Rainbow

This week the weather will be rainy here in Italy and I'm afraid I can't run.
Normally, runners don't begin the training while it is raining :)
This afternoon I ran 55 minutes. At the beginning I ran against the wind and then I ran the last 20 minutes in the rain. After I had done the training it rained again and I saw a rainbow through the clouds.
I was at home when I took the photo above posted.

Congrats to Meg  who ran a the NYC Marathon. She said that a lot of Italian runners did that experience. Four people from my town ran the NYC Marathon yesterday and they are coming back in Italy tomorrow.

I hope that all you blogger friends will have a nice training ... and a sunny weather :)

Märklin model railways

Last week I was busy again between family and job, so I couldn't increase my training. Morever, I'm sure I got weight while I was working in Southern Italy, at least 1.5 kg. Although the weather wasn't perferct this afternoon I did 50 minutes relaxed run in the rain.

Now the weather is rainy again and I stay at home. So I've decided to clean our model railways. Five years ago my son and I played with this German technical toys and in the photos posted you can see our Märklin model railways. In some parts of Germany,  Märklin is almost synonymous with model railroads. In 2009 the famous German company celebrated its 150th anniversary.              

http://www.maerklin.de/de/produkte.html .

The Märklin system is the technique of using a third rail concealed in the roadbed with only small studs  protruding through the ties of the track.  The 2nd photo shows these studs (click to enlarge). I'd like to make a small village along the railways, with tipical German buildings. If I'll make it I show the photos on this blog.
This week the weather will be rainy again and I'm afraid I can't run. But we aren't running races this month.

I hope that all you blogger friends will have a nice and happy running!

Southern Italy, Itri

Yesterday morning  I came back from South Italy where I spent one week  for job. Unfortunately I ran once only because during last week life has been crazy busy. On Wednesday, the 20th of October  I tryed to run 45 minutes through olive trees. The landscape was beautiful although the weather was cloudy.
I arrived back home Saturday evening and I was tired. Of course, this morning I didn't  run the Grosseto's 12 km  race and I look forward to reading Stefano's report. I'm sure that the Black Knight's flag is waving  on the rooftops of the conquered town.. 

As request by Ewa, I show some photos of Southern Italy where I went for job last week. The photo on the right shows the last raisin of this season  that I saw while I was running next to wonderful wineyards. In the third photo below you can see the hills surronding a small town in Southern Italy. Its name is Itri. That old small town is situated at 170 m. above sea level and its population is a little more than 10,000.
In the same  photo above mentioned  you can see the limestone composition of the hills, which is cause of the absence of  trees and watercourses. It's a territory of a great naturalistic interest which has recently been incorporated into a National Park.

Cheers to you all blogger friends!

Fall Sunday

I didn't run a race this weekend. On this cloudy Sunday I ran 16 km (long run) with the group along the North side of the town and through a fall countryside. That long run went well although we ran the last 5 km against a strong wind.

Next week I won't write a post because I'm going to South Italy for work. But I'll try to follow the running challenges of our blogger community. 

Nice running and biking to all blogger fiends!

Tough race

On a cloudy Sunday we ran the Montalto's race along an odd and tough track of 9.6 km. My time taken was 41:17 minutes and I was really delighted with my average pace of 4:18 min./Km, considering the hilly route. The town of Montalto and its old castle are situated on the hill, of consequence the running path is always tough. Stefano ran a good race and his average pace was 4.46 min./Km. You can read the Black Knight's report. He didn't destroy the biggest tower of the Montalto's castle which you can see in the photo below :)  

As request by Char from Brisbane, Australia, I show the loot here below.

Nice week to everyone!

Bacon spaghetti

Four months ago some blogger friends suggested writing Italian recipes related to the prerace dinner and I'm sure that they like making recipes healthier, not making complicated dishes. As you know, the night before the race we need energy. Of course, we have to find a recipe that provides plenty of carbs without too much fat or protein.  Next Sunday I'm running a 10 km race and the night before the race I'll have a  simple pasta dish. It's "Bacon Spaghetti". At first, you need "garlic oil". To make it, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic (finely sliced). Remove from stove and let infuse for one hour, then discard the garlic. Cook pasta  (8 ounces spaghetti) according to package directions. In a separate pan, fry the bacon (4 ounces finely diced bacon) in two tablespoons "garlic oil" until cooked (about 3 to 4 minutes). Drain pasta and add to the bacon. Garnish with parsley. There are 2 portions.

