Another Lax Workout Week, then Spartaning Up

On Sunday, Jul 20, I flew from Santiago, CL, to Buenos Aires, AR.

Monday, Jul 21 – after work, I was too hungry to delay or forego dinner for a workout.

Tuesday, Jul 22:

4.6 in 39:14, 8:25 ave.  Started fast to get my body moving after a lax week last week.  Did some arms afterwards.  The workout was 2K at 12kph, 2K at 11kph, 1K @ 12, 1K @ 11, ½ K @ 12, ½ K @ 11.  It was structured that way because I couldn’t sustain 12kph the whole time, and it was becoming mentally and physically harder to keep up the same interval lengths as before.

Wednesday, Jul 23 – had dinner out, no workout.  I could’ve otherwise run, but I wanted some people time that night.

Thursday, Jul 24 – flew back home that night, so no workout.

Friday, Jul 25:

Not much sleep on the red-eye.  Caught a nap, once I got back.  Legs were pretty ready for running, since it had been such a lax couple of weeks, workout-wise, while I was travelling.  I did 6.8 in 53:34 at the park, 8:26 ave, with zombies.  I could’ve potentially pushed on for more, but I was going to Charlotte the following morning for a Spartan workout, so it wasn’t a bad idea to not go into overdrive with this.

Saturday, Jul 26:

Andi Hardy was back in the Carolinas, to lead the Spartan Workout Tour.  She had left me hobbling from post-workout soreness last March after the Colombia tour.  She changed things up for this 2-hr workout.  I feel like it was less strenuous than last time.  This time, I feel like there was more jogging in place.  Last time, we were knocking out burpees left-and-right.  We did a zillion lunges, too.  I liked the intensity, in that it pushed me, although it would probably be hard for beginners.  I suppose that since the idea of the workout tour is to drum up interest in the race, for newbies, that toning it down a bit would make the workout and the race seem less intimidating. 

Even though it was toned down, I was still quite sore for the next couple of days.  As I said, we did more jogging in place, but we also did pushups, lunges, squats, burpees, crab walks, and bear crawls…. Just less of them at a time, and not as many sets.  Still a good workout, and I’d still go to more, given the opportunity… it’s worth driving 3.5 hours to do!  It’s fun, with a good sense of comraderie and a good feeling of accomplishment at the end.

 

After the workout, I explored Charlotte a bit, because I had found out the last week that I may be moving there.  I visited places that I'd likely frequent (different neighborhoods that were recommended, a Total Wine, a Trader Joe's, and a vegan restaurant).  I had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with collard greens, plus a peanut butter chocolate chip cheesecake to-go.  Nice.

Sunday, Jul 27:

Made this a recovery run.  My upper legs and upper arms were sore, but they felt safe enough to run on.  I started slow, but progressively got faster.  Didn’t do Zombies, needless to say… not ready for that intensity quite yet.  0.75-mi lap splits> 7:53, 7:16, 7:06, 6:47, 6:34, 6:25, 5:55.  5.3 in 48:03, 9:04 ave.  I was strangely thirsty during this run, and that’s what kept me from going farther, for the most part.

Monday, Jul 28 – worked 12 hrs, and body needed a rest day, anyway, after 3 days of workouts in a row.

Tuesday, July 29:

Last chance to squeeze in more training time before travel started up again.  I ended up not going too far, though, and I felt guilty afterwards, for that.  4.0 in 31:14, 7:48 ave at 2 degrees of incline = 7:30 effort.  I had pushed it on the intensity in this progression run.  Splits> 8:15, 7:51, 7:46, 7:21.  I hadn’t gotten as much sleep in the past couple of days, and there’s a lot going on at work and at home.  So, good that I got in something, but kinda wish I had gotten in more mileage.  Oh well, not bad.

Santiago 2014

Leading up to this trip, I was more excited about planning for an upcoming trip to Colorado than this, but once the time came, it was time to look for adventure!  While waiting in the airport, I tried to look up as many things to do as I could, and I downloaded some tourist apps.  I like to use the Frommer's Day-by-Day guidebook series whenever they're available, but Santiago didn't have one.  That series is awesome, with advice from someone local, who's in-the-know, who has good tastes.  Even without the guidebook, though, I was able to stitch together a great week, combining info from google searches, trip advisor, and apps. 

