Hamburg, Copenhagen, Good Weather, and I Pass Another Test

Looking good at 31km

Viking Man recently tucked another marathon under his belt. We took a quick two day trip down to Hamburg at the end of April so he could run, and while we didn't have a lot of time to look around, it was still fun to leave the Monkey with the in-laws for the night and visit a new city--and country, for that matter, because we all know that airports don't count.

De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler

Nyhavn

I also took a field trip to Copenhagen with Sprogcentret last week. Copenhagen is a nice city, so even though I had seen some of what was on the itinerary, I enjoyed the day's program, especially De Kongelige Repræsentationslokaler. We had to slog through rain for a good part of the day, but by the time we took our canal tour, the weather had cleared, and our parting photos at Nyhavn had us squinting into the setting sun. Home just past midnight, it was a long but good day.

I could complain more about the weather and temperature here, as I am wont to do, but instead I will make note of some very nice, albeit brisk, weather we had on Mother's Day. Our little street of seven houses voted to build a zip line in the forest opposite the houses, and Mother's Day was the work day for that project. VM's mother came and brought Monkey's cousin. Someone pulled a garden table and chairs into the street. There were cinnamon rolls and tea and coffee. At one point, a grill appeared. By the end of the day, the kids were zipping happily down the line. Monkey didn't hesitate for a second and surprised everyone by sailing fearlessly down the line by herself. 'Zip line' is now part of her vocabulary.

Speaking of vocabulary, I suppose my Danish is progressing. VM and I are taking our summer vacation early this year, and as a result, I will miss taking the next module test with the rest of my class. Not wanting to fall behind, I asked if I could take the test a month early, which I did just this past Wednesday.

There were four reading comprehension elements and two writing tasks. The reading comprehension was pretty straightforward. I either understood or I didn't. The writing felt more ambiguous. Did I write to a high enough standard? Was I too ambitious? Did I even make any sense whatsoever? Anyway, I passed, so now I have to look forward to the Module 4 test which comprises reading, writing, listening, and oral components. Three down, three to go.

We leave for the US on Tuesday. It's been two years, and I am really looking forward to seeing family, driving our Corvair, celebrating birthdays, camping, and hopefully some warm weather!

Dwight Schuh, Irondad and how I failed to become a runner

Harvest Classic, c. 1992

I've participated in a quite a few fun runs and race walks in my time. As a sophomore in high school, I even joined my sister on the cross country team for part of a season. It was, however, an ill-fated stint, and I was compelled to rid myself of that evil before it caused permanent damage. Suffice it to say that I was not an asset to the team.

Christmas run, 2009

Beijing Marathon, 2009

My most recent events have been the 2009 Beijing Marathon 4.2k 'mini marathon', and a 2009 Boise Christmas fun run in which I walked with my nephew and pushed my niece in a stroller. It was just a whole ball of fun.

Since then, I have been very content to leave the running to my husband and family and put my efforts into the part of sport I enjoy: spectating.

This summer, I had the opportunity to ultra-spectate at Bighorn, and then for the first time I got to Iron-spectate for my dad at Coeur d'Alene Ironman.

It was not dad's first Ironman, but I had previously only spectated at one of his sprint triathlons, and this was a completely different animal. Honestly, the sprint tri seemed almost pathetic when compared with the vast scale and difficulty of Ironman (I say this knowing that I myself could not complete a sprint tri). It was overwhelming just to be there, let alone compete.

As it turns out, we almost weren't there. Dad had been in 'let's wait and see' mode for more than six months and had only just made the decision. On Tuesday he was ready to scrap the whole thing and take the loss. On Wednesday he went to chemo and came away feeling great. On Friday morning we were driving to Coeur d'Alene.

There are so many stories at an Ironman--stories of extreme weight loss, triumph, perseverance--my dad himself has a story. It's impossible not to feel inspired by these everyday people who show up to take on the infamous swim, bike, run. But it comes down to this: Are you tough enough? Can you dig deep enough? Are you an Ironman? My dad is a grumpy, stubborn old dude who didn't want to waste his money and who wanted a finisher shirt, but evidently he was also tough enough, and he finished that race like the Ironman that he is. With twenty minutes to spare.

GO!!!!! 

Panic attack 

One lap down, one to go

Nose to the grindstone

Around mile 70 

Only 13 more miles!

'From Nampa, Idaho, 67 years old, Dwight Schuh, you are an Ironman!'

Shortly after Ironman, dad's middle brother and family came to visit. I hadn't seen them in years, so it was great that I happened to be around. We celebrated several birthdays and the 4th of July. 

Dad and his brother. 'Why didn't you tell
me to smooth out my shirt?' Dad said.

My Aunt's awesome apple pie

Cousins!