This is an interesting week considering our running and blogging community. Johann from Johannesburg, South Africa, will be back to 100% normal by the end of the week. The 3rd of October he wrote kind words on his blog about our blogger community. Last Sunday Julie from Minnesota, United States, ran a great Twins Cities marathon. It was her fist marathon:  final time 4:09:45. Congrats again Julie! And then there's martin briars from Mont Saint Aignan, France, who is running the Barcelona Triathlon. Good luck Martin!

A special good luck to Char  from Brisbane, Australia, who is running a marathon this weekend!

I'm running a 10 km race  next Sunday.

Nice running to everyone!

Relaxing thermal bath

Autumn hasn't come early to many parts of Italy. What I'm trying to say is that the weather is sunny again and we can simply wear a shirt while we are running. 

I post here below a photo of last race in Tuscany where I ran with the number 37.  I'm sorry Char , unfortunately after I had run last race  I didn't take a photo of the loot :)  The  Black Knight  showed his loot on his blog.  I show the loot next time ... if I'll get it :)

Yesterday we did 16 km long run with a workout  7 x 5 minutes fast with 1 minute recovery.  Of course, this Sunday I  didn't run a race and  I decided to relax with a thermal bath, which is believed to aid in relaxing the muscles.  It  is especially suitable for athletes after sport activity.

This small center with thermal baths is situated near the town and its name is Ficoncella http://www.civitavecchia.net/index.php?cmd=ficoncella 

We have planned to run some interesting 12 km races in Tuscany next months. Of consequence, I'd like to lose weight. At least 2 kg!

Happy training!  

Thank you Julie!

I've just received the beautiful present which you can see in the photos. Thank you Julie for the nice gift and for your kind words. The present is a wonderful Minnesota Twins t-shirt and it is a Cooperstown Collection product. It has the n° 7 on the back, which is the Joe Mauer’s number. I will wear it in your honor Julie, with proud.

Thanks again Julie ( http://minnesotamilage.blogspot.com/ ).

The n° 7 on the back of the t-shirt, which you can see in photo below, is Joe Mauer’s number. Julie explained that this player, originally from St. Paul, is the catcher for the Minnesota Twins.

This morning Stefano ( /http://cavnero.blogspot.com/ ) gave me the official race report of the Grosseto's 12 km race which we ran last Sunday: I was 453 out of 845 runners. But the most important thing of that race was the good organization and the beautiful track. Moreover, after the race we got a "heavy" loot :)
Have a nice training!

Tuscany, Grosseto's 12 kilometers race

First of all, thank you so very much to everyone who commented on my last blog post about salt preventing cramping.
This morning I ran a nice 12 kilometers race in Grosseto (Tuscany), less than 200 km from Rome (2 hour drive, direction north). It was a sunny Sunday, perfect for running through nature and landscape of Tuscany countryside. The track was flat and the organization was very good. I was delighted with my time taken: 53 minutes and 1 second (average pace 4.25 min./km) and after the race we got a nice loot (wine, pasta, cheese and milk) :) I and Stefano are planning to run other running races in Tuscany next months.

I hope all you'll enjoy the rest of this Sunday!

How much salt should runners ingest?

While we are cooking something we sometimes think how much salt we have to add. If we read a recipe we'd see 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more simply "salt". We could read on runners magazines that the loss of salt is connected to other running problems, including cramping. On the other hand, too much salt is linked to high blood pressure.

I've recently read that sodium isn't a big concern for runners unless they know they are hypertensive or have a family history of high blood pressure. Therefore, eating something salty after run can help the body rehydrate better.

That's why several manufacturers have recently developed sports drinks with higher sodium levels. But I'm sure that a salty snack such as black olives or salted almonds has more micronutrients, including zinc and iron, than regular sports drinks.

This week I ran three times. I did tempo run on Monday, 16 kilometers long run on Wednesday and 50 minutes relaxing run yesterday. On September, 19th, I'm running the Grosseto's 12 km race.

As I wrote last week, the Summer is almost over and with the cold weather I could slightly increase my speed. It really is much harder to run fast when it's hot!

Although the end of the Summer is near I can eat fresh figs again. Delicious Breakfast! In the photo you can see the last figs of this Summer. They're black and white fresh figs. Unfortunately, since next week I'll have only them dried.

Nice weekend to everyone!

Can a Muslim woman find a place for running?

