Day #207 - Black Forest, Germany

Autumn in Baden-Baden

Black Forest

Feeling 'Great at 38'
'

Black Forest

Black Forest

Thursday, October 7th

Happy Birthday to me! I'm 38 years old today. Wow - that's crazy. Thanks for all the birthday wishes and support. I am truly lucky to have such a great family and friends to lean on. Thanks for always being there.

I've been thinking about "What can I do to make this day special?". I've seriously been pondering this for a little while. Well, it's a Thursday, there's no real big events going on in Europe (to my knowledge) that I would be overly interested in attending. So, I asked myself this question: "What do I like?"

I've mentioned this before, but the days that make me happiest and most fulfilled, are the days that I do some sort of physical acitivity and then have some fun afterwards. The activity could be anything, from golfing, to snow-skiing, to running, to hiking - whatever. Then - I get to sit back and enjoy it. It kind of sums up what I'm all about - Work hard, play hard.

Have you ever heard the song: "The Dirt Road" by Sawyer Brown. If not, pull it up on YouTube - even if you don't like country - I think you'll like this song. It's one of my favorites. It reminds me to keep working hard, keep pushing forward, keep trying to do the right things, and one day -- it will matter. Today - I took the dirt road.

I made Baden-Baden my stopping point for a few days because I wanted to do a long run in the Black Forest today. The Black Forest of Germany is a 4,600 square mile area in southwestern Germany. The name 'Black Forest' goes back to the Romans who referred to the thickly forested mountains as Silva Negra ("Black Forest") because the dense growth of conifers blocked out most of the light in the forest.

The other reason I opted to spend today in Germany is because I'm quickly starting to favor Germany over the other countries in Europe. It really is awesome - on so many different levels. Add to this the fact that my heritage is from this area - Bingo - I'm here today.

I started the day by sleeping in - no alarm clock. I got my gear ready and set off on a 20 mile run. Time limit goal - under 4 hours. I headed out with a pair of running shorts and short sleeve shirt (temperature around 60 deg), my brand new pair of running shoes, my ipod, 5 packs of power gel, a gatorade and a water, 40 euro, my ID/credit card, and my camera. I had alot of stuff - but I was set to go along way.

The run was great. I felt a ton better than recent pasts. I ran up and down hills and through this dense forested area for hours. Really awesome scenery. I was by myself for most of the time - about as peaceful as you can get. As I left the Black Forest, I really wanted a picture to remember today. I came across this very old couple. I'm sure I startled them when I stopped. I asked the lady if she would take my photo. She didn't speak a lick of English. It was funny - she started to smile and laugh as I explained the camera. She took the pic while trying to look through the eyepiece (although I had the screen display on). I don't think she could see me in the lens at all - but pointed in my general direction. Perfect. I've attached the pic. I then made it back to the town of Baden-Baden and ran along this long stream/canal that filters through the city. Incredible sites. This place is a must-see in Germany. I don't see how any other month could be better than October for visiting. It's hard to completely describe what I was feeling today - but it was very inspirational. I finished just under my 4 hour goal.

Once completed with the run, I rested a little and then went out for some food. I had a big plate of spagetti and a huge salad. I didn't want to go too crazy with food, because my next destination required that I be light.

I then spent about 3 hours in the Caracalla Thermal. This is one of two famous thermal saunas in Baden-Baden. Pretty cool place. I weighed in at 77.4kg (about 170.5 lbs). I'm not sure if this is right or not -if so, it's lighter than I've weighed for some time. I spent about an hour in these thermal pools (some outside, some inside) working out the kinks. I then spent the remainder of the time in the sauna and steam area melting away. I actually left before the 3 hours was up because I was getting weak. Another sauna and I was going down for the count. Great area - recommend it.

I then went out for a really good dinner. Had salmon, vegetables, and beer. It was all good. I walked aorund a little bit in the evening - feeling a little 'alone'. Decided to call it a day.

Nothing really fancy today - nothing earthshattering - just solid, just about perfect. Here's to a great year ahead!!!!