Even flying in, you could tell it was going to be special.  There are mountains all around the airport.

After arriving on Sunday morning, I enjoyed a breakfast from the 17th floor of the hotel, with a great view.

 

After breakfast, I suited up for a run.  On a tourist map, it looked like you could get to the entrance to the path that led up the hill in the middle of the city.  I followed the sparse trail of other runners and bikers, and was excited to find the park.  It was a pretty steep hill, but there were tons of people running, biking, and walking up and down it.  Halfway up the switchbacks, there was an area where they were having a free, public fitness festival.  I did some martial arts-style class, then a zumba class.  It was fun.  There was a diverse group of people there, and the moves were kinda funny to see guys and older men do.  It felt like a party, with everyone just enjoying the great, cool weather and moving around without caring how crazy we might've looked (I was quite un-coordinated, but others seemed to know all the moves).

 

Further up the hill, there was a great view of the area where my hotel had been.  The tall building is the tallest one in Latin America, and it rises above the largest mall in Latin America.

At the top, there was a statue of a Saint.

 

The run took about 49:34, and was an estimated 5+ miles.

I raced back down, because I wanted to be at a bar in time for the World Cup Finals!  I found a place through a website - the Black Rock Pub, which is run by an Aussie, with a German chef.  I had watched the tail-end of the first game in Argentina, and I was watching the last game in Chile.  It's always fun to watch games with others, especially soccer, with Latin Americans.

When I got back, I did 40 min of a recumbent bike, with a running magazine.  The gym in the hotel smelled like burnt rubber, so I wondered if I was doing more harm to my body than good.  I did some arms afterwards.  

Monday-Friday, worked.  Ate ostrich one night, at a specialty restaurant.  Tried Camenere, the wine of Chile, and Pisco, an alcohol made of fermented grapes (which isn't at all like wine like I had thought).  Santiago is a super-modern city, which I had no idea about.  It's nice, and all of my colleagues, who have been all over LA, say that Santiago was their favorite.  There are mountains all around.

I went to a restaurant on the 18th story one night, with a rotating floor that gives you 360 views of the city.  I probably went 180 degrees in around the 45 min that I was there.  The food and service were "eh", though.

Saturday, I decided to sign up for skiing, through a tour arranged by the hotel.  I chose Valle Nevado, which is the highest up.  I've been skiing maybe 5 days in my life.  I watched you-tube videos for intermediate lessons.  In the past, I had always used the snowplow method to stop, as well as control my speed while going down, which is super-taxing on your body.  The parallel method is actually a lot easier to manage.

Of course, Paddington Bear came along:

 

 

 

 

I mostly stayed on the greens, but I did try a couple of blues.  To access two of them, you have to use this non-chair-lift contraption, where you put a disc behind your legs, and a cable pulls you.  It took me three tries just to get moving on that thing without falling.  You aren't supposed to sit on it, because it has a lot of slack, to account for the varying heights between the upper cable and the ground.  Finally, I did make it up, and the blue run was quite beautiful, because there was a sheer cliff to the left, and you could see a lot of mountains, and the run itself wasn't too hard.  It was getting up to start of the run that was hard.  I wanted to go again, but on my second attempt up the non-chair-lift, the ride suddenly stopped, and unless you're snowplowing backwards or are prepared for the stop, you'll naturally start to lean backwards back down the hill, so I totally fell, and they had to keep the ride stopped even longer, as I got out of the way (which is quite difficult, on a steep gradient with two skis on your feet).  The ride goes fast, too, and those metal discs are heavy.  I was totally embarrassed, and it felt like an eternity as I tried to make my way up to the next intersecting path, so that I could get back on a trail.  Anyway... I avoided that lift, after that. 

There was another blue that I tried, but there was one super-steep section that I couldn't get through without wiping out both times.  The harder ones are funner, because you feel like you're really skiing.  It works out better when you go fast, and go back-and-forth a lot, but it's also a lot scarier.

My first runs ended up being the best, because my legs were the freshest. I got in about 5 hrs of skiing, total, and that was about enough... my legs wouldn't have made it too much longer.

