Race around the village of Ceri

Yesterday about 150 people ran the 1st edition of the Village of Ceri's race.Less than 9 km of a hilly track through vineyards and olive trees: beautiful landscape but challenging running path. The finish line was situated on the top of the hill which you can see in the photo. Really! Most runners had walked along the last 400 metres of the track before they crossed the finish line.

Stefano  was angry because the organization's website  didn't mention how difficult was the running path (please, see the chart below)... and  the loot was really ridiculous: 1 apple and 1 bottle of beer! I have never got such a poor loot! However, a "Pasta party" was held after the race but we quickly left the village and decided to go to Cerveteri (30 km North from Rome) where we had a pizza.

Anyway, my goal was under 5 min./km and I ran at about 4.55 min./km.  I didn't run fast down-hill because I was afraid I could get injury and  I was delighted with my time taken, considering that  the running path was challenging enough.  

Nice week to all my blogger friends!

Next 10 km race

Thanks to all my blogger friend for the kind words and the support about my daughter's accident. As you know, everything is fine and no major injuries.

Unfortunately, I haven't written any post since April, 30th. Life has been busy! First of all my daughter's accident, then my wife was hill and last week I went to Naples where my mother lives (she's dealing with a legal matter about real estate and I am helping her).

That's why I'm running less than three times a week. However, I haven't put on weight and this is a good goal :) and I've planned to run a 10 km race on Saturday, 26th, although I am not adequately trained for it. Next Saturday  the 1st edition of the Village of Ceri's 10 km race starts at 6 pm.
http://www.romaepiu.it/en/content/village-ceri

Political snapshot: Centre-left and protest parties have made gains in Italy's local elections, amid widespread discontent with the government's austerity drive. In France, last Sunday socialist Hollande defeats Sarkozy for Presidency.

This week an article titled "A big fat zero" was  published by the economist. The title's meaning is related to Europe's GDP stagnated in the first quarter although we've seen an unexpectedly strong German economy. Official data showed the German economy expanded faster than expected in the first three months of this year.
Last year while I was in Germany I took this unusual picture below. I took it from the Sankt Peter Kirche's tower in Munich.

Tomorrow I'm doing a long run although Sunday weather forecast looks bad!

Have a nice running and hiking weekend! 

Mayor election

Last Saturday my daughter Laura and her friend Demetra had an accident. They had planned with other friends to go to "Subway" to eat something and they decided to go by motorbike. At 12:50 pm, while they were going to the pub above mentioned, which is located next to the port, a car driven by a silly lawyer hit their motorbike and they both fell. My wife and I were afraid she had had an injury but the doctor of the Civitavecchia's hospital said that there wasn't any problem. Her right knee is in good conditions but this morning she still had shoulder pain. Now she feels better and her friend Demetra is in good conditions too.

A well organized 7.8 km race was held yesterday in Grosseto (Tuscany): beautiful environment, soft and flat running path, good loot (wine, rice, honey and biscuits), great post race refreshment point and about 150 runners.  The scenery was interesting and we ran along green fields where we could see a lot of brown horses. The time taken was  4.55 min/km and I did't run that short race with  my competitive spirit because I was not (and I'm not) adequately trained for it. Stefano ran that race as training too and I have just known that he have got knee pain. I hope that he will feel better soon.

Local Politics: Civitavecchia’s Mayor election will be held on Sunday, May, 6th. I can't predict who will win and with how many casualties but I have seen that most election candidates are lawyers and doctors. Consequently: lawyers + doctors = Italian local politicians  :)

That gives me the opportunity to share with you the following joke which is titled “The doctor and the lawyer”:

A doctor and a lawyer were talking at a party. Their conversation was constantly interrupted by people describing their ailments and asking the doctor for free medical advice.

After an hour of this, the exasperated doctor asked the lawyer: "What do you do to stop people from asking you for legal advice when you're out of the office?"

The lawyer replied: "I give it to them! And then I send them the bill."

The doctor was shoked, but agreed to give it a try. The next day, still feeling guilty, he prepared the bills. When he went to place them in his mailbox, he found a bill from the lawyer. 

