Happy New Year - After the long silence.

I am back after a long period of silence because of personal problems that keep me very busy.

After the race in Tarquinia (see my last post) I entered other 4 races improving always my pace even if it is slower than 2016 before the incident on my shoulder.

I keep on training every other day and, as I wrote, I prefer to race through the hilly towns in Viterbo province (Lazio region): beautiful places, friendly people who support the runners during the race, good food, not many participants, nice post-race party and rich swag. Better this kind of events that the very crowded races in Rome.

Race reports:

Oct. 27th - Latera km. 9,3.

2 laps around a little country town with a population of 805. The path was half trail and half road with a scary uphill 2 km long where most of the runners had to walk.

Stats: km. 9,7 in 55:17 (5:57/km), 120 of 140 and 8 of 13 in my a.g. (for the 8th place I got 5 kg. of local potatoes).

Nov. 3rd: Montalto di Castro km. 11.

This is another beautiful town built around a medieval castle with a population of 8800.

The usual ondulate path but not so difficult.

Stats: km. 11 in 1:03:23 (5:46/km), 258 of 311 and 21 of 26 in my a.g.

Dec. 1 st: Canino km. 10.

A beautiful ancient etruscan town in the middle of olive trees woods with a population of 5200. One lap, half downhill and half uphill.

Stats: km. 10 in 56:25 (5:38), 464 of 573 and 27 of 37 in my a.g.

Dec. 8th: Orbetello km. 10

A nice tuscan city near the lagoon with a population of 14.800. One lap mainly flat.

Stats: km. 10 in 54:32 (5:27/km), 139 of 177 and 12 of 20 in my a.g.

And now I am ready for another running year!!!

I hope that everyone has a safe, happy New Year.

Tarquinia - 10 km of the Sea

Prologue - At last, after 5 months, I'm back to racing. Summer was bad and complicated for my running: weakness and hot weather were my main problems. September was better, the workouts became longer and less slow so I decided to try to race again. 

For the return, I chose a race in Tarquinia on oct. 6th. Tarquinia is the most important ancient Etruscan city, a place full of history. 

Race recap - The route was easy and flat but totally under the sun, with no shady parts and a temperature of 21,5°C (70,7 F.). Before the start I felt good and ready for a decent performance but, I don't know why, after 4 km I was left without strenght and I thought to stop myself and to come back walking. Despite that fixed thought in my mind I didn't give up and with a terrible effort I arrived exhausted to the finishing line. Immediately I sat down for more than 15 minutes drinking a lot. At home I spent all the day resting on my bed and in the evening a terrible headache occurred.

Stats: km. 10 in 58:48 (my personal worst all time on the distance) 5:53/km - 9:28/ml - 215/238 overall - 15/18 a.g. 

Split: 5:19 - 5:28 - 5:49 - 5:34 -5:55 - 6:06 - 6:08 - 6:03 - 6:19 - 6:07.

The good: Despite the terrible performance, it was a beautiful day because my son Paolo come to Tarquinia with his family (wife, 2 wonderful sons and Nathan the dog).

Paolo and Nathan ran together the 6 km. not competitive race and as you can see Nathan wore with pride his bib.

At home I had dinner with all the family (my grandma, my wife, my son's and my daughter's families): my wife cooked a delicious meal and I forgot for a while the unsuccessful race.

September

Running update. August 31st is the unofficial end of summer. My wife and my grandsons come back to school. No more beach and now I have to plan my next running program.

This month I have plenty of time to organize the mornings without being in hurry to enjoy the company of my grandsons and to go to the beach. However heat and humidity are always here!

Summer was bad and complicated for my running, but I don't want to bore you with the list of my troubles.

However I want to share with you some reflections (= lesson learned):

I am not a wise runner, I forget my age and my injures, usually I don't listen to my body and often I run when I should stop myself taking a break. This summer I have run even if I felt weak and the weather was hot: so I had to delete the scheduled races and I could do few short workouts at a slow pace. I began to swim but I pushed too much, I stretched the muscle of my right arm, now it hurts and I cannot swim anymore for a couple of months....... but I can run and the last 2 workouts went very well, I ran faster and for more than 10 km on a hilly route. I am improving ......