Here's a video for you, courtesy of the GoPro:

It wasn't until the last weekend, unfortunately, that I discovered how great two restaurants were - Aqui Esta Coco, which has the most amazing food (especially seafood).  I scooped up every last grain.  I had Sea Bass with Quinoa with cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and some kind of tart dressing.  It was soooooo good.  I hadn't eaten or drank much that day, since it was the ski day and I only had an apple and chocolate for lunch.  Maybe that was part of it, but the food was so good.

The next day, I had breakfast, then went for a run along the river.  Here's what it's like, un-foggy.  That morning, you could hardly see the building next door, because the fog was so dense.  In the pic, you can also see San Cristobal Hill.  I was tempted to run the hill again, but I wanted to try different things.  It was so foggy, anyway, that you would've seen nothing.  I did 4 out-and-backs, along a section with dirt trails, for a total of 8.7 miles.  On Sundays, they close off parts of the main road, so that bikers and runners can enjoy it without having to worry about cars.

 

After showering and checking out, I went to a handicrafts market (Los Dominicos), which was very quaint and nice, to get some stuff for my dad.

Then, another awesome restaurant - El Huerto, which has vegetarian and vegan food (and some fish).  They had a sampler-style menu item, where you got thai soup, different kinds of salads, bread, and some roasted veggies, plus a pear tart dessert, all vegan.  The portion size was awesome, and the food was great.

Santiago is a great place to visit.  I probably won't be back with work, but if I ever got a chance to go back, I'd check out Valparaiso (a world heritage site port city) and a winery, both of which are less than 2 hrs away.

CHS-ATL-CHS: Jun 25-Jul12

This summer, I've been in the mood to visit my family more, during the weekends.  My sister is moving to NYC, so she won't be in ATL for much longer.  My mom's been visiting family abroad, so it was nice to be able to keep my dad company in CHS and watch the World Cup together.

The first weekend in CHS was the weekend of Battlefrog.  I didn't arrive in CHS until about 3pm, but I had a good 28-or-so hours there that was packed with fun, so it felt like much longer.

Wednesday, Jun 25:
Did 4.0 in 34:06, 8:32 ave, at 2 degrees of incline.  I had taken 3 days off to recover.  After the race, I felt like I hadn't done much running-wise.  My body started feeling it in the next couple of days, though, and I was shuffling at work on Monday.  The thing that really needed to recover was my left ankle, which had gotten seriously sandpapered by sand + my shoe.  I had to wear band-aids all week.

Thursday, Jun 26:
I felt super-fresh and in the mood this morning.  In the evening, I did Zombies, Run, with 6.7 in 59:40, 8:48 ave.  Work's been high-octane this week, so I needed a mental break in the second half of the day.

Friday - My sister was going to visit me, and we were going to visit a brewery, but her tires needed replacing, so I drove down, instead.

Saturday, Jun 28:
5.0 in 38:02, 7:37 ave, 2 degrees incline = 7:19 effort.  I had been planning to bike, because my legs felt like they needed to recover, but it was taken at the gym, so I ran.  My legs started taking to the run quickly, though, and it ended up being an awesome run.

Monday, Jun 30:
60 min strength session.

Tuesday, Jul 1:
Motivation lacking today.  Felt lamesauce for only doing 3.6 in 26:32, 7:22 ave, at 2 degrees incline = 7:06 effort, but something's better than nothing.

Would've run Thursday, but was helping a friend recover from an apartment fire.

Friday, Jul 4:
6.6 in 1:00:10, 9:01 ave.  Knees complained at first, since it was first thing in the morning after only 4 hrs of sleep, but they loosened up after a mile.   Proud to get that third 2.2mi loop in.  Hadn't eaten breakfast, since I had eaten only 5 hrs before.  Only ran, no zombies.  My body actually felt in the mood for a second run in the evening, but I decided to save it.  Splits> 22:06, 19:55, 18:08.

Saturday, Jul 5:
8.8 in 1:15:33, 8:32 ave.  Another outside run, this time in the evening.  Legs were decently fresh.  Body felt low on carbs and craved either lemon water or a beer during the last 3 miles.  Proud I got in the 4th lap, which was more of a mental challenge.  Splits> 19:59, 19:11, 18:16, 18:06.

