We are currently kicking off the first ski weekend of the season up in Verbier! Here’s a glimpse into our day on the slopes!
Silent Saturday – Ski Season Is Here
A Few Changes for A Happier Life
Five or six weeks ago, Bo and I both acknowledged that we needed to get ourselves out of a funk. We were living together, under the same roof, but not connecting in the way we normally do. I was busy with work and Bo was stressed out over his job search. We found ourselves living in autopilot mode, rarely taking time to invest time in each other or our friends and family.
Bo sat me down on the couch and presented me with a Business Insider article which then kicked off an hour long conversation. Since then, we’ve made a few small changes to help each other and those around us play more important roles in our lives. These changes have left us happier and more content going into the holiday season.
For the past three weeks, we’ve just picked up the phone. Sure, we love the ease and simplicity of texting, resulting in quick responses from friends and family. But, this article and a few others we’ve read lately, reminded us that texting doesn’t make us feel as engaged or connected to the person as talking on the phone or FaceTiming. Therefore, we’ve made an effort each week to work our way through our group of friends and family. We’re still trying to perfect the time zone difficulty, especially for those living on the West Coast, but this week alone we’ve spoken with both our siblings, both sets of parents, one aunt, and two friends. I’ve also started picking up the phone during my commute home each night. I used to be embarrassed to use the phone on the trams as it isn’t something the Swiss tend to do. But, I’d rather hear my mom’s voice and strengthen our relationship than worry about what the person next to me thinks.
In our own home, each night when I get home, we make a point to sit down on the couch together or spend a few minutes in the kitchen area with our glass of wine and talk about the day. It provides a perfect time to vent about the lows and celebrate the highs whether that is a big thing or a small, daily win. This time, which is sometimes five minutes, or like last night almost 30 minutes, has really helped us become better engaged as a support system. It helps us remember that we each need support during this time and that we are going through very different obstacles each day. This morning, Bo quietly wished me luck at the doctor, something he wouldn’t have even remembered or known about a few weeks ago. Knowing that we are each more in touch with the other’s life has strengthened our relationship and brought us together in the best way possible.
Instead of doing things separately, we’ve tried to make more of an effort to do them together. Typically, Bo will cook in the evening while I blog. I’ve made an effort to blog early in the morning so in the evenings I can get back in the kitchen with Bo, practicing skills and enjoying the time together. Now that he has a clean bill of health after his ACL surgery, Bo has started running with me 2-3 times per week. The 30 to 40 minutes we enjoy together, without the distraction of social media or other people, has provided time for some great conversations, travel planning and day dreaming. It’s a time that we have together that no one else can interrupt or hear. Sunday’s Instagram post perfectly portrays my emotions around this change!
Last but not least, we’ve made an effort to have more quality time with our friends. This Summer we found ourselves only seeing our friends in group, social situations or at bars. This made quality conversations virtually impossible. Over the past month we’ve enjoyed two double dates, one large Thanksgiving and a quiet festive evening at home with friends. The amount this more quality interaction has progressed our friendships is hard to believe. There are a few friends who we’ve known for over a year but just this month had time to enjoy long conversations together.
I hope you find even just one small change that you can make in your life through this post. It’s a bit more personal than the average post, but last night when trying to fall asleep, the post idea came to me so I had to share it with you all first thing this morning!
The Race That 20% of Geneva Runs
Happy Monday! Bo and I are so glad that we stayed in Geneva this weekend to partake in the L’Escalade festivities. We were out and about with friends all day Saturday and then spent yesterday relaxing together.
Unfortunately my week hasn’t started off well as I’ve slept more today than I’ve been awake and have been plagued with stomach issues and cold symptoms all day. Hopefully the day off work today and lots of sleep will allow me to be back in the office tomorrow! There are only 9 more working days before Christmas vacation begins so I don’t have time to be sick!
Instead of dwelling on the way I feel, let’s go back to this weekend’s race – Course de l’Escalade. In its 37th year, the Course de l’Escalade literally takes over the Old Town of Geneva for a weekend of racing events. In fact, over 40,000 people take part in the races which equals more than 20% of Geneva’s population! The weekend is an annual festival commemorating Geneva’s defeat of the Duke of Savoy in 1602.
The event is truly for everyone with distances ranging from 2km to 8km depending on category and activities including walking, running and Nordic walking. It should be noted that the women’s distance and men’s distance are different, 4.8 km for the women and 7.2 km for the men. When people emailed organizers requesting why the difference, they stated that they assumed women wouldn’t want to run the longer distance.
Regardless of differences, we all had a blast running on Saturday! The women’s race includes two laps of the course which goes through the hilly, narrow, cobblestone streets of Old Town Geneva while the men’s race is 3 laps of the same course. We were able to catch a glimpse of the 17-19 year old group running as we headed over to the starting area to meet the girls. Those guys were FAST!
The three of us running met 30 minutes before our race, at 2pm, in order to get into the corral area and warm-up. I opted for a holiday themed running outfit, sporting as much red as possible. Red was not a common color as most other runners were wearing either black or neon colors.
As usual, there was an official warm-up before the start including fun music and group led stretches and exercises. The three of us opted to chat and catch up versus focus on the warm-up as we were all aiming for a PR in fun. Our goal was to take in the sights and sounds of Old Town as this truly is one of the most fun weekends in Geneva. The city felt alive with the influx of people, live bans filling the streets and scent of mulled wine lingering out of every bar.
Due to the packed streets and large group of women running, we could barely move for the first lap through Old Town as you can see from this picture. The loop took us through the old medieval portion of Geneva, around the Russian Church area, past a few small parks and through Parc Bastion. The entire course was lined with people cheering, ranging from children asking for high fives to families banging pots and pans or shaking cowbells!
By the second lap Kerrie and I were flying through Old Town, taking our pace down to what felt like an 8:30 or so. You can tell from my smile in this picture that I was happy to be running faster and have the crowd behind and in front versus next to me. We definitely spent the first half weaving through runners, as best as possible, trying to push forward.
We finished in 29:02, a 9:33 pace, which was perfect considering we chatted the whole way and started towards the back. I grabbed a warm cup of tea and goody bag before we each parted ways. Our plan was to meet back up to cheer the men on later in the day. Bo and I wandered through the participant area and enjoyed a warm bowl of soup before heading back home.
Bo and the rest of our guy friends didn’t run until 5pm so by the time their race started there were white twinkling lights and torches lighting their path. There were more people out lining the streets than earlier and the entire area was buzzing. There were a few of us standing together cheering for the men, sipping on hot, mulled wine and laughing at ourselves as we screamed French motivational phrases at the runners as they sped past.
As you can tell from the neon blur above, our friend Ranald, kept a wicked fast 6:48 per mile pace while Bo and the rest of the guys all finished strong and had a blast!
The Course de l’Escalade race was a wonderful way to end the Fall running season in Geneva which included three great races following the Berlin Marathon. We are already looking forward to next year!
Your turn: Have you ever participated in an event which has different distances for men versus women?
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