There are some countries in the world where a tradition says that girls can't run. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, girls can't play outside and go for a run. And in the spring of 2005, in Pakistan, girls' participation in public sports was declared un-Islamic.

I think we would have to dedicate races to the girls who live in some countries such as Iran and Pakistan. They're girls who can't know their own strenght.
I took the photo which you can see above in 1990 while I was travelling through a small town called Jayce, which is situated in the middle of Bosnia (former Yugoslavia).
Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is an European country, are a little under two million in number and constitute 40 percent of the country's population (2002 estimate). The modern Bosniaks, often referred to as Bosnian Muslims, descend from Slavic speakers who converted to Islam in the 15th and 16th centuries.

I'm not running a race this weekend and I'll do tomorrow 8 km tempo run around the Oliveto park. You can see above an image of this park where there are a lot of olive trees. The 19th of Semptember the Grosseto's 12 kilometers race will be held. I've planned to run it.

Have a nice weekend!

Cherry on top Award

The end of this beautiful and sunny Summer is near and talian boys will go back to school next week. In the image here below you can see a cloudy sky. It shows that the Summer is going to finish.

Thanks to Anne who tagged me with the "I'll take that with a Cherry on Top" award. She's a "nice writer" of our blogger community and I remember her interesting post, which she wrote five months ago, about lifestyle changes. She wrote "every chose is a new beginning! Your lifestyle is the sum result of all the choises you make, both consciously and inconsciously". Thanks again for that Anne .

The deal with this award above mentioned is you gotta do these 3 things:
1) Answer this question: if you had the chance to go back and change one thing in your life, would you and what would it be?
2) Pick 6 people and give them this award. You then have to inform the persons that they have got this award.
3) The third and the final thing is, thank the person who gave you the award.
I got my political science degree when I was 40. If I could change something I would get my degree about 16 years before.
The tagged bloggers of our running community are: Char , Ewa , Christina and Sherri who are running women, martin briars who always posts reports of his triathlon races and Alexandra who sometimes shows us wonderful images of that special part of the world where she lives.

Nice running to all my blogger friends.

Short and odd track

Last Sunday I ran the Ladispoli's 6 km race along an odd track while the weather was sunny and pretty hot. The race started at 09:30, so we didn't run during the heat of the day. Although I enjoyed the race and my average pace was 4:35/Km, I've understood that I have to increase my speed. We ran about 1 kilometer through a soft "green" path and the garmin highlighted that the track was less than 6 kilometers. It was 5.8 kilometers! I'm sure that my friend Stefano will post soon an accurate report about that race on the Black Knight 's blog.
We are running the next race in September, 12 km in Grosseto (Tuscany). A nice week to everyone!

The night before the race

Today it was a wonderful afternoon and I relaxed with my family on the beach where there was a soft wind. Now I’m ready for the Ladispoli’s 6 km race which starts tomorrow at 09:30 a.m.
As you know, the night before the race we have to have carbohydrates. Some months ago we wrote about this matter on our blogs and we said that a lot of runners like pizza or potatoes the night before the race. This time I had pasta at dinner: penne arrabbiata, that’s its name. I write here below the recipe of this classic spicy pasta dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add bacon (4 ounces finely diced), ½ small onion minced and 1 large garlic clove, minced. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon begins to turn pink and the onion is translucent (about five minutes). Add crushed red pepper and cook until the bacon starts to brown. Add tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. Season with salt and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes and bring to a boll. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook partially covered about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the “penne” (12 ounces) in plenty of salted water until al dente. Drain well and return to the pot. Add half of the sauce and cook, stirring, for one minute, Spoon into bowls, serving the remaining sauce and the freshly grated parmesan.
The recipe above written is something you can make in 30 minutes or less and you can get ingredients in a supermarket.
I hope all you’ll have a running and relaxing weekend.

The lost luggage

21 days after we had come back from Paris, Air France Baggage Claim Center found my daughters’ suitcase. The lost luggage went from Paris to Skopje (Republic of Macedonia). Then it came back and Air France sent it us from Paris to Rome. I don’t understand why 21 days! But it’s important that my daughters are happy.
Thank you to everyone for all of your support about the lost luggage. In that suitcase there are all the presents and souvenirs which my daughters had bought when we were in Paris. After vacation time they’ll give those presents to their friends who come back from other parts of the world. Then, in the lost luggage there are some trousers and T-shirts which they bought at Champs Elisèes, where there were interesting sales. As a consequence, this afternoon my daughters were very happy when the lost luggage was delivered. All’s well that ends well!

