Running Update - Breakfast with friends - Summer

Running update - The past 2 weeks have been very different. During the first week the humidity was at a minimum and the temperature cooler so I was able to train well, also increasing my speed.

Unfortunately the second was characterized by the return of the heat wave and humidity. It was very hard to run and I couldn't wait for coming back home to take a fresh shower and rest. This despite the start at 06:00 a.m. and a path with fountains to refresh myself during the workouts. I don’t understand why but …. 30 years ago I had no problem running in the heat.

Tuesday: 9.7 km.

Thursday: 12km.

Saturday: 10km.

Monday: 11.1 km.

Wednesday: 10.8 km.

Friday: 10 km.

Sunday: 13.2 km.

A breakfast with friends - In the morning I usually go, for a typically Italian breakfast (cappuccino and croissant), at a coffee bar located in the historic center and, precisely, next to the oldest squares of the city. This place, often, is the meeting point of a part of the Port community and, in particular, of those people who, like me, have worked many years in the port with different jobs. It's a chance to strengthen our old friendship and remember the good old days when we were young.

My grandson loves this part of the city

Many summers ago in the Coast Guard:

1984: La Maddalena Naval Base
I'm in the middle of the first row

1989: Taranto Naval Base
I'm the second from left

1993: Receiving an award at the Port of Rome

Do you like to have a coffee with your friends?

Running update and Festivals again (S.Lorenzo Nuovo and Onano)

Running update - This week I started to increase my speed to prepare the upcoming races.

Monday 10.7 km slow;

Wednesday 10.6 km slow;

Friday 10 km tempo run;

Sunday 9,7 km tempo run.

At the moment I don't have any race on my calendar because I'm waiting for cooler temperatures. I will start on sept. 24 with a 10 km in Tarquinia and then other 6/7 races between October and November.

Festivals - My wife and I spent a few days at the lake house and went to the Gnocchi Festival in San Lorenzo Nuovo and the Lentil Festival in Onano.

S. Lorenzo Nuovo - Gnocchi Festival

Potato gnocchi is a very good typical dish.

The town is very beautiful with a famous octagonal square and a belvedere on the lake called "terrace on the lake".

Octagonal Square (from a Municipality brochure)

Terrace on the lake

Potato Gnocchi Festival

Waiting for my potato gnocchi dish

Potato gnocchi and .... not only

Onano Lentil Festival - Onano lentils are legumes smaller than normal but famous for their taste. 

The town, built on a tufa cliff, is very old and characteristic.

Onano

Onano

Onano

People at the Lentil Festival

Sunset at Onano

Canadian Geese - While we were by the lake we got to see a group of canadian geese in flight.

Have you ever eaten lentils and gnocchi?

Rain!

Running Update - And finally it rained!!!! We had 2 days of rain, Friday and Saturday, which brought cooler temperatures even though the forecasts say that the heat will return tomorrow. This short change in weather allowed me to train better, running a bit faster and making me feel much less tired at the end of the runs.

In the meantime, my son Paolo (44) is coming back to run regularly.

Last week I succeeded in running every other day:

Tuesday: 10.7 km;

Thursday: 10.6 km with my son;

Saturday: 9.7 km by the lake.

Just after the rain - The lake is beyond the trees

Village festivals. With my wife we spent last weekend at Bolsena Lake where, in many neighboring towns, there were Village festivals where it’s possible to taste local food and to make shopping at the street markets.

We went to Arlena di Castro at the Lombrichello festival (typical water and flour pasta from the upper Tuscia) and in Capodimonte at the Mussel festival even if I don’t like sea food. Then at night, still in Capodimonte, we enjoyed an ice cream by the lake enjoying the view of the hamlet lights.

Arlena di Castro - Ombrichello Festival
My wife is walking towards the restaurant

Arlena di Castro - Ombrichello Festival
Before the concert

Capodimonte -Mussel Festival

Capodimonte - Mussel Festival - Street Market

Capodimonte - Mussel Festival

Capodimonte by night

July 2023

July has gone and this year we will remember it for the heat wave that hit a large part of Italy and, of course, my city.

Some random thoughts on July:

- Unfortunately the swallows that cheered up our squares with their screams have emigrated and we will have to wait until next April to see them again;

- With my wife we started going to the beach where our grandchildren join us every day. I'm trying to swim again but the prosthesis in my shoulder limits my movement a lot;

- I went to Rome, Pyramid zone, to pick up a pair of running shoes that my sons gave me for my birthday last year: yes, I was a bit late!!! 

Swallows

Corsaro Beach

Pyramid

Running.

July 2023 - July was not a good month about running. For the strong heat and humidity I had to skip some workouts and I didn’t enter any race. I had also to reduce mileage and speed to not risk a collapse as it happened to other runners in this season.

These are the (poor) numbers:

Workouts: n° 13 - 124,3 km. (77,2 mg);

Races: 0

August is also expected to be a very hot month so my only goal is to run every other day for 10/11 km taking it easy. No races scheduled.

July in the past. Some memories:

July 1993: running with my son (then he was 14 years old) through Levico Terme where we spent 15 days at the Navy Club;

July 2008: bicycling to recover after the femur fracture;

July 2011: Orbetello night run. A classic run through Orbetello, a very beautiful town in Tuscany.

Levico Terme

Levico Terme

Orbetello Night Run