Day 19: 99 Heroes

Flat and Easy

This morning’s run was flat and easy. I was actually surprised that my legs felt pretty bouncy after yesterday, seeing as it’s been more than half a year since I stopped intensively training (swimming, biking, running, lifting) every day post injury. My body then versus my body now is very different. Also, building mental strength is like building physical strength — it’s takes a lot of work and non-zero effort is required daily. I remind myself constantly that I’m rebuilding. OneRepublic helps me out a lot.

I decided to extend the loop around the duck pond to see where it leads. It doesn’t go much farther, but it ends next to a place called Breuningerland. It’s a big shopping mall. From the outside, to be honest, it looks less like a shopping mall and more like an office building, but an office building with a creepy vibe — I'm not a fan of letters in red lights. I would never have guessed many popular stores and brands are located there. Driving by on Saturday, it seemed like a very popular place.

I looped around and made my way back to the hotel. Running with my work phone, the vibrations from incoming messages was a reminder that the work day was about to begin.

Bumpy and Hard

Without going into detail, today was filled with fun and interesting logistical challenges. No matter how much preparation one can do, there’s always something that can be improved, somehow. I’ve learned that it’s nothing more than an opportunity to get better. Some things are predictable, some things are not. In the end, we had a great day and I was pleased with the results achieved.

What I will say is that my step counter today was on 🔥. I was dog-tired by the time I came back to the hotel, but I was surprised to see so many guests inside the main lobby. From what I understand, this hotel is a popular place for Mercedes-Benz employees and companies arriving from out of town primarily here to do business with Mercedes-Benz in some context. The parking lot next to the hotel outside was so packed, cars were lined up on the sides and in the middle lane.

It also caught me off guard to hear someone speak with a clear American accent. It’s the first time in 3 weeks. I stumbled a little when I was asked, “What floor?” from a guy who sounded like he could be from the West Coast. My dinner wasn’t anything fancy, just a Rindwurst mit Pommes (translation: beef sausage with fries) from the corner grill down the street. No picture today. My phone needs a break and so do my fingers.

Writing this from bed, I’m ready to catch some shut-eye and repeat tomorrow.

Frieden und Liebe ❤️ (translation: peace and love)