July 11-13

Here are my so called journal entries from the trip so far, ill throw in a few pics as well, enjoy getting caught up on my travels…800 tomorrow in Liege!!! I will also figure out pictures, but now i need to head back to my dorm… enjoy.

July 11, 2009
And So it begins.

I once wrote an Onion-esque story that I shared on the great, yet failed, concept I called the Runion. (I put the story at the end of this entry.) It was about a guy who got really excited about his trip, but got a little too excited a little too early and had some premature fun. I can take solace in knowing that this is not going to happen to me, because Day 1 of the trek was not the most encouraging.

This may also have been due to the fact that I have built up all of Europe as this beautiful and magical place reminiscent of the Harry Potter movies. Especially train stations. Well the Brussels Airport train station sucks. It falls completely short of even deserving a mention in the same sentence as King’s Crossing.

But made my way out Ghent, where I will be staying for a while, although I may meet up with Delilah for a bit (she is in Leuven). It was a long process to get my room and then I ended up walking around for a few hours looking for an internet café, however none are open on Saturdays or Sundays, so I’ll have to try my luck again tomorrow (and who knows when this will actually be up on my blog). But, I am now settled, and my dorm room is small, but it will do the trick. There is a kitchen we can use, but not a great one. Can’t really complain though, it’s a place to stay.

Dinner took place in front of my internet-less computer as I chomped down on a microwaved plate of lasagna with only a knife and spoon since I had forgotten a fork. Then, I took a sip of a can of Fanta Orange, one of the mainstays in this life that keeps me going, and it had a different taste. It was like normal Fanta, only a little lighter, a little watered down. They may have even thrown some grapefruit flavoring in there. It’s as if they combined squirt, orange soda, and a watered down flavor, to create a wondrous Belgium Fanta. So that’s the food report.

Now, its probably movie time and sleep. I’ll do a light workout tomorrow and then start getting ready for Wednesday’s race. I haven’t raced an 800 since IC4A’s so it should be pretty fun. Peace.

July 12, 2009
Checking out Ghent. Its not too bad of a city. We just happen to have been put in a dorm that is a little bit away from anything fun. It is a little eerie being around our place. No one is out, and even in catching the bus up to the downtown area it seemed like something was up with this city that apparently had no inhabitants. Even downtown wasn’t too bustling, but this made it a little more enjoyable.

I went into town with Matt Debole, a training partner who graduated from Georgetown the year before I got there, and Julie Culley, who was on the World Cross team for the US and took 4th at USAs in the 5k this year. We got some coffee and Matt got a Waffle. For me, it was perfect, just sitting and watching people.

The beer looks awesome, and I am definitely going to have a few on Thursday after Wednesday’s race. I’m looking forward to ordering a Stella and not getting called a girl, which happened a few days before I left. Excuse me for liking a beer that tastes good. Belgium is also known for its chocolate, and there is a chocolatier almost every other block. They all smell amazing.
Now, going to head to Delilah’s in Leuven tomorrow to hang out with her for a bit. It’s boring here, and I’m assuming its going to be boring there, but it will be better than nothing.

For the running fan: did a glorified stride workout up at the track…which is about a 20 minute jog from the place. 2x(100-200-300) first set at 16 second set at 14 per 100 meters. Did them all a little fast, but didn’t feel terrible for getting off the plane the day before…definitely didn’t feel great, and was clearly still a little off from all of the travel.

July 13, 2009
If I get bit by one more mosquito I may kill someone or something. I also may kill someone or something if I misplace a z for a w on a Dutch keyboard at the Internet café one more time. Other than those two things, however, life isn’t that bad. Traveling to Europe and racing is a lot different than doing so and not racing. It is a ton of sitting around and reading and doing crossword puzzles. It is quite discouraging when you are struggling with a book of New York Times Monday puzzles that are described as “fast and easy” and they are anything but.

But “The River Why” is a great book by David James Duncan, who wrote “The Brother’s K”. Its all about fly fishing and self discovery. It may not be for everyone as it took me about 15 track trips to finish, but the last half was very entertaining. Next up is “East of Eden” and then “Three Cups of Tea.” Then I will have nothing, so I’m hoping that I don’t get too into either of them.

I went to Leuven today to see Delilah. She is in an apartment complex with some tiny rooms, but she does have a mini-kitchen and bathroom in her place, so that makes it infinitely better than my place. She’s also closer to the downtown area of Leuven, which seemed pretty similar to Ghent, but a little more lively. I ended up getting a milkshake while Delilah got lunch, and then couldn’t turn down Gelato when she got some dessert. This should come as no surprise to my brother Will, who for some reason whenever he calls, finds me going to get ice cream. And yes, this is an almost daily activity that I take part in, but Will thinks that I am constantly eating ice cream. Well today, he would have been right. And hey, if I run a lot, I figure I get to eat ice cream a lot.

Get to do a pre-meet routine tomorrow so it should feel a little more like a normal day and I’m starting to get excited to actually race. I think doing so will make the trip move a little more.

And as for the mosquitoes, they are infesting every dorm room in ghent. I have a ton of bites. I am going to get a fan tomorrow and hope that placing it right on my head will solve the problem. It’s a disaster.