Workout Skippin' & Euro Trippin'

It's June 10th and I haven't run in about two weeks. I've only ridden about two or three times in that time as well. Kayaking? Nope. It's been raining a lot lately and I've been super busy finishing up a guidebook (deadline is today) and getting ready for a trip to Europe with Kristin and her grandmother (departure is today). I'll return from the trip on the night of the 18th, just one short week before Mountains to Sound -- one short week spent trying to cram some training in while getting over a serious case of jet lag. One short week that should have been my week to taper and focus on mental preparation.

Too late.

Mountains to Sound is going to be ten very long hours -- If I'm lucky. I haven't run further than 12 miles or so in over 4 years. Finishing this race with a 19.2 mile run is not going to be easy. Then again, neither will the 12 miles of kayaking that comes before it, considering I haven't paddled more than 6 miles in one stretch yet. Yes, it's safe to say that once I'm done with the mountain biking and road biking, that it's going to be one long suffer-fest to the finish line. I can't wait.

But first there's Europe. Tonight we take a red-eye to NJ, have breakfast with family and relax for a couple hours, then we head to the airport for a second consecutive overnight flight. This time to Budapest. We're taking a 7-day river cruise on the Danube River from Budapest, Hungary through Austria and on to Nuremberg, Germany. I'm a bit depressed that we'll be travelling through Austria and won't step foot on a single mountain trail, nor will we be attending a World Cup game while in Germany, but the trip is more about spending time with Kristin's grandmother so I can deal with it. Besides, she's paying for the trip and I'm young. I can come back another time in life if I want, whereas this may be her last trip, as she's getting on in years.

I'll try to steal away for a half hour to an Internet cafe while in Vienna and if I do, I'll try and post something. Right after I adjust the lineup for my fantasy baseball team...

In the meantime, here's our route: