Challenge

Last June I signed up to run the Barcelona Marathon.
The Zurich in the name refers to the insurance company that sponsors the event.

The route goes by a lot of tourist spots, which was fun for the runners
and maybe entertaining for tourists.  Or maybe a big pain in the neck.

I enjoyed being part of the pre-race expo and 

seeing where I would be on Sunday.

Bonus picture of scooters for my younger sister.

This is part of my loot. The women had orange shirts with a picture
of women and the men had grey shirts with an orange picture of a man.

I also received a magazine with all sorts of details and a bit
about mental preparation, like letting go of worries about weather
and "the shape of rivals".  It was like they read my mind.

And then came the big day! I had been training with a long-distance coach and felt prepared (nervous, scared).  I was grateful to have already achieved my first goal, which was to come through the training without an injury.

D. took his bike to Barcelona and found me on different parts of the route.
He brought socks, drinks, food, and sunglasses in case I wanted them.

I am glad there was entertainment for him along the way,
like this group running with the rolling giants.
I like that the giants' shirts match the runners' shirts!

Was this more entertaining for us than for the runner?

The energy from the drumming groups on the route was fantastic.

A. came to town to cheer for me and R. made dinner tonight.
It's great to have a supportive family!

This is now mine!
Finishing was my second goal.

The first half was exactly the pace I wanted and the second half was not. I did not meet my third goal (going faster than I did in Denmark six years ago). I was happy to finish strong and pass a few people who had passed me.

Now it is onto recovery.  Walking to the train was slow and going up and down the stairs was awful. It was nice to stretch my legs on the train instead of having to drive home. Cycling from the station was also slow, but better than walking.

I am trying to decide whether to train for a half-marathon so I can run for the cycle over the course of a year (almost).  I ran a 10K on New Year's Eve, a marathon today, and I am guessing I will run a 5K on Thanksgiving. Something to look forward to!

It's here!

Not really a blog post, just a few pictures of spring!

white blossoms

pink blossoms

and green leaves

Monitors

The first temperature and relative humidity monitor I noticed
was in a building on D.'s campus, which didn't strike me as odd.

I saw another in the Maritime Museum.

There is one near the check-out counter at the library.

There is one in the mall (photo taken in December).

This one is by the entrance to the grocery store.
Usually it is a much lower temperature.

Do buildings in the US have these, too, but not publicly displayed?  Is it required here?  What do they do with the information?

At least I have the answer to one question. What is relative humidity?  It is "the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature".

Local cuisine

A month or two ago some huge, dirty scallion-type things kept showing up everywhere.

They are called calçots and there are festivals and events to celebrate them, a tiny bit like the artichoke and garlic festivals in California.

from google imagesThe traditional way to prepare them is over a grill

and then they are served in what looks like a ceramic roof shingle with a
romesco sauce,which is usually red pepper, nuts (almonds or maybe
hazelnuts), garlic, and oil.  Maybe salt.  Each one seems to vary a bit.

We do have a grill, but it is not on the same floor as the kitchen and it just isn't my thing.  So I would look longingly at the stories about them and advertisements, and even found a restaurant that sold them, but it was closed the day we were in the neighborhood.  I figured I would just have to skip this tradition.

Then D. and I were buying fruits and vegetables and on whim picked some up along with the sauce. I watched a video on how to eat them,

and then cooked them under the broiler.

Meh.  Some people liked the vegetable and some people liked the sauce.  I think the experience of eating them with a large group of people is what we were missing.  Maybe next year?

Parting shots from Madrid

It is a good thing I can't read much Spanish so I was not tempted by the books for sale.

There were many booths along the south side of El Retiro.

It looks like what was on the table was only a small selection.

It is said that this bookstore has been here, in the same
alley as the San Ginés chocolateria for over 300 years.

There are also big bookstores

and

smaller ones.

There were even book excerpts on the metro.
"The objective is to encourage reading in public transport
through brief texts that arouse the interest of users."
more here

 A few random pictures

I liked the variety of plant towers around town.

It is great when doors are open and I can peek in!

The metro was so clean and so empty!

And their tickets were so much smaller.
They also have tap cards, which Barcelona does not have. Yet.

I had never seen a park bench with pedals in front of it.

At the airport they had a bar where each person had a
screen but instead of serving drinks they served ham.

I don't know where else we'll travel in Spain, but I am so glad we got to visit Madrid!

More Madrid

 On the last day we took a walking tour and visited one more museum.

We started the tour in the middle of Spain.

The first stop was a few steps away at this historic bakery.
Many old pictures on their website here.

We did not stop for a famous Madird calamari sandwich.

We passed through the Plaza Mayor

and admired the bits of history on the seat backs of the lamp posts.

 We saw a line of people near the Almundena Cathedral across from the palace and assumed it was for Ash Wednesday,

but it turned out to be for the changing of the guard.

We saw only the parade of people heading to the Plaza de la Armería, but that was enough for us.

We finished our tour along the Calle del Arenal and collected a few more pictures of tiles.  Here is tiny sampling.

I resisted temptation and did buy any souvenirs!

Outside the museum is a living wall, which is fun to look at from afar

and close up.

The converted power plant had great staircases

and a fun gift shop.

I wish you could have see the exhibit of Philippe Halsman photography, which was so entertaining. He is known for lots of Life Magazine covers and Marilyn Monroe pictures (and lots more), but my favorites were the ones he made with Dali and of people jumping.

from the museum website

Such a great trip!  I'll do one more post after this for all the little bits that didn't fit in anywhere else.