12 kilometers "green" race

I think that I have to run the races which are held in my town. Although since the 1st of April I've got weight, this morning I decided to run the "Vivicittà" 12 kilometers race. Before we began to run the warm up I and Stefano had met some friends who wore green T-shirts. They were "green" runners because the race had been held in support of environmental protection. The atmosphere was very friendly and the weather was cloudy. I show you some photos of those "green" runners and I am near the two dogs with green T-shirts.


In the next photo you can see the two black knights before the race.

The track of the 12 kilometers race was hard and we ran four steep up hills. The time taken was 55:20 minutes.

Training through the protected area

This time I didn't improve my running time and I didn't enjoy the training. I ran 10 km and the time taken was 54:39 minutes. Maybe I gained weight during last Easter weekend because I had eaten plenty of Easter's pastries, chocolate eggs and other Easter food. The main part of the track which we ran this afternoon was inside the protected area.

After we had crossed the Southern Suburbs we ran a hard up hill. Then we followed the path through a green valley of the natural reserve and we ran along the mediterranean forest. Today the landascape was better than the training. In the first photo above posted you can see a view of the small protected area with some typical Italian cattles. Then I showed you the spring colours of the mediterranean forest

and the hard up hill above mentioned. I hope that I'll improve the next training.

Easter time

I arrived at the Park early enough to do a short warm-up on my own before meeting up with the small running group. The time taken during that training session was 1 hour, 14 minutes and 26 seconds. This time I didn't improve the speed but I maintained my pace. We run 14,12 km along the Southern side of the town and through the countryside. My average pace was 5:16 min/km.

As you know we need a well balanced meal after running. If you see the photo below posted you can see the Italian Easter’s pastry which contains both proteins and carbohydrates. It is made from a very special and old recipe which has two particular ingredients which make it unique: moisture taken from the orange tree blossom and cooked wheat. Also used in the recipe are "ricotta" cheese, candid fruit and classic short pastry. Making the Easter’s pastry does not require any great ability.
Happy Easter to you all.

Wild asparagus

Thanks all blog's friends for the happy birthday wishes! Yesterday I wore the new running clothes which my family gave me for my birthday. After I had run 2 km warm up I ran 14 km throught the countryside in the Southern surrondings of the town. In that sunny afternoon the average pace was 05:14 min/km. Our running team wasn't there and I ran with a friend of mine this relaxing training.
There were some wild donkeys along the track. They live in this special patche of Mediterranean forest and this environment may become a small protected area near the town. While we were running we saw a lot of wild asparagus near the path. Today I've sought them and maybe we'll prepare the Asparagus salad with potatoes this evening.

Now I have to help my family to prepare the pastry of Easter. Its name is "Pastiera" and it has to be cooked with some days advance. This pastry takes time to prepare and requires presoaked grain. I'm going to buy its exotic ingredients such as cinnamon and vanilla extract. This is my contribution.

In the first photo above posted you can see the new running clothes. The other two photos show you the wild asparagus and the protected wild donkeys.

New running clothes

It's a particular day because I was born 49 years ago today. It's my birthday.
In spring we will see a temperate climate without extremes of temperature, so my family has given me new running clothes as a present. The shorts are black and I'm sure that my friend Stefano will be happy because it's the colour of the Black Knight running team which we founded in 1996. I'm having birthday dinner with my family and some friends this evening.
You can see the birthday's gift in the photo below posted.

10 km tempo run

Yesterday in the afternoon we ran actually 10.01 km after we had run the warm up. Them we ran 10 km around the Southern part of the town, through the tourist port and next to the see. I've improved slightly again considering the last three trainings: the time taken during yesterday's 10 km tempo run was 50:08 minutes. The average pace was 05:01 min/km.
Tomorrow in the afternoon I'm running a long distance run and of consequence about 800 calories will be burned. In this perspective, we have made a cake that you can see in the photo below posted. So, I'll have some carbohydrates at breakfast before tha training. :)

Slight improvement

This week I've run two times until now: on Monday 8 km and on Wednesday 10 km and the time taken during these training is improving slightly. Thanks to all blog's friends for their encouragement. Today I'm beginning the training at 05:30 p.m. with my friends. After the training I'll go to home quickly this evening because today is the "Festa del Papa", the Italian name for Father's Day. It's is celebrated on March 19, St. Joseph's Feast Day in Italy. This is the day when families show their gratitude to their fathers with favors and gifts.
This day starts with a delicious breakfast. Then we prepare "Zeppole", the most common pastry treat for Father's Day in Italy. I show the pastry above mentioned. I think that I'll have a lot of carbohydrates during next dinner. :)
Today for Father's Day my children and my wife have given me a nice running gift which I show in the second photo below posted.

The beginning

Yesterday at 05:30 p.m. I began to running again with other two members of our running team. In that sunny afternoon after 2 km warm up we ran slowly 10 km and the time taken was 58 minutes and 25 seconds. It's a good training considering that I didn't run from the 1st to the 11th of March because of a sore throat.
Last Wednesday while I was travelling by helicopter for job from Rome to Tuscany I saw an uncontaminated beach. I took a photo that I show below and thought that it would be a beautiful running track next to the see and through dunes and mediterranean forest.