I hope all my blogger friends will have a nice 1st May holiday!

Rome's Vivicittà 2012

I have never run a race along a river and, yesterday, the 2012 edition of the Rome's Vivicittà 12 km race was held along the  river Tevere (Tiber in latin language). Rome is located on that river and hundreds of runners enjoyed that race. The scenery was beautiful and I could see other people who enjoyed that river: rowing, canoeing, birdwatching, hiking, biking and walking. Spring weather was perfect. From the 1st to the 7th km the running path was in good conditions because we ran along the cycle track next to the river. After we had run seven  km we crossed the bridge and reached the left bank of the river where there was a refreshment point: water and ... chocolate cake! I would have never tought chocolate cake during a race. How can I eat a cake while I'm running? While I was drinking some water Stefano rushed ahead because he didn't drink. Anyway, I took a cake but didn't eat it. So, I left  the refreshment point and  I ran down hill from the bridge to the left bank of the river where there were a lot of potholes. I realized I was running down a dangerous path! I reached Stefano at the 8th km and gave him the cake which was packed. Maybe he needed energy! Unfortunately, while we were running along the left bank of the river, exactly from the 8th to the 9th, the running path was muddy and we had no choice but to run through the mud. From the 10th to the 12nd km there were cobblestones on the running path: terrible! After 1 hour and 4 minutes we crossed the finish line: that race was really challenging. I'm in the  photo below close to Stefano ... although you can see my red pants only :)

Happy running to all my blogger friends!

Eastern Monday

The photo posted shows the place where we spent Eastern Monday on April, 9th. That old farm has been transformed in a nice farm house resort and it is located 120 km North from Rome. In Italy, that style of vacationing is called "agriturismo" and this word is a  combination of the words for "agriculture" and "tourism" in Italian.

We stayed with friends and their children and we had a great time although the weather was windy.

Tomorrow I am running the Rome's Vivicittà 12 km race. It's a world–renowned Italian-founded race which takes place every year all over Europe and in other cities around the world. Its aim is to achieve integration between different cultures and peoples by using sport as an instrument of socialization.

Stefano and I are running that race as training. As I wrote on  Char's blog, where I've just left a comment, I still see a lot of chocolate in my house and I'm not losing weight :)

I hope you'll have a nice running, swimming and biking weekend!

Birthday cake

First of all, Thanks to my blogger friends for the kind birthday wishes :) This week, after I had celebrated my 51th birthday (The photo shows the birthday cake), I was busy enough on the job front although it gave me the opportunity to visit old villages which I would have never see. Those special places are located in the hills among an amazing nature. The small church, which you can see in the photo below,  is located far from the villages. The building can show its secular history.

Meanwhile, Italy's economic weakness increases slightly and Italians are leaving power in the hands of an enderly and out-of-touch elite: only Zimbadwe and Haiti had lower GDP growth than Italy from 2000 to 2010.

I'd like to share with you the following joke about Italian politicians:

"One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen doughnuts waiting for him at his door.

Then an MP came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The MP was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen MPs lined up waiting for a free haircut."

Tomorrow, Sunday, April, 1st, I'm running 16 km and it seems that Spring weather will be perfect for running.

Nice weekend to all my blogger firends!

51th birthday

Tomorrow, March, 26th, I'll be 51! It's my birthday and I've planned to stay with my family. Yesterday my mother came from Naples and she likely leaves on Tuesday, 27th.
This morning I did a pleasant 18 km run along the sea and the Spring weather was really perfect for running. I'm not improving my speed because the aim is to maintain the running shape. Unfortunately I have no enough time at the moment and, as a consequence, I'm going to run three times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday). If I run four times a week I would improve the speed ... if I even try to lose weight :)

I hope all you will have a nice week!

