I’m not offended John. I was just surprised with your ‘need for social connectedness’ comment, as I often appear to be the opposite (people tell me this, it’s not just my mere opinion), and I honestly don’t feel that way. It’s interesting if I give the opposite impression here on CF (from a psychological perspective, if you know what I mean)!
Are you coming to Europe this year? Maybe we could finally meet somehow 
maybe it wasn’t the best possible phrasing but the impression I get is you are often struggling emotionally with your surroundings and missing people / groups which to me indicated you were unsettled and didn’t have the types of people around you that you need / want. Again no offence intended, just an observation.
No trip to Europe in the near future. I’m off to Aus in November to watch http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/presidentscup/ and catch up with family. C & I are thinking of a trip to Africa in 2013 and then Europe in 2015 or 2016.
That’s my reality at this point of my life!
But it’s ok.
Saturday, March. 19th, 2011
found the track locked, so did EMS instead
Sunday, March 20th, 2011
20min warm up, quick stretch
6 x 30 double leg hops up-stairs, walk back recoveries
3min rest
6 x 30 double leg hops up-stairs, walk back recoveries
4min rest
4 x 100 stairs (doubles), walk back recoveries
8min rest
2 x 150m hill, walk back recovery
5min cool down
Then my sister took me on her back in the house and I knocked my left kneecap on a door-frame (hard) . It still hurts, for a while I thought that I cracked my kneecap, but I think it will be fine (I hope).
Then I went to an MMA tournament (the first one hosted in Greece). Do these people test for contagious blood diseases before they start rolling around in each other’s blood?? :rolleyes:
too much relaxing massage on Hams…do 10-15 minutes…
Got it
Monday, March. 21st, 2011
20min warm up
good stretch
3 x 20m A skips
2 x 20m B skips
1 x 20m running A skips
3 x 30+m scissor kicks
tempo (on soccer field)
Gym:
(some parts of this city are just lovely. And the parts are many)
p.s. It looks like I did not crack my other kneecap from that door jam after all. Pfeww… !! >> For my sister mostly, who said that she would have purposely broken her own kneecap if mine proved to be hurt :eek:
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2011
Starting to get a bit worried with my productivity status since I came to Thessaloniki.
Moving around all the time, brings one to the uncomfortable position of imagining the one place where all the positives of different places merge together into one location. It becomes a bit disappointing to realize that the ideal does not exist, but it’s mostly irritating when one is experiencing bits and pieces of it here and there 
Training:
4 laps warm up on grass
good stretch
2 x 20m A skips
2 x 20m B skips
1 x 20m running A’s
2 x 30m scissor kicks
1 x 60m stride on grass
1 x 60m stride on track
2 x 60m strides with spikes
1 x 300 @ 85% (or whatever, today I felt very flat and tired), at 46 secs
(10min rest)
And realized that I’m really out of plan… I’m doing whatever suits my surroundings (group, etc), so this needs to change and use the things that help me make that little difference that I’ve experienced at totally random times.
So I’m using the EMS again, and I hope this time consistently:
p.s. I forgot my titles again… today I will name: “Stopwatches inside pockets, and synchronized beeps” (this is the case when I train at the central stadium of Thessaloniki, and other coaches who want to know other people’s training times (why don’t they just ask?? ), hide their stopwatches in their pockets and time you, and you can tell when they do this, because you all of a sudden hear the ‘beep’ at the finish line. Flattering? But it stresses me out !
F**k them! 
hahaha easy now… !!
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
Today’s title: The power of the attitude.
Sometimes we can affect the environmental attitude, but if the environment is too strong (population versus one), then things become iffy and the environment has a strong effect. Afternoon track sessions at the central stadium are an iffy-situation for me. I think that from all the people in there, I could only be friends with 10%. The air affects my mood and confidence, and I rarely enjoy a session there. Nick says ‘f**k’ them (:eek:)
I went there at noon today, and the air was much more relaxed. Just one ‘champ’ running there, the rest totally non-serious about what they were doing. I felt happy. I even gave my brightest smile to the Champ who I could potentially like, and she smiled and said hello back. We’ve been sitting next to each other for years now on the track, during training (when I’m here), and this was our first communication-exchange. The attitude that the environment caused, did this to us. (or me).
