Tbex conference is always packed with events. But there is always one of two days off to enjoy the place where the conference is held. This year we were very lucky to find ourselves in Athens – the capital of Greece. Although the weather was summer like only for 2 days we were still having fun laughing, drinking and dancing together. Once in a year it is great meeting all bloggers in the same place at the same time. Bike tour After one day trip with Jenny to Marathon I took part in cycling tour around Athens. No surprises here: I have always considered bikes the best transportation in big cities and also the best way to actually see the city. So when a company Travelncycle invited me and Susan decided to join them we didn’t have a second thought! Security first! We were a jolly group! Twins from Slow Spirit Blog, Franziska from Coconut Sports, Susan from VibrantIreland and Roni from TravelGuru were all invited to join Yorgo and Villy – locals from Athens who wanted to show us their city. Each of us got a helmet, highly visible vest and a bike. Now, I tried quite a few bicycles during my travels. If you remember my adventure on the Aran Islands you will surely know how hard and uncomfortable it was. Thus, I was shocked how easy this bike tour was! Even if we biked up and down the bikes provided by TravelnCycle were brilliant! Guys from this company also published few really nice pictures taken throughout the day: click here to watch them all. Around the city We started from main city site: Acropolis. The weather was perfect for a bike ride: no sun was shining and it was chilly enough to ride a bike without sweating. We biked through the main districts including famous Plaka and Psirri, less known Gazi with revitalized post industrial buildings, Greek Parliment to watch changing of the guard, Public Gardens and epic stadium called Panathenaic Stadium. The Stadium was pretty impressive especially because a finish line of every classic Marathon run in Athens each year is right there. Here are few pictures taken along our itinerary.         Fish Market One of the most fascinating attractions seen and experienced with all 5 senses was a fish market. What a place! Guys from TravlnCycle did great job taking us there so we could – at least for a short moment – see how locals live and do their daily shopping. This place was smelly and very very loud. Every seller shouted in Greek things we didn’t understand but surely they tried to catch the attention of the buyers, and they were very successful in that! I’m not a big fan of seafood but I loved this place! For its vibrant and unpretentious character. It gave us a grip on where and how Athenians buy their food. Chill Out The tour took us more than 4 hours so eventually, after seeing all beautiful byzantine churches, ruins of Hadrian Library, Temple of Zeus and million other sites, we headed towards an exceptional place called: Kerameio Cafe. All of us were tired and needed some regeneration before going back to a hotel so Yorgo and Villy took us to a brilliant place. The music, interior design and food was exceptional. I felt warm and peaceful in a minute. We sat around a table and started trying traditional greek food and drinks.  The tour around Athens by bike was fantastic. I had a great time not only visiting the famous sites but also interacting with our guides and other bloggers. I can tell you this: biking IS the best way to visit the city and with guys from TravelnCycle you can be sure to be well taken care of! Highly recommended! Tbex 2014 from Null & Full on Vimeo.  

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Ladies and gentlemen! From now on I am officially a marathon runner! I made it. I completed the full distance of 42 km 195 meters. Running (sort of). And here is how I did it. Good Start As you well remember I completed a half – marathon last June. I continued the training throughout the summer and was pretty well prepared before the main run. On Sunday, October 12, I was at the starting line of the 15th Poznań Marathon. The excitement just before the start was all over the place. Over 7,000 runners were squeezed in one of the main streets of the city. Every participant had a number on his T-shirt and smile on his face. Some runners were already running well before the official beginning, warming up, laying down, drinking water, covering their body with a plastic bag (I was told it was a good way to warm up), listening to the music, discussing strategy with a stranger: it looked like a huge and very busy crowd. Finally, the race began. It took me almost 5 minutes to even cross a start line! Slowly, the street was less and less crowded and each of runners could find a space and rhythm. At 6th kilometer there was a very attractive thing to do: we all run across the football stadium! First 10 km were just fine. Until a well known to all runners guest came: Mr Crisis. Crisis It is still not clear to me what mistake I made. I suddenly realized how hard I was breathing, I couldn’t find my favorite pace and before 14th kilometer started I felt completely exhausted. The music on my mp3 didn’t do any good and I felt confused and angry. It was so bad I thought about quitting.  For next 10 kilometers! A real struggle. Eventually, I switched the music off and using my recent experience from camino I focused on the nearest kilometer. 6 minutes and 40 seconds, 1000 meters – this was a distance I was able to focus on. And it finally helped me to find my pace. Until another well known element of each long distance run occurred: pain. I’m Turning Into Pain… la, la, la. After crossing the important point of 21km, which is half of the marathon distance and before reaching another important milestone of 30 km my joints and muscles were hurting quite badly. I stopped once to get help from medic he was kind enough to spray my knees and kill the pain. For a while, at least. What a relief! Slowly, however, every inch of my body hurt. And it was even worse when I stopped! So the only way to deal with this pain was to continue the run!  By the time of half distance all runners were helping each other: positives messages were flying around. “You can do it! It’s not that far! The finish line is just around the corner.” And my favorite banner carried by the fans was saying: “And you could have chosen chess!“. Well, I could have but I didn’t. And so I was running. I had two amazing men with me: my husband and my dad. At some point their encouragement was the only thing I could stick to. We run this marathon together and this was a real team work. Nicely done, boys! Finish Line After over 5 hours I finally crossed a finish line. I was crying like a baby out of joy I finally made it! The mixture of exhaustion, proud, joy, excitement, surprise and satisfaction was fantastic! There is nothing in this world to be compared with the emotion of crossing a finish line of your first marathon run! The very same day I could hardly walk. The day after was similar. But after 48h I was feeling great again. So what am I going to do now is to run a marathon in 2015! You didn’t have any doubts, did you? Marathon. The Real One! A conclusion of my marathon story was epic: 10 days after I completed my first ever marathon I went to Greece. To a small village called Marathon, to be precise. It is situated about 40 km from Athens and it is a mythical place of a great battle between Greeks and Persians. I went to Marathon with an Association of  Licensed Tourist Guides kindly arranged by the Tbex team. This was a guided tour that took us first to the Marathon battle fields, then to the Marathon Museum and eventually to the beach and very tasty lunch. The weather was excellent and we had a lovely time. The Battle of Marathon was a historical event but it became later a theme for various myths and legends. Apart of its military importance and crucial role in defending Athens Marathon is especially known for a legend of Pheidippides. He is said to have run from Marathon to Athens in full military outfit to share the news about the Athenian victory. Just as all marathon runners I was aware of this exhausting run ended with death of the runner but it was new to me to know that he run in with full equipment which, at that time, was heavy and very uncomfortable. He run with his shield which was extremely heavy not to be seen from a distance and not to be considered a coward. In order to fulfill his duty he run in extreme heat with full armament. Although there are two legends mixed here and nothing is certain thinking about it is uplifting. Human bravery, dedication and determination is something that touches me deeply. And as a marathon runner I know more about than I used to. Jenny who was with me and who recently completed 4 marathons described the story in profound so if you are interested in hearing more about Battle for Marathon click here.  

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So, I’m leaving to Athens tomorrow and here is something I would like to share with you before I go: my guest post published by Tbex. This is a short review of a recently read book by John Lucas titled: ’92 Acharnon Street. A year in Athens‘. It is special for number of reasons, one of which is the author’s academic background I share. It made really easy to feel just like him. Then, it is about Athens I have never been to but that’s I’m soon visiting (literally tomorrow). There is no better way to prepare yourself to a trip than read a book about it. And also because Greece described by Lucas has changed so much! And you know me – getting closer to history like this sounds almost like magic! So hopefully you’ll find this Eland published book appealing. Just like I did!  

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