Sunday, Jul 6:
Thought I'd do biking or run in CHS, or strength in GVL after driving home, but my legs felt fresh enough for Zombies.  It was a shorter episode, so I could've gone on if I wanted, but I did 2x30 burpees after the run, instead.  Surprised I could run 3 days in a row so easily.

Monday, Jul 7:
55 min strength.  My left inner ball of the foot felt stress fracturey today when I woke up.  Maybe it was the burpees or the high volume of running over the past 3 days. 

Tuesday, kept resting the foot.

Wednesday, Jul 9:
Foot still complains a bit in the morning, but by the evening, decided to do a run anyway.  Ended up doing only 3.0 in 26:10, 8:43 ave, at the park, because after a mile, I noticed a boy with 2 frisbees with nobody to throw with, so I offered to throw with him.  It was fun getting to throw again.
  I felt guilty for the next couple of days for stopping the run and only getting in 3, but I keep telling myself that it was good that I made a new friend.

Thursday, Jul 10:
5.0 in 40:26, 8:05 ave, 2 degree incline = 7:46 effort.  Legs sore today for some reason.  Not much motivation to run, but went anyway, and it ended up being great.  Doing the 5th mile made me feel less guilty about doing only 3 yesterday.

Saturday, July 12::
Had been hoping for a longer run today, but not much motivation at all... just wanted to lie in bed, eat, listen to podcasts.  Forced myself out to the gym, though, got in 5.0 in 40:37, 8:07 ave at 2 degrees incline.  Splits> 8:37, 28, 16, 7:56, 17. Ended up being decent, could've maybe gone for more, but time to catch a flight.

In other news... got a new watch.  My old one's strap has been gradually deteriorating, causing me to leave a trail of bits of rubber wherever I go.  My Timex Ironman watches typically have their straps break before the battery runs out.  But that's fine.  I could look for something higher-quality, but watches get nasty after a while, so I'd prefer to get new ones periodically and just play for replacements.  And replacing batteries would be a pain.

Old:

New:

RACE REPORT: Battlefrog Carolinas 2014

Training:

Friday, June 13:
Finally got a chance to run again, after 4 days off, which is the biggest break I've had in a while.  Did 8.3 in 1:10:42, 8:28 ave, at the park.  No zombies, just wanted to get some miles in.  Could've pushed for another 0.75 mi lap, but I decided to save it for the weekend.

Saturday, June 14:
5.2 in 47:13, 9:05 ave.  Legs were a bit iffy, so I considered ditching the run, but I took it slow, and it was ok.  Did zombies.

Sunday, June 15:
65 min strength session.  700 crunches per side (front, left, right), 100 adductor + 150 abductor leg lifts, 15 divebombers, 2x75 single-leg squats, billy band arms, 105 unweighted lower leg extensions, 4-way elastic band hip exercises, 110 + 110 dumbell rows, 65 Russian twists, 30 tricep dips, 115 pelvic thrusts.

I had pushed it hard during that weekend, to make up for a lack of real working out the previous week.  With the battlefrog coming up the next weekend, I hoped that I hadn't pushed it too hard.

Tuesday, June 17:
Did a light run, 3.7 in 30:35, 8:16 ave.  It felt harder than it should've.  Did it on the treadmill, at 3 degrees of incline = 7:38 effort.  Had eaten dinner 45 min before, so the bathroom cut the run short, in any case, and my legs had started to complain, too.

Slept lots the rest of the week.

The Race:

Drove about 2 hrs, got there an hour early for the elite heat.  Got to park close to the festival area, checked in, used the restroom, checked out some of the obstacles near the start.  Did my usual pre-race prep with nutrition, big preparation, shoe prep.  I splurged on customized Reebok All-terrain obstacle course racing shoes, which have nice lugs and water draining functionality.  I didn't do any runs in the shoe before the race, but after trying on many different kinds of normal running shoes, even just standing around in a pair, you can kind of tell if it will work or not. I did my warm-up run... pretty minimial, since it was going to be a 15K race, and my dynamic stretches.

This is a race put on by Navy Seals, so they had demos and copters and guns, to make it exciting.  The elites were also jacked.  It was exciting being at the start.  We set off, to the sound of machine gun fire.  I went at a manageable clip, as if it was a normal 15K race.  On the first obstacle, where we had to jump over downed logs that were a few feet off the ground, I lost my race bib, which I pinned on my sports bra, as I belly-rolled over the log.  Oh well.