The photo above shows the lost luggage and I can't describe my daughters' happiness while they were opening the suitcase which had travelled through Europe: Rome - Paris - Skopje - Paris - Rome. While they were opening their luggage they saw that everything was perfectly in the suitcase.

When I came back from Paris I forgot to show you some particular masks which we saw while we were walking through St-Germain-des-Pres. In this intellectual quartier of bistros, bookshops, coffee-houses, galleries and nightclubs, there are nice masks on the walls of some houses. The intellectual center of gravity of St-Germain des Pres is at the intersection of rue Bonaparte and boulevard St-Germain and I took some photos there. You can see above and below two of those particular masks which I saw in that interesting districs of Paris. I found other masks in the district of Marais .

The photo below shows Notre Dame on the river Seine.

Yesterday I ran 16 km with the running team and next week I’ll do a training with fast laps. I need it because I’m running the Ladispoli's 6 km race the 29th of August with Stefano and his son Paolo.

I hope all you will have a nice running weekend.

It's vacation time again

Hi blogger friends! I am happy to report that I have been on holiday until now and the vacation in South Italy has been AWESOME. In the first photo above you can see my daughters' rabbit.
After we had gone to Paris my family and I left for another summer vacation and I had not computer and internet use. The last week of July which we spent in France was beautiful but it's a real pity that my daughters' suitcase went lost. Air France haven't found it yet and I'll ask them to pay damages estimated at € 15 per kilo, considering that our lost luggage weighed 14 kilos.

South Italy's beaches were nice, the sea wasn't polluted and the weather was sunny and beautiful. Perfect! When we arrived we saw a burnt hill and it was a big damage. Unfortunately, a lot of olive trees had been destroyed! The photo above shows the burnt hill.
During the vacations I ate different meals. French cakes were very good: in Paris we had "pain au raisin" and "tartre aux pommes" at breakfast and in South Italy we had almond cake (you can see it in the photo below). Moreover, in August there're a lot of figs in South Italy and they gave a big contribution to my weight :)... as a consequence I have to lose weight now. At least 2 kilos! But this isn't a problem. Next week I'll begin a running plan and the 29th of August I and Stefano are running a short 6 km race. We'll run it as training.
I have just read that a lot of running friends of our blogger community are on vacation again. I hope all you enjoy the rest of this beautiful summer!

Paris

As suggested by Martin, I ran on the quays along the Seine. It's a nice place to run and last thursday at 07:00 a.m. I saw a lot of people who were running next to that beautiful river.
We stayed five days in Paris and while we were walking on the night through the square of Notre-Dame we met a nice pair from San Francisco (California). They were very kind and took a photo which you can see here below.
The weather was beautiful and sunny. Visiting the Louvre Museum takes on overage 1 day! I suggest you should buy tickets the day before. After we had visited Notre-Dame, which is the symbol of medieval Paris, we walked up 400 steps to the top of the South tower of the Cathedral. 46 metres above the ground and from there we saw the whole of Paris and a lovely view over the river Seine and its bridges.

During the last two days we went to the left bank of the river Seine where we visited the oldest houses in the latin distict and Saint Germain de pres. There is a very useful river boat shuttle service along the Seine.
Unfortunately, after we had come back from Paris I and my wife didn't find a part of the luggage. The biggest of our three suitcases wasn't in the Rome airport. We were really disappointed with this and "Air France customers assistance" here in Rome said that they will send us the luggage as soon as it arrives from Paris.

Tomorrow we are going to Gaeta, in South Italy.
Have a nice summer!

On holiday

I'm on holiday now. So I'm going to France with my family and tomorrow the flight to Paris starts at 08:55 a.m. My daughters are so excited because they would like to visit the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and Notre-Dame. But first of all they would want to go to the Galerie La Fayette. Of course, I'm taking my running shoes :)
Nice Sunday to all blogger friends!

Motivation

In this half of the world that is North of equator it's summer time now. This means biking, riding, beach and swimming. Of course , swimming on the sea. Although I'm not running a race in July and August I wouldn't want to lose my speed. So I'll do only one quality workout per week and in the same week two days of easy work. Moreover I'll sometimes run a long run.
Now I feel that I have to maintain my desire to run. In this perspective I go swimming once or twice a week. I think that if our running isn't fun, we have to make same changes. For example, run fewer days (during this summer I'll do it), try trail running or join a running group. We always need to find motivation which is a powerful force that can help us enjoy our running more. Motivation is more than a feeling. It's important that we'll feel better after a run than before it.