Learned the lessons, I promise to myself:

1. To listen always to my body;

2. Cross training must not be a system to improve my performances but the solution to relax my body and to recover after the running workouts;

3. The running routine has to be one workout every other day;

4. Every 3 days in a row 1 day off (running-cross training-running-rest);

5. No more than 2 races per month;

6. Always healthy food with many fruits and vegetables.

Fruits. Along one of my running paths I can see again raspberries, persimmons and prickly pears

Critters. My cat, the king of the garden and the owner of the house, realized that another cat, every night, comes to sleep in our garage where we also stock our old furnishings. He got angry and did an ambush to the invader. Here you can see him hidden before the bloody attack!

Sunset. and now the sunset on the sea:

Reflections on running

Reflections on my current running. Now I am at a point of my life where running has to be a way to stay fit and to relax my mind. Until now the goal has been reached.

Many friends of mine keep on running fast and racing regularly but for me it's different because all the injures I got. But this doesn't mean that I give up, I run and I race as I can even if I am not anymore competitive.

This month, after more than 3 years by the surgery on my shoulder, I started to swim again both to train the upper body and to restoring the movement of the right shoulder. As usual I pushed too much and now the arm hurts but this time I have learned the lesson: the swimming sessions must be 2 per week (+ 3/4 running workouts). The program includes some long walks too.

I think that my next race will be at the end of September in Vulci, an ancient Etruscan town with thermal baths and good local food. It is an easy trail 10 km long.

What I received from running.

Bad: 

1. I became addicted;

2. I broke 2 times the same shoulder because of 2 stupid falls.

Good:

1. A sense of freedom;

2. Mind and body relax;

3. To stay healthy;

4. Finding new good friends (included all of you: the blogger friends) and good running mates;

5. Possibility to exploring interesting routes during the workouts;

6. Possibility to visit new towns and cities to race through. I also raced abroad: Edinburgh (3 times), Athens, Berlin and Cardiff;

7. Enjoying the post race and the swag;

8. Making the unforgettable experience to finish 3 marathons. Here are the pics of the Rome Marathon in 1991:

9. Making the experience to be member of the official Navy Running Team;
10. Wonderful memories;
11. And more and more.......

Critters:
I introduce you "Lady" the mom of my favorite cat. One day she arrived to my garden pregnant and since then she lives here.

What is your best running memory?

Trail

Enjoying nature. The workouts continue regularly every other day, a little bit faster and no more longer  than 10 km.: I don’t have to be in hurry. I have also begun to swim in open sea to try to recover the complete movement of my right shoulder: the arm hurts but the things go better even if i know that the recover is impossible.

To enjoy more my workouts I made a couple of trails with my son: watching the nature, the critters, the plants and in good company the time flies.

We also had a dog attack, luckily with no consequences: we left slowly the place and the 5 attackers came back home.

Here are some fruits we saw on the trail:

And here are more friendly animals that we met:

Have you ever had bad experiences with dogs during your runs?

August 15th - Feast of the Assumption

Running again. In Italy aug. 15th is a national holiday, the feast of the Assumption. I spent the day at the Bolsena Lake with my wife. In early morning (06.30 a.m.) the temperature was perfect and unusual for this period (18.3 C - 65 F), so I had the possibility to make a "normal" workout by the lake, inside the wood and through the scenic ancient town of Capodimonte.

At last now I can run regularly even if slowly and for no more than 10 km. Better times will come. 

The celebrations. At 11.00 p.m. we attended, sitting on the shores of the lake, at the fireworks show. It was really amazing.

The town was crowded since the day before with outdoors markets and street food.

Pets. With pride I introduce you my sweet cat, the king of the garden and the owner of the house:

Hot August

Running update - I don't remember a hot august like this. On these days the temperature is between 32° and 36° C. (89,6 and 96,8 F.). Running is very tough also in early morning. The problem in my tongue is not totally solved but I am improving, so I can do my workouts every other day: very slowly (about 6:30/km - 10:28 ml) and short (about 9 km - 5,6 ml). Better times will come when the heat has gone and I am completely healed.

I miss a lot the races, my last one was in may and I don't know yet when the next will be. Here is a photo taken in august 2011.

Not only running, today I have swam for the 4th time (2 in open sea and 2 in the lake): the arm hurts and the movement is not complete but I must come back to swim.

Pets - Below you can see my grandson Filippo and his best friend Nathan.