October - Music

October - Stats:

Mileage: 129 km (80,2 m)

Workouts: 13

Races: 0

The mileage was low because, after the fall on oct. 15th, I couldn't run for 6 days.

Now I am coming back to the normality, increasingly slowly the single workouts mileage and the pace.

Even if I have some races planned in the near future I don't want to be in hurry. At my age the injury is always on the corner if I am not prudent.

This week I have run 3 times:

Tuesday: 11,3 km mainly flat;

Thursday: 10,6 km on a though route;

Saturday: 13,4 km with my son.

Upcoming races:

Nov. 7th: Orbetello - Run through the natural reserve - 5km. The organization changed the plans: now the distance is 5 km (no more 10 km) with a cut off  of 60:00. It will be a last minute decision, I am not sure to participate;

Nov. 14th: Montalto di Castro - 10 km. Signed up;

Montalto di Castro - 2019

Dec. 5th: Canino - Olive Oil Run - 10 km. Signed up;

Canino - 2019

Dec. 8th: Orbetello - Christmas Run - 10 km.

Orbetello 2019

Music - I love music and, before the lockdown, I often went to Rome to attend rock music concerts. Here are some memories:

Joe Bonamassa (foto Bonarelli)

Bob Dylan

Queen

Deep Purple

Chicago

Elton John

Bryan Ferry

Mark Knopfler

John Illsley (Dire Straits Legend)

Roger Waters

 Which are your favorite singers/band?

Running again after the fall - Random photos

Running again - After the fall on Oct. 15th I took one week off. Now the knee is still slightly swollen and during the effort I feel a little of pain, however I made the decision to come back to run, avoiding at the moment long climbs and putting ice on the knee at the end of the workouts.

This week I have run 2 times:

Friday: 10 km;

Today (Sunday): 11,7 km through the city with a friend.

Upcoming races:

Nov. 7th: Orbetello - Run Through the Natural Reserve - trail km. 10 - I am not in time to fully recover so I won't participate. Moreover I disagree with the cut off time of 60'00": many people like to enjoy the natural reserve route and don't mind about the pace. Why this cut off time?

Nov. 14th: Montalto di Castro - km.11;

Dec. 8th: Orbetello - Christmas Run - km.10

Random photos:

Here you can see the bench in front of the local rugby ground where Nikki, a friend of mine (former rugby player and runner) used to sit down to watch the matches. Sadly 2 years ago he "passed the ball" (rugby saying) and now the bench with his name remembers Nikki forever.

The Nikki's bench

1988: Nikki is the first of the pack, I am the last

Photos of my hometown:

The waterfront

Pubs under the moonlight

The car is always there, under the pine tree

HAVE A GOOD WEEK AHEAD

Another fall and comeback story

Another fall - This morning, while I was running, I fell again. As I crossed a street, I turned around to check on an oncoming car and didn't see a block of concrete left carelessly on the ground by the company that had done some work in the parking.

Apart from the wound on the knee, I didn't feel much pain so I came back home running slowly. Unfortunately now the pain has increased and I can hardly walk.

I expect at least one week off and I will hardly be able to recover for the race on November 7th.

Comeback story - This is the opportunity to write about my comeback story as suggested by Jenny:

I have been running since 1985 and, over the years, I have suffered those small injuries that all of us runners know, like this below:

But the sad story, that has been affecting my running activity, began in September 2007 when I got the fracture of the left femur. It was necessary the insertion of a big and long prosthesis:

One year later, despite the advice of a famous orthopedic surgeon (he said: “you cannot run anymore”), I made the decision to remove such prosthesis.  After a long stop and a lot of work in the pool I came back to running:

5 years later, in July 2012, I broke the L3 vertebra. The recover was hard and after some months I came back to run and swim:

In February 2014, during a workout I felt on a downhill and I got the stable fracture of  the clavicle dx. After another stop I was able to run and swim again:

Two months later another vertebra fracture: the D7.

Step by step, slowly, I succeeded in swimming and running again but, in January 2016, the worst incident that totally changed my life happened. For a fall while running I got the comminuted fracture of the right humerus. By a surgery, the medical team inserted a big prosthesis:

After a very long stop also this time I came back to running and one year later I raced again (Feb. 12, 2017).

Rome Feb. 12, 2017

Now the movement of my right arm is forever limited and I cannot swim anymore as in the past: it means no more long swims in the pool or in open sea and lower and shorter runs.

Running update and another hamlet

Injury update: With the help of the PT I learned to soothe the piriform pain with appropriate stretching. Now I only feel a bearable pain after 30/40 minutes of running. When I walk or when I stay home it disappears but only if I don’t miss the stretching sessions.

Running update: This week I have run 4 times:

Monday: 10,7 km (6,7 m);

Wednesday: 3,4 km (2,1 m). There was a light rain and I went to run but after 15 minutes the light rain became a rainstorm and I had to come back home;

Thursday: 10,3 km (6,4 m). At last this was the first day of fall weather. Now I can enjoy my runs!

Saturday: 13,1 km (8,1 m).

Tomorrow: Rest.

Rugby ground where my grandson 5 y.o. was playing

Leaves on the street: autumn is here!

While I was taking pictures of the leaves the camera "went off" by itself

Upcoming races (in person): 

Nov. 7h: Orbetello - Run through the natural reserve - trail 10 km (to be confirmed);

Dec. 5th: Canino - Olive Oil Run - km. 10;

Dec. 8th: Orbetello - Christmas Run - km. 10 (to be confirmed).

Run through the natural reserve 2015 (me and my son)

Ancient hamlets around here: this is Cellere:

 Any upcoming races? 

Injury update and a magical atmosphere

Running and injury update: Despite 7 days of anti-inflammatories, the pain at the piriformis muscle doesn't decrease. Now I have to try with physiotherapy too. However, I keep on runnig even if more slowly and with a less mileage. I noticed that the pain increases uphill.

This week I have ran 4 times (indeed 3 times):

Monday: After 15 minutes I had to stop the workout because I felt too weak (anti-inflammatories side effect ?);

Tuesday: 7,3 km (ondulate) with my son;

Thursday: 10,1 km (ondulate);

Saturday: 9 km with my son around the city.

Historic Center – Now a look at at the historic center of my city. It includes old buildings and the characteristic Medieval district: a suggestive walk among ancient alleys in cobblestone.

Below some alleys:

This is Leandra Square, the oldest square in the city. Maybe it needs more maintenance but still offers the feeling of living in the past:

In spring swallows migrating from Africa nest on the roofs covered with tiles:

In the middle of the square, in front of two old buildings, we can see a Medieval Fountain:

Inside one of these buildings, under the wall paper, the owner of a flat found ancient and valuable paintings. This flat now is a destination for guided sightseeing tours (the entry is free):

Near the Fountain stands the Church of the Star (1688) that is the site of the Confraternity of Gonfalone, founded in 1274. Inside there is the wooden crucifix of the Corpse of Christ that every year, on Good Friday, is carried in procession along the streets of the city:

The access to Leandra Square is through the Archetto Gate (9th century):

Near the Archetto we can see the Church of Death (1685); it is also the site of the Confraternity of Death and Prayer, founded in the 16th century to give honorable burial to the corpses abandoned outside the walls of the city or dispersed into the sea:

Above the buildings stands an ancient watchtower called Saracen Tower or Belli's Tower because the famous poet Gioacchino Belli lived in the adjacent apartment at the beginning of the 19th century (see also a very ancient photo):

By night the alleys are enveloped in a magical atmosphere: 

 HAVE A GOOD WEEK END