We got muddy pretty early.  The race goes through some streams.  One of them had very coarse sand, which got wedged behind my heel.  That made each step quite painful, as it sanded away my skin.  I tried to clear it out, but the shoe was pretty tight, so I just got used to it.  I breathe really hard, starting from early in the race.  A really nice guy wondered if I was ok.  I guess maybe it sounds like asthma or something.  It's normal for me, though.  He kept encouraging me.  He was so nice.  This was around the time when I was still adjusting to the sand and continuing to go through lots of water.  We eventually got into trails again, instead of water slogging, and I was able to get back into a normal pace.

I had to get help on the 8-foot walls (I think they were 8 feet), because there was no mini-ledge built into the wall.  Went over cargo nets, climbed laddery things, climbed the rope successfully this time since I wasn't super wet and muddy.  The course got very hilly.  Carried jerry cans.

 

I started off with some cans that had no green tape.  Then, a girl on her way back said that the elites had to use the taped ones, which were heavier, so I went back and switched.  Then, as I was getting back, another girl said that girls can use the non-taped ones.  Who knows which one was right, but I wish that rules were published before-hand, for the elite heats, to make everything consistent.  I know part of the challenge of OCRs is the mystery about what obstacles there will be, but general rules would help... like if there are two sides to pick from, where one has a ledge and one doesn't, who's allowed to use it?  If there are ropes with knots and ropes without, who's allowed to use each one?  Is it different for boys vs. girls?  If there are objects of different weights, maybe a certain color can be a universal sign of who's allwed to use which ones.  In which obstacles do you get multiple tries?  

The single-rope traverse was very long and difficult, and I probably only made it 1/6 of the way or something before my arms tired.  Phew, that's tough, tough, tough.  I had tried the under-the-rope approach.  Perhaps the over-the-rope approach would've been easier, although without a shirt, it would've probably given me some serious rope burn, in any case.  It was fun to try, but man, that was tough.  Crawling out of the water, though, the grass there was like patches of razor blades or something, and it cut up my hands a bit.  

We eventually got close to the festival area again.  At the monkey bars, you had to jump outwards just to reach the first bar, which I was happy just to make it to.  I made it to the 2nd-to-last bar, before slipping and hitting my tailbone on the dirt during the fall.  It was shocking, but ok.  Then, another net, and a paintball shoot.  The shoot is much easier than the spear throw. 

 

Then, a slippery, warped wall.  I tried the short rope about 5 times.  Each time, I got higher, but I couldn't get a good grip on the muddy rope.  I saw some men make it.  There was a longer, knotted rope.  I wanted to try the short rope as much as I could, but eventually, I gave in, and waited in line for the long rope.  I lost about 10 min there.  The penalty for failing an obstacle is 10 8-count man-makers, which can be knocked out in a minute.  I think that puts some subjectivity into the race.  How many times is enough?  I decided to just take my time, because if I don't try the obstacles as much as I can, it might as well be a running race, and you don't get many chances to do cool obstacles like this, anyway.  The knotted long rope, even, was too hard for me.  Too slippery, not enough strength to pull myself up.  So I gave up after failing at that, knocked out the man-makers, and continued on.  Kudos to anyone who did make it!  The 15K course was a 10K stretch, followed by the 5K course, so there were lines even for the elites... that only really factored in at the slip wall, but it did make it less of a race.

 

 The next few obstacles were very doable... Slide down (more of a mental thing), climb up a wall (less slippery rope, and better footing), slide down a tube, then the final un-barbed wire crawl.

 

 

This was a very fun 2nd OCR.  I was less tired at the end of this one than the 4-mi Spartan.  Maybe because I only had to do about 30 man-makers, vs. 90 burpees.  And the 4-mi Spartan took me longer (2.5 hrs) than the 9-mi Battlefrog (2.2 hrs), since this was a solo run instead of a group activity.  It was a good feeling to make the rope climb this time, and to nail the paintball shoot.  I need to work on my vert jump, to enable me to get over 8-feet walls without assistance next time.