It's not summer in the US without the Corvair

I finished my time in the US with a camping trip in McCall with my sister and the kiddos. Of course it wasn't just camping. Things with my family aren't ever just one thing. It was camping 'and by the way, we're manning an aid station for the McCall Trail Running Classic'. But never mind, I picked up a cowbell and did my part for ultra running. We also sneaked in a hike and a canoe ride on the reservoir.

Next: Borneo, possibly? I think it's about time.

Inspiration at Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run 2012 and Borneo on hold

It was my intention for this post to be on Borneo, but as I am now in the US for several weeks without the computer that has all the pictures, it will be on hold for awhile because Borneo needs pictures, obviously.

Note for this post: 100 = 100 miles. 

I came to the US at this same time last year, and as I also did last year, I accompanied my sister and some other local Idaho runners to the Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run shortly after I arrived. I'm not kidding about the 'shortly' either. Due to a flight delay and the consequent domino effect, I arrived in Idaho a full hour before Sister Em picked me up for a fourteen hour road trip to Wyoming.

Last year's Bighorn run was epic in several ways. It was my first time ultra spectating/crewing, and it was Sister Em's first Bighorn 100. The nearly thirty-five hour haul ended with a furious five mile bike ride on my part, ten minutes to spare on Sister's part, and nail-biting by all.

Bighorn 2012: all smiles before the race

This year was also epic, but for very different reasons, listed following:

Sister Em had her first 100 DNF. That means Did Not Finish. Not finishing an ultra run is nothing to be embarrassed about, however. Ultra runners wear their DNFs with pride. Stories of DNFing are told with just as much passion as stories of crossing the finish line. DNFs are full of pain and struggle and usually incredible fortitude. Sister stubbornly completed sixty-six miles before she conceded that this race was not hers to finish.

Mile 13; Sister ran for 12 more hours
before throwing in the towel

Amy King took on the Bighorn 100 and ran like a mad dog not only to attempt her first 100, but to finish it in style. You rock, Amy King.

Amy 'Mad Dog' King powering into mile 82

Sam Collier, aged 59 3/4, brought out his alter ego Gregory to properly spank the Bighorn 100 in the behind on his first Bighorn 100 attempt.

Sam the Man at mile 13

My dad, who wished he could have been running himself, crewed with me and continued to inspire everyone around him by pacing Sam and Amy for a total of ten miles in spite of considerable pain. He is a mountain goat and all around rock star.

Dad and Sam heading out of mile 82

Other local runners Dennis Ahern, Lynette McDougal, and Christie Ebenroth respectively knocked out a 10th 100 like it was a walk in the park, put away the 100 with shredded feet, and had the courage to try again.

Zen Dennis

Lynette happy to be finished

Christie refuses a ride into Dry Fork

And as if all that wasn't epic enough, I once again got to spend several nights with my dear grandparents who always inspire with their quiet strength.

More good times in the US to come.

Bighorn Mountain Wild and Scenic Trail Run, June 15-19

Man, it’s good to be in an Idaho summer!  I had almost forgotten what it feels like to be warm without being sticky. It’s just past nine in the evening right now.  The sun is low in the wide blue sky, the air is warm and still and sweet with the scent of farmland, and I have the house to myself for the night as my parents have gone away to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary.

A dear friend of my from Singers (you know who you are!) suggested I make blog updates about my summer in the US, and since she is wise and full of good ideas and advice, I’m going to do just that.  Here is my first story:

I arrived in the US on the evening of June 13th.  Early the morning of the 15th, my sister Emily, her husband John, and I tucked ourselves into their Xterra along with a mountain of camping and running gear and zipped across Idaho (highway 20 across Idaho is fantastic!), cut through Montana, and touched down 13 hours later in Dayton, Wyoming.

She Beat the Bear

The secret satisfied smile of one who has completed something more monumental than most of us dare dream.

The Bear 100
36:49

Indonesia Peace Run, May 27th

This was so long ago that I almost forgot about it. Oh well if it's out of order. An invitation was extended to the Danish Embassy to participate in the Indonesia Peace Run, and Morten signed up to run the 10km along with Steffen, the Embassy intern. Two other Korean employees of the Embassy also signed up, but they didn't show up, later saying that the day had been too hot for running. And certainly it was a warm day, but it was beautiful and there was a good turn out. The race started and finished in the park just outside the World Cup Stadium. Morten and Steffen both ran well.

GO, SCHUHS!!!

In eight hours, my 63 year old dad will be running the Los Angeles Marathon. He will be running with his older brother, my uncle, who is a veteran marathoner. As I am an avid non-runner, the thought of two men more than twice my age running many, many miles both horrifies and fascinates me. To them both, I wish strong legs, lungs, minds and spirits. GO SCHUHS!!!