afternoon we finished the day on an outdoor terrace that has been tempting me for weeks.

Anytime the weather cooperates people crowd this large terrace, on the Amstel river, to enjoy drinks and food. It was a perfect ending to a great day.

Coming back to today, I'm hiding out from the on-and-off thundershowers (with hail!), and fighting some kind of a cold, but did sneak out this morning for a swim. Its been ages since I swam laps, and boy did it feel good. Getting into the pool always feels like a homecoming for me. Even the smell of the chlorine that lingers on my skin is comforting.

Along with getting back into running, its time to add swimming back into the mix. The pool is only 5 minutes away, and is indoors, so no excuses. Like my running goal, I'm putting this out there so you can help keep me honest. We all need our motivation :)

Until next time, be well!