Public Transportation

We have had 2 days of training on the running trails around here this week (and it's only Wednesday), and I'm happy to say, "I Survived!"  My first comment after we did our 'warm up' and first few sprints around a 500 meter hill was "Welcome to Swedish Bandy Kristy - it's not all about a stick and ball!"  I'm amazed at the things I haven't done to train in the past.  This is so cool.  

There's this place called "Ursvik" - it's a great park that I can only relate to back home as 'being like Theo Wirth Park' - but I'm not even sure that is accurate because these trails that we are running along are well groomed, all dirt, and a series of up and down hills.  The terrain is tough for a runner, and the setting is pretty.  I guess the way to think of it is a mountain bike path that has been widened and made for running.  I need to find some trails like this when I get home to train on.  

Getting to Ursvik from where I am now isn't so tough...now.  The first day was quite the joke on public transportation for me.  I took a train to a station in "Morby", and then was supposed to find "Platform M"....um...but it is like 1/4 mile away, and the bus driver I asked for directions had me walking down the highway!  Yeah, lesson #1, find out how to do the transfers before going.  I get to the bus station to make that transfer, and as I'm running up behind bus #157, it pulls away.  CRAP!  I have about 15 minutes left to get to the training....but like many people will say about Stockholm transportation, it's pretty frequent.  (Read here - rush hour you will see a bus on your route every 15 - 20 minutes, off peak hours...every 1/2 hour).  Since it's rush hour, another 157 bus comes along and I hop on.  Now, the trick of which stop to get off on...logically, the one called "Ursvik".  I get off at that stop and step off of the bus, take a look around and I see highway, and more highway.  The sidewalk goes about 200 yards before the intersection, so I walk that way, cross the street, and see that the sidewalk only goes to the next bus stop before it ends.  Ok, so I can go 200 yards either way, but otherwise, it's all Highway E18.  What do I do???  Call the coach and have him pick me up from the stop!  It took me an hour and 15 minutes to get to practice on Monday....lessons to learn about the public transit system - don't take the train to Morby to get to the bus station if you are going to have to take the bus from Danderyds Sjukhus (that's hospital), and if you do, figure out the walking path to get between the 2 platforms; or just avoid taking the train.

On the way home, I note the stop that is much closer to the training field since I will be here again the next day.  Sundbypark Ostra (Ostra = East).  Noted!  I take the bus to Frescati this time to catch the train - I know this stop from a journey before, so I know that I have a small walk before getting to the train - and wwwwhooooooshh!  there goes the train I wanted to take!  Ugh - I know that in Frescati, not every train stops, so I have a good 1/2 hour standing, waiting for the train with a wet baselayer of clothing from running.  Finally, the train comes and I make it home to a hot sauna just an hour and a half after I started my venture home.  Day 2 of training this week, I will make better route plans.

I took the time on Tuesday to go to the "SL Center" (Public Transit Center), to get some maps.  It was a good thing I did!  I mapped a route to practice that would take me 30 minutes this time (and it took me less because I made a transfer from bus 618 to bus 157 on the early bus), and mapped out a plan to take the bus back home that would be 1:15!  What??!?  How can it take me 30 minutes to get somewhere, but an hour and fifteen minutes to get back?  Ugh!  I think  "It's going to be a long one", and it was.  The bus that www.sl.se told me to take from practice to the first transfer doesn't even go to the first transfer that it told me...so, luckily I had my trusty map and figured out 3 more transfers to get home...this time, it only took me 1:45 to get home.

As I sat in the sauna after day 2 of training, I began to wonder "what if someone came to Minneapolis to train, would I know how to help them get along the public bus system there?"  No...I wouldn't.  Something I should know in my own town, and I don't.  Something to put on my to do list when I get home.  I also thought about the conveniences I have taken for granted for so long.   When I got to practice early on day 2, I had to stand in the chilly night air, waiting for others to arrive.  At home, I would have sat in a toasty car.  I thought about being able to come and go as I please - not having a car is a bit different.  I thought about being able to get to places by taking the shortest route known - you can't do that when you have to follow the route of the bus or public transportation system, so everything takes more time.  I thought about how when you drive yourself somewhere, you don't have to worry about the timing of transfers...if you miss a connection, you could have just set yourself back a half hour on public transit.  

It's amazing the things we take for granted and don't realize it.  I did take note as I was riding all of these different buses and trains that Reese will be welcome on all of them that I rode this week.  She won't have a problem getting around once she gets here...as long as I figure it out first!

I'm adding a link below that has some pictures from the futboll game on it....the pictures of me show how badly I need a hair cut!!!

Ciao~

Public Transit KP

http://magnusneck.se/gallery2/v/AIK/AIK-Helsingborg-2008-11-02/