I hope you'll enjoy the rest of this weekend.

Hilly training

Last week we planned a long run along the coast (path flat). So yesterday I met the running group at Oliveto's Park at 06:30 p.m. and began the training. But after we had done the warm up we suddenly decided to run our long run through the hills behind the town. Although it was hot there were a lot of trees along the wonderful hilly paths. We ran 1 hour and 25 minutes and I didn't run fast down hill. I decided to be careful.

An old fountain, which we found on the top of the higher hill, helped us. It was built in the natural reserve about 40 years ago because wild cows and donkeys live there. You can see the fountain in the photo below posted. The landscape was beautiful and the paths of that natural reserve weren't dangerous. Once again, running gave me a nice picture of the environment.

This week began with the hilly and hard training above mentioned and, as a consequence, today I didn't swim and didn't go to the beach. I was tired. During this week If I have time I'll go to the ancient roman thermal baths where there's the hot sulphur water. Stefano showed on his blog a photo of this interesting place http://cavnero.blogspot.com/

I hope everyone will have a nice training.

Swimming on the sea

This week I ran three times and I swam once. Yesterday I swam on the sea 20 minutes at 06:00 p.m. after working. The water wasn't polluted and the beach was wonderful. Perfect! Next Sunday I'll swim again on the sea and next week I'll do a long run training. Of course, I always choose a different route on long run. If our training is stimulating we'll enjoy it. What I'm trying to say is that we don't need to run the same 16 km on the same course at the same time of day as always. In other words, we could refresh our enthusiasm and we would have to change the distance, the speed, the route, the landscape and the hills. Moreover, new hilly paths make us stronger :)
In the pictures I show the beach which is situated in the Southern part of the town. In the photo below I'm on the right and the skin of my friend is more tanned because he is on holiday :)

I hope that all you blogger friends will have a nice running and swimming weekend!

Change of scenery

I'd need to give my body and mind a break! Last week I ran less than other weeks. I went swimming twice, 25 minutes on Wednesday and 30 minutes on Saturday. But I swam in the sea and as a consequence I didn't try to work harder than in a regular pool. During this summer I'm going to run three times a week and swimming (or biking) twice a week.
I'm not running a race in July and August, so I'm doing something other than running to give my body and mind a break. Since the 25th of June I've started cycling and swimming once or twice a week. Of course I'm not training for triathlons. If these activities gave me a stronger aerobic engine my running would improve. I should usually see some gains.
I've read a debate focused on the relation between running and routine: the psychological effects of following the same routine can be just as limiting. After about only three or four weeks of the same low or high intensity training program, the benefit of running tend to decrease. Most experts say that "runners are creatures of habit, but this can be often lead to stagnating performance".

I hope that all you blogger friends of that running community will have a nice training!

7 km up hill and 7 km down hill

This is a hot and beautiful Sunday and this morning we did a hard long run on the hill behind the town. I met two friends of the running group at 07:30 a.m. near the Oliveto's Park and after the warm up we ran 14 km. Of course, we ran 7 km up hill and 7 km down hill and we didn't run fast along the second 7 km down hill. Although the average pace was about 6 mins/km the training was interesting. The time taken was 1 hour and 24 minutes and we ran slow up hill because it was hard. But we ran slow the down hill too because we always think that down hills might be dangerous. For example, running fast down hills might be dangerous for knees. But it was a good training session. Moreover, the night before that hard long run I had had pizza with some friends of the running group. Carbohydrates guaranteed!

As you know, the Italian soccer team didn't go through the second round of the FIFA World Cup. Italy lost 3-2 against Slovakia the last match of Pool F of South Africa 2010 World Cup and is thus dramatically, eliminated :( A blogger friend from France, Martin Briars, wrote that footballers are paid too much to do too little. I absolutely agree with this!

Now I hope that the final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be between Argentina and Netherlands. Today an interesting match between Germany and England starts at 04:00 p.m.

I think Germany is stronger than England and has a young team. So German national football team will be the winner in this match ... but I also support England team with an Italian coach and it will be dilemma for me. Good luck to both teams :)

Italian soccer team needs to win

I began this week with 50 minutes relaxed run on Monday and yesterday I ran 1 hour and 10 minutes and the average pace was 4.50 min./km. I think it was a nice training session. I ran both training session around the Southern side of the town. On Friday I'm doing a workout which would improve speed and I've planned a long run during next weekend. This week I'm not running a race. The 3rd of July I'll run the Bolsena's 10 km race where I could run along a nice track next to the Bolsena's lake. I ran it three years ago.
In the picture below you can see my daughters with their friends. The Italian flag had been painted on their faces. Today the soccer macth Italy - Slovakia starts at 04:00 p.m. and Italian team needs to win.