I also met the university coordinator here. It went really well. I was so positive and bright, that anyone should know that it’s the most secure recipe of being liked (while feeling the sensation :rolleyes:)
I’m so very sleepy…
Oh, training: (all on grass)
tempo:
(shin splints, but they get better when I think about ‘trusting my center of gravity’)
EMS:
p.s. half the random stuff I write on my journal, on the second time I read them, I’m like “what on earth…”
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
title of the day: The fight for the lactic
20min warm up, quick stretch
7 x 35steps double leg hops, walk back recoveries
( 8min rest)
(trying to get lactic acid, I finally got it on the 6th).
EMS session might follow, I’ll edit later if it does.
I’m with Nik
and for what it’s worth so am I
Friday, March 25th, 2011 Chasing adventures?
Today is the national holiday of Greece !
Went on a walk with friends and their dog, saw some of the parade, remembered my junior high school days when I also used to participate. Goodness, I really still feel pretty young, but that last happened 13 years ago :eek:
I started reading my journal today from the beginning (I got up to page 14), and I was both pleased and disappointed!! Pleased for all that has been going on (life adventures, experiences, learned lessons and acquired wisdom) , and mostly for the quality of training-footage that I have taken down over the years.
Disappointed because I feel that partially, there’s a special spirit that has been lost.
I think it all started with the phd, as it became a phase in my life where one single thing started to weigh a great deal of importance for the status figures of my person’s existence, and it is also a phase where I experienced for the first time the kind of attitude by people who try to ‘break’ you, in order to build you up again, in an academic environment. Or other levels as well… This is totally wrong for my moral beliefs because no knowledge in my opinion is worthless. And no life-philosophies are un-suiting for any environment.
Even astrology has something to teach. On whatever level.
Maybe it’s also due to the seriousness of an intimate relationship. Maybe it does take your eyes away from many other experiences at first, especially when it ends up being mostly long distance, and every move and every thought tends to parallel with the concern of whether or not it would be right or hurtful towards the other; not talking about cheating of course, but just other things in general, that fill up life on a daily basis. Like being carefree, and inconsiderate (in a good kind of way), completely independent and self absorbed.
Anyway :), I also think that tons of things could not have been accomplished if things had taken a different toll, and if I had to do things again, I’d do them the same! I need to chase adventures again, that’s all. That is the bottom story of this post. And adventures depend on daring moves and interesting people (in my opinion). The first has been hard to do because of this phd which keeps me busy so often (which is good of course), and the second is (in my opinion) just a matter of luck and circumstances. Interesting people come and go like waves in life (sometimes tsunami’s). You could spend a whole long period without any (in close distance-proximity, that is…)
I started reading Speed Trap again today (for the 3rd time?) I am hitting my head on the wall for missing that (2009?) chance to go to Toronto for a week and continue training with Charlie, after his suggestion. For the classical question “if you were to live your life all over again, what would you have done differently”, this is the one and ONLY thing I would have changed; I would have gone as soon as I could, after that one session we had in Florence. The period was very busy for me, but I could have managed something.
Damn damn damn…!
The weather has been nice here. 20 degrees. Change of weather to the better has always caused an enlightening feeling within me.
Training:
20min warm up, quick stretch
10 x 100stairs, walk back recoveries (singles-doubles-doubles-singles-doubles-doubles-singles-doubles-doubles-singles)
Today I think I will go to the central stadium and find a training partner for the day (there are a few possibilities). If my bicycle gets fixed.
Edit:
EMS followed later:
Saturday, March 26th, 2011
Title of the day: instincts don’t fail me;)
I took my bike here for a check up, so I can use it during my stay; rode to the central stadium, in search for tempo-company (I knew my friend would be there, with her group - this also used to be my group about 3 years ago, for maybe one month or so ). So I was happy.
The uphill to reach the stadium is OVER-qualified for my pre-training energy resources ! :eek: (I walked half of it).
30min biking to the stadium
2 laps warm up on grass, stretching
2 x 20m A skips
2 x 20m B skips
1 x 30m scissor kicks into stride
1 x 20m running A’s into stride
tempo (on wet grass):
(total 1000+660+660= 2320m)
( I run so much better with company for such runs…, form and relaxation-wise!)
[COLOR=“DarkRed”]The grass was VERY slippery , especially towards the corners. On the last diagonal, this one athlete who was jogging leisurely towards the spot where I was going to finish, saw me but didn’t break (:rolleyes:) , so I had to put the breaks suddenly, and I had a very impressive slip (I slid for 15m or more). I sprang right up, my left glute was a bit sore, but nothing serious I received some shocked looks!