Next to Vatican City

Hello my blogger friends! I haven't updated my blog since February 20th, although I have been following your blogs and have left comments. I'm sorry for that, but I've been crazy busy and I'm still working in Rome and Viterbo. That's why two weeks ago I couldn't run the Rome-Ostia 21 km, which is the main important half marathon here in Italy. Stefano didn't run it because, as he mentioned on his blog,  he has got problems with his knee and I hope to hear good news soon. As above mentioned, since about three weeks I have been working in Rome, and the office is near Saint Peter's Square, which is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome. On Friday, 9th, While I was in Rome for job, I took these two photos. The first one shows a Swiss soldier on guard at the gates of Vatican City. Schweizergarde is the name given to the  Pontifical Swiss soldiers of Vatican City.

The second photo shows the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/swissguard/storia_en.htm

On the economic front, although unemployment in America is almost back to pre-recession levels, showing more improvement in the labor market, in Europe there’s still an economic contraction: Italian and Spanish GDP is still decreasing and Europe's politicians are dealing with  Greece’s debt restructuring. In the meanwhile, young people are afraid they can't find full-time employment at the moment.  On the other hand,  I'm glad to hear good news about  the  U.S. strongest demand for automobiles since 2008 and the increase of retail sales overseas.

Nice week to all my blogger friends!

Monte Amiata

I haven't planned to run any race this month. So I'm trying to maintain my running shape and lose weight and I'm doing a long run, a relaxing run and a tempo run every week. As I wrote in my last post, I've learnt to run on the icy path because this month the weather is snowy. The first photo was taken on Saturday, 11st, while the snow was covering Civitavecchia. That picture shows  the street where I live covered with snow. From 17th to 19th of February I spent some time in the snow: I went with my family with other friends and their children to Monte Amiata, in the southern Tuscany region of Italy. And there was a lot of snow there, as you can see in the photo below.  

The main economical resources of the Amiata region are chestnuts, timber and, increasingly, tourism (ski resorts).

At dinner we ate a wonderful soup of mushrooms (although children didn't like it). I had that soup twice :) Really! The first day the weather was Sunny and children enjoyed skiing and snowboard.

The photo below shows that on Sunday, 19th, the weather was foggy.

On the way back the weather was foggy and there was snow along the street, but it wasn't a problem! 

I didn't run from Friday to Sunday and yesterday I did 10 km on my own at 5:25 min./km. Today I ran 55 minutes slowly.

In the meanwhile, I hope to hear good news about Stefano's knee soon. Last week he was visited by a good doctor here in Civitavecchia.

Happy running to all my blogger friends!

Italy is covered with snow

Italy is covered with snow. Today I took these two  photos while I was in Viterbo for job. In this town (60 km North from Rome)  I saw the rooftops and the roads covered with snow. I have never run on the snow! I 've to try it! 

I hope all you will have nice runs despite of the weather conditions.

22.55 km race

This photo shows a bottle of olive oil (two liters) and it's the loot :) which I got today after I had run a 22.55 km race around three villages. I got a dish too (2nd photo) and other things such as croissants, orange juice and yoghurt. There were 2400 runners and the organization was good. I enjoyed the race although the weather was cold enough and distance of the running track was really strange: 22.55 km. Why not 21 km? Anyway, I crossed the finish line after 1.49.50.   

There were a lot of volunteers who gave water and warm tea while runners were running next to hazelnut trees, along a beautiful countryside and through the historical centres of  three villages. From the 15th to the 17th km the running track was tough because it was totally up-hill.

Stefano , who likely got knee pain after he had run that tough race, will show the chart of the hilly running path.

I hope all you blogger friend will have a nice week and pleasant runs!

Asics Cumulus

Retail prices sometimes decrease after holiday season and  running clothes and shoes may be less expensive. That's why I planned to buy new running shoes in January. So, last week, on Wednesday, 11st, I went to Rome for job and in the afternoon, I visited the running shop "LBM Sport" which is located in the centre of the town (its  official website is http://www.lbmsport.it/ ). Running shoes' prices are really interesting there!

