Holy Toledo I Just Ran a Half Marathon!

 Last weekend my study abroad group took our last over-night trip to Toledo. Toledo is about two hours southeast of Segovia and I have no idea if the expression "Holy Toledo" originated there or not. The title seemed fitting, however. We left Segovia around nine and spent the day discovering yet another city's religious establishments. Since reaching our threshold of cathedrals, alcazars, etc oh about two months ago, I have felt a bit bad about the fact that we students tend to rush through each experience. These places are REALLY starting to look the same though and most of the time I remain unaffected by what I find inside of them. Don't get me wrong, the artwork, statues and arquitecture are all amazing and beautiful, but I realized this phenomenon throughout the first five or so trips, now it is safe to say, "enough is enough!"

Between one of our tours we had lunch time. The weather was a gorgeous 60 degrees and after I scarfed down my bocadillo (sandwich) you can be sure that I laid out under the Toledo sun catching any rays that my yoga pants and long-sleeved shirt allowed. (The transition from living with my father who so graciously would tell me the weather for the day or maybe more importantly what the weather feels like and hence the appropriate clothing is still continuing as my choice of clothing related to the weather is still a hit and miss.) So the yoga pants and long-sleeved shirt wasn't the best option, but the sun glorious nonetheless. After our last tour of the day, we boarded the bus which then took us to our hotel on the outskirts of Toledo.

Upon arrival and after discovering the hundred or so Spanish "band members" staying in seemingly all the rooms below ours, a few of us girls grabbed our swim suits and laid out again. I think the hotel personnel thought we were crazy in fact I know for a fact they did because it is still considered winter here and we didn't arrive back at the hotel until after four. Far beyond any type of quality sun deserving of full on bikinis and sun-glasses. Well, true to our crazy American stereotype, we laid out for a couple of hours next to the outdoor pool which was closed for winter and all of the trees where picnic tables in the summer are sure to be found. A few Spanish men tried coming to talk to us, but I think were intimidated by the large group of us girls. I am sure these men were nice, but after a few of them tried entering our hotel rooms and introducing themselves randomly we deemed them as a bit on the creepy side.

On Saturday night we went back into town to grab a bite to eat and check out the night-life. Colin's girlfriend, Joanna, is studying in Toledo this semester so she was able to show us around. She is studying through the University of Minnesota and there are over ninety of them all in Toledo! We met a few of the students, but eventually took an early cab back to the hotel in order to get some quality sleep for another day of tours the following day.

Some of my friends hanging out in the plaza mayor, soaking up the sun!

We saw a synagogue, church and a museum and then baked in the sun for a good three hours--it was wonderful! I made sure to flip and not burn too badly, other people were not so smart and fried like an egg! Toledo is famous for guns and weapons and things and also marzipan. Some of the guys bought swords and things but you can be sure I headed in the direction of the tasty almond flavored pastries. There are many different kinds and I ended up buying some triangle-shaped ones with nuts on the top, yummm!

Can't complain about this running view, half marathon or no half marathon!

This past week was filled with lots of homework as the final projects are really starting to pile up! Also I spent  the days where I hadn't run with a guilty conscience knowing that I had a half marathon to run today (Sunday)! I was able to start some of my final projects, but it is safe to say that I was a bit nervous for today's events as I am still not completely acclimated to the hills and high-altitude of this beautiful city. Oh yeah and the part where I am supposed to run for 13.1 miles/21.3 kilometers straight or in less than two-and-a-half hours--I definitely didn't think I was prepared for that hurdle. Well to prove myself and a few of you wrong, I finished in two hours and...19 minutes! It wasn't the best two hours of my life, per-say, but I felt awesome and proud especially during the last kilometer when many of my friends were on the sidelines cheering me on and I was running through the city towards the magnificent view that is the roman aqueduct. It was pretty special!

Segovia was chaotic, especially the morning of the race!

Before the race, was a show of its own! There were tons of people (4,000 runners, their supporters and marathon staff) some of which could be found in the sky parachuting in for the run. Now, I am unsure if these people ran the race, but it was cool to witness regardlessly! The race started at 10:30, but we needed to get to our meeting spot an hour before in order to take our IE University picture. We made up the majority of the runners, in fact, there were nine of us and one of them, but we all received gear from the school and we clearly needed a picture of us in our matching shirts! We hung out and warmed up before the race and then about ten minutes before start time we went to line up. The cannon was shot at exactly 10:30 and we were off! I ran almost the whole thing alone except for when I caught up with Jaisa for a little bit. I didn't mind and I actually prefer to run alone. There were people along the entire route screaming, "venga" (let's go), "animo" (energy!) and other somewhat helpful phrases. I always got the most motivation from the elderly folk yelling these motivational advices at me because it made me appreciate the fact that I am young, vital and still able to run something so strenuous. To the young adults, I wanted to yell, "Get your ass out here," but didn't have the energy to translate that while I was running. Ok so I wasn't exactly thinking that, but I wasn't in the best of moods as the kilometer markers slowly passed and the hills seemed to become higher and higher. As I sit in my bed writing to you all, I can honestly say it was a great experience and incredible feat for myself. Tomorrow as I will probably wake up much more sore than I am today, I may not think it was one of the best ideas to sign up for the half marathon, but the soreness will pass, right?!

We finished! 3373rd place, hold the applause..but really

All in all, it was another unbelievable week in Spain! This week I need to crack down on my final projects especially because Greta and her friend Della are coming on Friday! We will be visiting La Granja on Saturday and then many of us are going to Madrid on Sunday for some shopping and a bull fight. Also, I will add pictures from Toledo and the Marathon sometime this week. Hasta luego friends and family!