The coach of the group was amazed with my instincts and said that I landed better than a motorcycling pro I don’t remember what I did, only that I was also in the air for some time :o
[/COLOR]
abs
25min bike ride back
Sunday, March 27th, 2011
Chilled out with dogs
It was supposed to be a relaxing day, but my hyperactive sister got me psyched up about tennis again, and we played after (a couple of?) years. We’re still rather good 
15min biking
1hr tennis
15min biking
Pretty tired from it !! Lovely sport…
Tomorrow starts a workshop in which I’m participating, so I have to be gone all day until 5.30 or later (doing participatory work), and then find energy and go straight to the track. But I guess that’s how full-time people do it when they are at the office all day ! (John!) It finishes on Saturday though =)
And I get to meet George Hargreaves! I’m in his group!! (probably nobody here knows him, but he’s an internationally well known landscape architect !!
Good day.
Monday, March 28th, 2011
Beyond glories, superficiality and egotism. Training aside.
First day of Thessaloniki ECOWEEK. Lovely presentation by architect Francis Kere, who builds sustainable designs in Africa. Out of clay. Inspirational on every level. I think that a couple of (genuine) Africans that I have met/seen/listened to, have been among the most influential people for me, personality-wise, above all ! Mr. Kere is a humanitarian on every level. Such ‘simple’ talent and such beautiful mind. I heard some great stories.
(10hrs of listening to speeches, and visiting sites. Good day).
I think today will be totally off. (It’s been a while). Bike doesn’t count, in my case, under the circumstances…
The rest of the week will also be busy like this, as we are working in teams to produce sustainable results (my team is working on a green open space corridor in the center of Thessaloniki)to present to the mayor on Saturday, so I will find energy for training at around 8pm until that day.
Stick with tempo etc this week; go with the flow!
Some posts deleted, too bad !!
I was posting on twitter to keep track of what went on while the site was down, here we go!! Generally speaking, things are good! Only this week has been a little ‘blah’ (I guess I became tired), and I had to take things a bit more easy, which is too bad, as i will probably also take it each during the end of the following week (>>> travel week !!!)
April 21st, Thursday:
3x200full
April 22nd, Friday:
(tempo) 5x300, 4x300,(1.30r),@53-58"
April 23rd, Saturday:
1x250+80+60 , 1x250+80+60 (35,11,8), 1x120m
April 24th, Sunday:
off
April 25th, Monday:
off
April 26th, Tuesday:
1x150 (20.0), 5x80m (10.2,10.2,10.1,10.3,10.3)
April 27th, Wednesday:
20min warm up and 18x100 to loosen up, cause this weather could be asking for a misfortune. plus 1hr total biking
April 28th, Thursday:
1x60, 1x40, 4x80m (low 10.2-10.4) 2’r, 3x60m sleds, 5’r, 1hr total biking
April 29th, Friday:
tempo: 5x300m (55,56,55,54,56),1:40’r, 5x200m (30,32,33,32,30),1:30’r, 1hr total biking. Dreading tomorrow =P
April 30th, Saturday:
Sa: 300m@43.5", (25’r), 300m@44.3" such tight quads, gotta quit going to the track by bike… (+1hr total biking)
May 1st, Sunday:
off
May 2nd, Monday:
morn.1000abs, evening tempo: 100,100,100,100,200,100,100,100,200,200,100,100,200,100,100,100,100,100,100(1hr total bike)tomorrow no bike!
May 3rd, Tuesday:
switching tracks perhaps bad idea. intense shin splints… 2x40m,1x60m,3x100m(90"rests)@13.0"-13.4" felt horrible indeed,dropped second set
May 4th, Wednesday:
rainn;30min jog,drills,1hr gym stuff, 11x100m on grass (50m rests), 1hr total biking. Shin splints
May 5th, Thursday:
off
May 6th, Friday:
Fr: 10min run, tempo;4x300m, w/1:45’rests@55,55,54,53", 20min run, tempo;10x100m. 1hr total biking
May 7th, Saturday:
1x300 @ 42.8", 40min rest
1x300 @ 44.2", (bliahh)
4xgrass strides
May 8th, Sunday
travel to Milan
I’m allergic to Milan. (literally speaking) My eye is red again,and I keep sneezing.
Plan for this week:
Presentation tomorrow. Wish me that all goes wellllll
Travel to Rome on Thursday, stay there for 3 nights (biennale, lectures attendance)
Travel to Milan on Sunday, then Bergamo. Stay in Bergamo for the night.
Fly back to Thessaloniki next Monday <3
Training will be a little tough to make, but this can be a recovery week anyway. Tomorrow will probably be off, and Tuesday could be a good session with the Sicilians, and Wednesday could be a good tempo day, and then chaos =P