After I had tryed Brooks and New Balance I bought a pair of Asics Cumulus 13. Although I couldn't choose the colour I was delighted with those green shoes which you can see in the photo :)

This morning I ran the Ostia's 15 km race with my new green running shoes. Of course,  I  tryed them on Friday, 13rd, when I did 10 km relaxing run with the group. The weather was perfect for running and the organization was excellent. I ran along a beautiful running track and through Mediterranean woodlands of Castel Fusano and after 1 hour and 8 minutes I crossed the finish line. 

From the 6th to the 9th km the running path was soft: wonderful! I got a blue running T-shirt and after the race I had a cup of tea and an apple, but there were a lot of things such as bread with jam or honey, cakes, muffins, sandwiches, ect.

In the photos you can see me, Stefano and other running friends.

On January, 14th, an Italian cruise ship hit a sandbar and now it  lies partially submerged next to Giglio island (50 miles North-West from Civitavecchia). Its captain had made errors of judgement and the route followed by the ship was not the right one. Authorities have said that at least six people died.

Most of the passengers are Italian, with some German, Japanese and French nationals!

Chocolate shoes

On January, 6th, I was delighted with the tempo run: I ran 10 km at 4.48 min./km, time taken 48:09 mins. I hope it might be the beginning of the improvement (I didn't run during the last week of 2011 and had a temperature). Today I did a pleasant 18 km long run at an average pace of 5:37 min./km. It might be useful for my next 15 km race which I'm running on January, 15th.

The photo above was taken during the last edition of the Montalto's 10 km race.

 

Chocolate shoes

   

Since January, 5th,  companies who produce chocolate have gathered the pedestrian area of the town. Along the streets we've seen sellers of milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate and ... "chocolate shoes" (as you can see in the photo).  Yesterday my wife and I had a good chocolate drink there. In the photo below you can see the chocolate manufacturers along the street. They will be there until January, 8th.   



Chocolate sellers along the street

As request by Stefano  with his post of December, 30th, I show here the T-shirt which I got last Summer, on August, 6th, after I had run the Pisterzo's race. Pisterzo is the name of a small village situated on a hill 80 km South from Rome.

You can read on the T-shirt "the seven soups Pisterzo 2011" (the Italian word "minestre" means soups) because after we had run the organization offered us seven different soups: lentils, chicory, onion soupe, pumkin, etc. I would have never thought that runners could eat soups after a race instead of bananas, tea, orange juyce, cakes and healthy drinks! The track of the Pisterzo's race was very very tough: 7.5 km entirely up-hill and I ran it at 6 min./km although I hadn't followed a specific training. After I had crossed the finish line I didn't have any tea or fruits ... I had seven soups :) That's why Stefano gave me the title of Duke of Pisterzo :)

View of the small village of Pisterzo

Have nice runs!

New Year's Day

I didn't run since December 21st to December 27th because, firstly, I had had a temperature as I mentioned in my previous post, and, secondly, the weather was rainy and cold enough. On december, 26th, beautiful live nativity scenes started in the historical centre of the town of Tarquinia (20 km North from my town). It was really interesting and the event was well organized. You can see some scenes in the first two photos here posted.

On December 31st I did 15 km relaxing run and this afternoon I didn't follow my running group because I finished working late.

Anyway, I hope all you blogger friends had a pleasant New Year's Eve celebration.

We enjoyed the dinner to celebrate New Year's Eve which we had with friends and other families. The photo above shows my friends with their children who enjoyed New Year's Eve fireworks in the streets:  I'm sure that similar scenes took place from New York to Hong Kong.

Lentils and pigs' trotters are traditionally eaten in Italy on New Year's Day as a symbol of good luck, because many cultures believe that round objects symbolise money.

May all my blogger friends have an Happy New Year!

Liberty Run Christmas

After I had followed a running program  (tempo run and repeats workouts twice a week  for more than a month), this morning I didn't run the first edition of the Liberty Run Christmas 10 km race :( Two days before the race I had had a temperature so I didn't run this moning although I fell a bit better.  On  Wednesday, December, 14th, I went  to a small village called Civitella for job. That's a small town of 2000 inhabitants, situated on the hills in the middle of the Italian peninsula. The weather was rainy and I stayed there with no umbrella and no waterproof boots because I left my house on a sunny morning. So I wore wet socks all the day. That's why I had had a temperature until yesterday.