 

It was a great event, and only the 2nd that they've run, ever.  The volunteers were awesome, and my fellow competitors were extremely kind and encouraging.  Great event.  

Argentina Pre-World Cup

Sunday, Jun 8:
Got in, walked around BA.  Saw a mini-Iguazu Falls, in the middle of the widest avenue in the world.

 

 And my closest encounter with the Obelisk thus far:

After that, a much-needed nap.  Then, the treadmill.

8K (5 mi) in 44:22, 8:56 ave, at 3 degrees of incline.  The first treadmill was an old but surprisingly usable one, but it stopped after 25 min, maybe due to some internal time limit.  I hopped on to a newer one, since it had freed up, and finished the run.  Did the first 7K easy, then cranked it up fofr the last 1K.  Felt a wee bit under-carbed after the nap, so I ate a few goldfish.  After the run, I did some arms, including 30x 8-count burpees with jumps, to cover the Spartan side and the Battlefrog side of my preparation. The temps were decent in the gym, because it's winter here.

Monday, dinner out with colleagues.

Tuesday, Jun 10:
Started by running, but that only lasted 3 min.  My legs felt too injury-prone that night, so I biked instead.  Level 6/10 felt hard and pushed my quads, so I only did 40 min, followed by some arms.  It was a non-recumbent bike.  I listened to a beer podcast, instead of reading a magazine.

Wednesday, too tired to work out.  Dinner out.  No strength for a strength session afterwards... still feeling full.  It was a local place, but it had fun decorations, big portions, and pretty good food.

Thursday, flew out.  Here's the Buenos Aires airport, on the night of the opening match of the World Cup.  Argentina always roots for whoever is playing against Brazil.  They have a rivalry, and it's funny to hear my Brazillian friends express their opinions.

Re-entry: Jun2-7

Back from Pton.  Too tired for a strength session by the time I got home on Sunday night.  Lots of emotions, coming back.

Monday, June 2:
The sleep on Sunday night seemed to help with my leg's recovery, which continued throughout Monday.  I craved a workout, so I tried a run at the park, sans-Zombie.  I could've gone on for an extra 0.75mi lap, but I decided to do burpees instead, to get ready for the Battlefrog obstacle course race.  Their penalty burpees are 8-counts where the jump at the end is replaced by a pushup-jack.  If If I'm doing it correctly, it feels much easier than the Spartan burpees, and I did 60 of those, followed by 20 of the Spartan ones.  4.5 in 39:25, 8:42 ave.

Battlefrog:

Spartan:

Tuesday, June 3:
55 min strength session.  Front shoulders were sore from yesterday's burpees.

Thursday, June 5:
7.2 in 1:01:10, 8:25 ave.  I started the second season of Zombies, Run today.  It was a big one!  In season 1, they tended to take about 43 min, on average.  This one kept going!  Blisters developed in my not-so-good New Balance 858s in the last couple of laps, and I made the last lap a mini-lap.  I was struggling.  My right back had gotten tight in one of the early chases.  My right knee was a bit off afterwards, but it was better the next day after sleeping. 


Saturday, June 7th:
Zombies, again.  In season 2, they give you 3 artifacts per run, which is great.  It took a long time to build anything in season 1.  5.2 in 46:12, 8:48 ave.  Being in the sun vs. the shade makes a big difference in how much you feel the heat and humidity.  My legs felt worn out in the morning and not in the mood to run, but it eventually loosened up a bit to where I could override that feeling.  I needed the run to clear my mind today, and it did help. 

Later... off to Argentina!

5th Reunions

Reunions are a big deal in Princeton.  It's a 3-day party, complete with alumni panels where you can continue to learn about interesting topics, gatherings with the teams/clubs you had joined, a 4-hr parade that you got to watch and walk in, fireworks, and partying the night away.  Sadly, 2 of my roommates couldn't make it back, and it wasn't the same without them, but we made the best of it.

I woke up at 4:15am for a 6:45 direct flight.  Going into Philly, though, I had to take a series of 4 trains, with 30 min (ave) layovers between each.  I arrived on campus at around noon, checked in, treked up to the off-campus dorm at a neighboring college, dropped off my stuff, and headed down to the tow path.  I loved running on the beautiful path by Carnegie lake, where I could blow off stress a couple of times per week.