We’re not thinking about elimination and we have to think positively. The only result that interests us is victory. Of course, if our soccer team didn't win Italy wouldn't go through to the second round in the World Cup.
My daughters' friends

I hope all you have nice training sessions.

Workout against the wind

This morning I did the workout with the running group. It was hard because we ran against a strong wind. After we had run 20 minutes warm up we ran 3 x 20 minutes fast with 4 minutes recovery. In the meanwhile Stefano ran a great race around the Montalto's power station where he got a nice loot and improved his time taken.
You can see his race report: http://cavnero.blogspot.com/
On the soccer world cup front, this afternoon the meeting between world champions Italy and Oceanian outsiders New Zealand starts at 04:00 p.m. in Nelspruit, South Africa. http://www.fifa.com/ Never underestimate opponents: look at Spain vs Switzerland!

Have a nice Sunday!

Workout on Sunday

I'm not running a race next weekend and on Sunday I'll do a workout with the running group through the Southern part of the town and arouund the natural reserve. We'll probably run 20 minutes warm up and 3 x 20 minutes fast with 4 minute recovery.
We're planning our next race and maybe we'll run the Bolsena lake 10 km race which starts the 3rd of July at 06:30 p.m.
A nice running weekend to everyone!

Formula Run Cup

Next Sunday we're going to Rome where the Formula Run Cup starts at 09:30. The 10 km race will be held in support of Save the Children. I'll have a breakfast of 300 to 500 calories two hours before the starting and I won't forget to eat carbs the night before the race. Maybe I'll have pizza with my family and other friends.
Now I post a photo of a nice old and small village which I saw this week while I was working. It is situated in the middle of Italy, 60 km North of Rome, and is connected by a narrow walkway to reality and to the surrounding countryside.

Entering the ancient city gate we feel that we're leaving the real world. It isn't a place to running and ... there are 15 inhabitants only! From 2002 some English people have bougth old houses in this small supernatural world.
http://www.civitadibagnoregio.it/english/civita/history.htm
I hope that all my blogger friends will have a nice weekend.

through the industrial area

There wasn't race for me this weekend but I ran 14 km with the running group. After we had done the first 5 km warm up and slow run, we began the workout, 8 x 4.30 minutes fast with 1 minute recovery. During the workout the average pace was 4.30 min/km. But we ran a strange route this morning. At the beginning we ran through the old part of the town and along the pedestrian area of the town. Then we ran through the industrial area because on Sunday there aren't trucks. Consequently, there isn't polluted air. It was a sunny Sunday and a great training session! If we ran the same route we wouldn't see the same average pace.
It's been said that runners don't like runninng the same route twice. We sometimes run the same route two minutes faster or two minutes slower than last time. I think that the comparison made between running the same distance hasn't validity. We can't recreate the exact circumstances of the previous training or on race day. We can't have the same weather and the same amount of sleep or food. We can't have the same people around us.
I show you a photo ot the pedestrian area which is situated in the middle of the town. I took this photo two months ago from the helicopter and but isn't a sharp image.

stretching

With regard to my post about stretching, which I wrote the 23th of May, I describe Martin's comment. He's a 75 km trail runner from Mont Sait Aignon, France, http://martinbriars.blogspot.com/ and he saw a sports doctor who was with the French Olympic athletics team in Sydney.
Martin wrote most stretching should be before we actually run, and certainly not right after. He added that we would have to spend at least 20 mins light stretching before we run. Of course we would have to begin the run and the warm up very slowly.
The French doctor told him that after the run and after a shower he would have to begin very light stretching again. The idea he explained was that stretching a muscle which "may have trauma" will not be good!
On the contrary, most blogger friends who like running always say: "don't stretch before you've warmed up!". Maybe there are different approaches to many stretches.
On the running front, I ran 20 kn on Sunday and 10 km slow run on Monday. Tomorrow I'll do 12 km tempo run in the afternoon. Today I didn't run. It was a rest day and I followed my daughters who were playing tennis. I took some photos while they were playing tennis and I felt they were happy because I was there. I show you three photos here below.

Good training sessions to all you!