Moreover, that small town wasn't pleasant and the buildings were very old and badly maintained as you can see in the third photo.

On the other hand, in that village there was a good thing only :) it was a Christmas cake made with walnuts, orange, chocolate and pumkin! The photo below shows that characteristic Christmas cake.

This morning I felt better, so I decided to see my friends on the starting line although I was a bit angry because I couldn't run that race.  I'm addicted to running! I enjoyed seeing the race and taking photos.  Stefano  ran this Christmas race too and he will write a race report on his blog (I sent him two photos). The two photos here show the runners while they were running the 3rd km.

Meanwhile, in my house Santa Claus hits the bookshelf :) ... as you can see in the photo below.

Happy Christmas and a wonderful holiday season to all my blogger friends!

10 km race to help charities

On Sunday, December, 18th the Liberty Christmas run starts in my town. It's its first edition and it will be organized to help many charities. I hope that hundreds of runners will run this 10 km race although in the same day another Christmas race starts in Orbetello (Tuscany).
Today I ran with the group along the race's track which is situated around the industrial area in the northern side of the town.
After the warm-up (25 mins) we did 8 x 5 mins repeats at a average pace of 5.10 min./km. It's a good pace considering that the track was hilly and it wasn't easy. At this point, I would need to lose weight, 3 kg at least. It's always the same problem before every race. So, I'm going to increase healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables ... and of course, less both red wine and beer ... in the Autumn I love having red wine with chocolate and chestnut :) Moreover, carbs (bread, pasta, pizza and potatoes) are really dangerous at dinner. Although I enjoy the kitchen table, I'll try to monitor calories ... until Sunday, December, 18th :)

On the political front, while economic newspapers in the world are writing that Europe stands on the brink of disaster, in Italy there are people who predict disaster, quite routinely, in order to justify the distruction of social security and other popular programs: I hope that conservatives in the world don't exist any more. And if they were to resurface today in the policy world they would be taken seriously by no one. 

The second photo shows the Mignone river, situated 100 km North from Rome.  Last week I was here for job.

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

17 km long run on Sunday, November, 20th

Hi to everyone,

On Friday, November, 18th, Stefano sent me this photo which was taken last summer while I was running a 6 km race. He found this photo through the web.

My training is going well and today I did 17 km with the group. I was delighted with the time taken which was   1 hour and 25 minutes because the track was hilly. I'm running a 10 km race next month so I'd like to increase my speed on that distance.

In the meanwhile, all the politic scenario is going to change around the Mediterranean area: from Italy to Greece and from Tunisia to Libya and Egypt. I hope politic and economic conditions will be better soon! The photo above shows  Muammar Gaddafi, former Arab nationalist  leader of Libya.

I hope you'll have a nice week!

Italy's economic turmoil

Here are my thoughts about Italy's economic turmoil. Is the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, a simple cause of the Italian illness? He is a symptom of the a political system who does not offers alternatives to the right or the left. It happens in many other countries, but in Italy it is more blatant. He is obviously without conditions to lead a country in crisis, but Italian politics don't come up with other names.

The picture below is the cover of the economic British magazine "The Economist" and it was published three months ago.

Since January, 2011, French and German Banks, such as Deutsche Bank and BNP, haven't bought Italian bonds. Consequently, people's Bank of China has followed them. That's the domino effect!  This week the Italian Prime Minister said: "Italy does not feel the crisis" and he described the Italian bond sell-off as "a passing fashion ... the restaurants are full, the planes are fully booked and the hotel resorts are fully booked as well". But, while he was speaking the Italian bonds were (and are now) near the danger zone and Europe's stock markets decreased. Anyway, getting rid of Berlusconi is an essential (and first) step in getting the Italian economy back on track.

I'm boring you with Italian economic issues :) On the running front, I haven't plan to run any race this month, although my training is going well enough. The photo below was taken while I was  running  the Ostia's 30 km race, on October, 9th.

I hope my blogger friends will have beautiful running adventures!