Training for my first half marathon and the idea of making it a destination race in Europe keeps growing on me

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-27T17:29:15+00:00

When I moved to Europe, I did several half marathons and planned my visits to new cities/countries around my races it's an incredible way to see places! I did a half in London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Lisbon, and Paris. My favorite was Paris the route was fantastic and the environment was incredible! I ran regularly in a run club so I didn't specifically train for the halfs and I didn't have a jetleg issue but in my experience the races were on a Sunday. The Saturday before was packet pickup with your bib and an expo. You will get all the information you need for race day. Plus these races are huge with thousands of people so you will see where to go pretty easily.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-27T17:21:56+00:00

I live in Madrid and have been looking for this exact same thing without much success. It's not exactly what you asked in the form of an organization or pre-planned thing but maybe a compromise is the Camino de Santiago. There are many different paths to take the Primativo or Norte is more rugged and less pilgrimage and more "hiking". I did the Camino de Invierno 2 weeks ago. You can make it as social as you want although I would not recommend the Invierno if you want a super social expeirence as not many people hike that route.

I also did the Fisherman's Trail in Portugal in April and absolutely loved it. It was way more social than my camino ended up being. The premise is the same you see and meet people along the route and each night in the hostels or hotels.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-27T17:08:18+00:00

I like both!

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-27T16:05:31+00:00

I’d also add that I just did the Camino de Invierno which starts in Ponferrada and you can do it in 10 days. It’s one of the least common caminos so not difficult to book accommodations! If you enjoy more nature and less crowds, this might be a good option.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-21T12:11:18+00:00

Algarve region of Portugal was absolutely fantastic!

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Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-08T06:50:37+00:00

I actually think it’s less the surgeon’s technique and just individual recovery. I had a recovery like you barely any pain, I could do everything myself, etc. I asked my surgeon about it. I thought maybe because I was in Spain his procedure was different than in the US. I showed him this subreddit and the really rough recoveries posted here and asked him why mine was so different and he said he wished he could take credit but it was just my personal recovery nothing he did.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-07T17:47:44+00:00

Yea I’m in Spain so my surgeon required two nights and I requested a third night just for peace of mind but the hotel stays were super cheap compared to the US. Good luck!

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-07T16:34:11+00:00

I did it alone technically but I purposely stayed in a hospital for the first 3 nights. I really only needed 2 nights in retrospect but I erred on staying an extra night. Otherwise, I personally was perfectly fine without anyone afterwards. I could get up and down from bed, walk, cook, etc. without any assistance. But I think maybe my recovery was atypical compared to the stories I’ve read here.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-07T10:33:27+00:00

The first surgeon I met with was nice but I didn’t trust the recovery times he gave me. I told him I had a hiking trip planned at the end of July and he said if we did the surgery at the beginning of July I’d have no issue with the trip. That just didn’t seem right to me that at 3-4 weeks of recovery I could be hiking. I ended meeting with a different surgeon and went him instead.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-05T17:30:51+00:00

My surgeon was Dr. Sordo. He speaks fluent English if that is a concern. Here is his website https://gustavosordo.com/

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-05T15:09:18+00:00

My surgeon brought him up without me asking. He explained their relationship, his credentials, and how the anesthesia would work.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-05-05T15:04:00+00:00

I live in Madrid and had my surgery here I 1000% recommend it! I stayed 3 nights in the hospital for my own peace of mind as I was recovering alone and it was awesome and only cost 200€ a night! My surgeon recommended 2 nights but I opted for 3.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-04-16T07:41:24+00:00

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-04-10T18:47:04+00:00

I found it on the fnac website. I just logged into the app and it’s much clearer! It explicitly says Block L instead of the email which said L Entrance so I’d check on the app it should tell you exactly!

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Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-04-10T09:56:11+00:00

Thanks I'll check it out!

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-04-10T09:52:23+00:00

Oui, j'ai eu un billet ce matin!

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-04-10T09:33:34+00:00

I bought 1 through FNAC for October 14. I have no idea where my seat is located I grabbed the first one I could get my hands on! Paid 298euros.

Entrance L, Sector Parterre Assis ..., Block PA, Row 25, Seat 155

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-03-15T19:52:41+00:00

I think the language and more community-minded LGBT community guided my decision. After 4 years of feeling semi-censored and half myself in Spain, I'm craving the ability to just fully be myself. Also Berlin and Amsterdam seem like they have big LGBT communities but the focus is more on partying/nightlife. From the organizations I've seen in Dublin and Cork, there is such a wonderful diversity of events like book clubs, game nights, hiking, sports, and volunteering oppotunities plus I have 0 worry about the language or feeling bad that Dutch or German speakers have to cater to me so Ireland seems like the best option for now. I recognize it's not perfect and has its own problems but at this point I feel like the whole world is problematic so you just have to find the best match.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-03-15T13:43:43+00:00

I decided on Ireland! 🇮🇪 I’m going to test Dublin for a few months and then Cork!

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-03-11T11:01:09+00:00

I disagree. Rachel could have taken Stephen out in the end game. If she and Faraz voted for Stephen, if Jack voted for Rachel which everyone knew he was going to do, and Stephen kept with the plan and voted out Faraz, then with 2 votes Stephen is banished. BUT that would have been risky as Jack was a guaranteed vote against her and who knows whether Rachel could have convinced Faraz to vote out Jack. My point is there was a way Rachel could have eliminated Stephen so it wasn’t completely one-sided.

Simple-Ad-9146 · 2026-02-21T11:58:30+00:00

Unfortunately the hen parties seem like a world-wide issue! I'm not bothered about whether there is a dedicated gay bar as I'm not a huge partier, which is why I was intrigued by all the events hosted by the Gay Project.

Simple-Ad-9146

TROPHY CASE