In support of a social cause

Since last Monday, 2 March, I haven't run because of a sore throat. I think I have to change my running time. Last Monday I ran from 02:00 to 03:00 p.m. and before I got out to take my daughters to the tennis club I had had a shower. Maybe I got out while the body's defences were decreasing. Every day In the afternoon there is something to do such as shopping, working, socializing and so on. Of consequence, I'll try to run in the early evening so I haven't got out after the training while the weather is rainy and cold.

Next Sunday, the 14th of March 2010, the first edition of the Race for Haiti starts in Rome at 10:00 a.m.. The overall earning of the race will be given to the people of Haiti. It'a a race in support of that territory which was recently destroyed by the earthquake.
My photo above posted shows the hills near the town where I live.

Running slowly

In this sunny afternoon I did a short training. Today I ran slowly about 59 minutes because I didn't feel good (I've a sore throat).

We've just begun to plan the next holiday and we have to decide the time and the place. Although we live in a town situated near the see we'll probably chose an Island.
Meanwhile I post the photos of our trip to Berlin last year.

Ladispoli's 10 km race

A thousand of runners enjoyed this morning the Ladispoli's 10 km race in support of Ucraina's children of Chernobyl. In a nice and sunny Sunday we ran this beautiful race through the natural reserve of Palo Laziale ( http://www.agri-net.org/parco_en.asp?idparco=84 ) where the track wasn't hard. Before we crossed the finish line we had run the last 2 km next to the see. Unfortunately Stefano didn't run because he was hill but I tryed to defend the Black Knight team: time taken 44 min. 52 sec., but there weren't up hills and down hills. :)

As request by Alexandra I posted some photos below. In the third photo you can see the soft path of the natural reserve above mentioned, which is an environment with the last surviving patches of tyrrhenian plains forest. There are numerous nesting and migratory birds too.
That is why I like running.

Next race

Before it rained again I had slowly run 10 km. on Monday. Time taken 57 min. 58 sec.
Now I'm deciding to help Stefano next Sunday during the Ladispoli's 10 km race. Although I don't run fast now I'll likely follow him. I know there aren't up hill and down hill and it is an easy track.
Running makes me feel good.

Rainy again

During this rainy winter we are always running on wet streets in this part of the world. I ran today 55 minutes in the rain from 1:40 to 2:35 p.m. around the suburbs which are situated in the Southern part of the town where I live. While I was running I saw different colours of the small new houses which were built there. In one of theese suburbs, people painted their front houses with pastel colours such as pink, orange, bottle green, etc.

Running makes me feel good. As soon as the weather will be nice I begin running drills which give strenght and help legs.

An old small town

As you know, I like sharing photos of where I run. In a cloudy morning I went to an old small town (42 kilometres North from the town where I live). But I wasn't there for my training. Unfortunately I was there because I had a particular task at work and I didn't run around this beautiful place which is surronded by medieval walls. Every year in May there is a 10 km around this town and the two black knights will likely run there. Although I'm running three times a week and the speed is slowly coming back I will not run the race with Stefano the 21th of February 2009.
In the photo above posted you can see a particular old fountain where I drank fresh water. The two images below show a side of this small town and a view of the houses which were made with tuff stones.

Running and biking off-road

I began to run three weeks after I had had a bronchial flu. I slowly ran 50 minutes yesterday around the town while the weather wasn't rainy or cloudy and this morning I rode my bicycle across the hills. So I'll try to run next week and sometimes I'll likely go swimming or ride a bicycle.

Running and riding a bicycle off-road, often over rough terrain, through mediterranean woods, country roads or natural parks offer us enormous environmental opportunity. We can discover a lot of sites which are "significant" from a landscape point of view. If we run or rode a bicycle around historic centres we can see monuments and sites which are considered "non-traditional tourist attractions" of the old town.

Although I've lost my running speed it's important I've begun to run. I didn't run quickly yesterday but I understood that I hadn't lost the strenght.

The crèche and the magi

While I was in Naples last week I went running once only. Unfortunately, after this training around the Royal Park of Naples I had a Bronchitis (I had a shower and I quickly got out while the weather was cold) and consequently I didn’t run the Neapolitan 10 km. race which started the 26th of December. But I saw that race while my friends were running it (photo above posted). Now, if I feel good next week I will begin likely training again.

Here, in my house in Civitavecchia near Rome, the crèche or creb was constructed three weeks ago. The crèche is a depiction of the birth of Jesus and its main part is the nativity scene. But it consists of other characters from the biblical story such as shepherds and the Magi, who will reach the nativity scene the 6th of January. In the Gospel of Matthew, the only one to describe the visit of the magi, it states that they came "from the east" to worship the Christ, "born King of the Jews”.
Although Matthew does not mention their number, because three gifts are recorded as having been given to the Christ Child, traditionally there are thought to have been three Magi. The two photos above posted show the nativity scene and the Magi. You can see crèche’s sheperds in the other images below posted.

Christmas 2009 in Naples

Christmas time is near. We'll go to Naples tomorrow where we stay until the 28th of December 2009. I hope to continue the training in Naples where I'll try to run through the old royal park. Moreover, a 10 km. race will start in a small town near Naples next Saturday. If I'll feel good I run that race.

The typical Neapolitan Christmas cake, which you can see in the photo above posted, has been cooked today. The other photo shows my mother's Christmas tree, which has been made in her house in Naples.
Wishing you a Christmas full of affection and warmed with love.