I got 13.8 mi in 2:13:43, a slow 9:41/mi ave.  I got tired about halfway through the out-and-back and turned around at a pedestrian bridge that goes over Route 1.  It was odd that the run was as hard as it was.  I took it slowly, though, and just enjoyed being back.  It was tough on my legs, but I shuffled through.

 

 After the run, I met up with a friend, and we wandered around campus, visiting places of importance to us.  We went to the room where we used to meet for Bible Studies, we had a picnic in front of a fountain, I stopped to sample craft beer, we searched for spikes on the track, took my homegrown reunions tradition photo next to my class plaque, browsed the university gear store, and had froyo.

 

(My very tall friend and I had a game, where we saw how many steps it took each of us to walk across a 2-pronged bridge... it was about 175 to 135.)

 

The next day, I attended an interesting alumni panel about whether women can/should "do it all" (career, family, community service, etc). 

Some interesting thoughts:

- Yes, but with different things at different times, because you can't do it all without sacrificing quality somewhere.  Doing it all may involve taking a sabbatical from work, for example, or a less high-level job.

- Structural changes (as opposed to habit changes by women alone) are required in society, to change the ongoing inequality.  This means that men need to be just as involved as the women in making the necessary changes. 

- Today's women are at a crossroads of two divergent cultural traditions - Nobody believes that 100% of women should work, or 100% of women should support the family.  There will be some mixture, with women doing one, the other, or both, and the key is to make the changes to our institutions and society to give women the opportunity to pursue whatever option they want.  Think about how racism has been battled in the past.... it wasn't by bringing the oppressed group into rooms for discussions where you tell them to "lean in" more, and prove themselves.  Legislation was often required to force the right thing to happen.

- Not enough value is placed on unpaid work, whether it's supporting family or volunteering.

Went to a class lunch, where I got to talk to former classmates that I hadn't seen in a while.  Got coffee with friends, a number of whom had babies in the past year.  Lots of babies all around.  Went to the Friday Night Fellowship meeting for my campus ministry.  It was encouraging to hear the testimonies of what God had taught a couple of the graduating seniors.

- Our God is a pursuing God, who out of his fervent love for us, seeks us out and hopes that we might come to him. He doesn't give up on us, even when we reject and even betray him. 
- Many of us have stories where dear friends pursued us and drew us back, when we were tempted to withdraw, too.  As we become Pursuers and follow in Christ's example, there will be times when we may experience rejection, but we should persevere, because we know from experience how important it is to keep trying and not give up.

After FNF, I went to an arch sing by my old a cappella group.  They changed things up a bit, and after going through some new songs, they had a set of old songs where we got to join in.  That was great.  Unfortunately, the last song was after my time, so I had to poorly try to lip-synch that one, haha.  It's a great group, though.  Two of them were the two that gave senior testimonies, too, and I think two others were worship leaders at FNF!  Even though we were never at Pton at the same time, you still feel a bond with them.

The next morning, I went to two talks... one about what it was like to be a Washington Post journalist breaking one of the biggest foreign & domestic policy stories of the decade.  Another one was about books that changed the lives of an alumni panel.  I always thought Ulysses had to do with Greek Mythology, but apparently, it doesn't.  If I came away with something, I guess it would be an even stronger desire to read a Tale of Two Cities, which I had started a couple weeks ago.

After that, a PEF alumni lunch for more catching up, then the P-rade, a parade of all alumni.  It starts with 90-year-olds at the top of campus, and each year gradually folds in.  It lasts 4 hours, because there are so many alumni, sporting their beer jackets or major reunions (every 5th year) costumes.  Our theme for the 5th was OktoberFifth "oh, nein!".  So we had dirndls and lederhosen.  Lots of cheering, lots of orange and black.

 

 

Back to the E-quad for more catching up with PEFers, followed by an Ultimate Frisbee reunion dinner at a great Indian restaurant, before heading out for fireworks.  Princeton's fireworks are consistently the best I've ever seen.  They synch up all different types of fireworks to music, and it's amazing how well-timed it is, and how creative the matchings are.

 

Headed back Sunday, after watching the Baccalaureate speech, froyo, and immortalizing the weekend with my friend.