our choices show what we truly are

Another slow recovery run 5 miles in 52:40. My goal for tonight's run was to run longer and farther than yesterday. Unfortunately tonight I didn't have the luxury of stay dry, because it was already raining when I started and after 2km I was soaking wet.

My legs are still sore, my right quadriceps is more sore a lot more than my left one, but full recovery is in sight. This is the first time after a half marathon I am feeling so sore, it is very similar to marathon soreness and for this reason I am very "happy" (obviously only a runner can think is good feeling crippled), it means I left on the road all I had.

Another wet and rainy and cold recovery run, 5 miles a little bit faster than yesterday in 48 minutes. Legs are feeling much better

Last long run before the race. I wanted to stay on my feet for 2 hours and 30 minutes and I finished in 2:35. It was refreshing running slow during the day in spite of the light rain and humid weather it felt relaxing. Two more weeks to rest and finish the recover from the half and I will be ready for the marathon.

Rest day.

6.2 miles at 5:24/km. I am afraid to say that I completely recovered from Saturday run and I am ready to taper for the next 10 days. Last november I was feeling great two weeks before Florence marathon and then 4 days before the race I fell sick with bronchitis, fever and sore throat. I will try to focus my mind on positive aspects.

No enough time to run tonight, "tapering" doubts are coming.

7 miles at 5:10/km. Tonight speed came back into my legs, if the marathon was no approaching so fast it would have been a perfect day for a fast workout. At least I can feel my legs behaving in a normal way, no complain.

6.2 miles at 5:50/km, nothing special. Just a few more days of this and I should be ready for the marathon.

Two more runs before the marathon. This is the time when all doubts are coming out. Plus during the last month I did not run as often as I would. I also started questioning myself if it is a good idea doing an half and a full marathon three weeks apart (the reason I did them is because they are the two greatest races around here). This is the second year I am playing this scheme and I am not sure if I will do it again. I am not concerned about physical recovery but more about my mental strength. After the half I felt I achieved a great result and it was really difficult to be "hungry" again for a full marathon. I know I know this is just the usual taper madness, I have to trust my training, but because my training was not very strong during the last thirty days doubts are getting stronger and stronger.

There is not much I can do about it right now and somehow write them down helps a little bit, at least tonight I felt very relaxed, the first couple of miles were under an heavy rain shower and then when I was fully wet it stopped raining and the rest of the run was good.

Tomorrow rest day and my ritual haircut before the marathon.

6.2 miles at 5:45/km. One more run on friday and then the big on sunday. Tonight it was raining from the beginning, I ended up wet and stronger. This run will go in the books as a good mental training run.

I didn't go out to do 1.5 miles, I wanted 5 or 6 as my last run before the race. I had a bad headache all the afternoon I was hoping it would go away while running (sometimes it does) but it didn't so after 10 minutes I was feeling worse with nausea and I went back home.

This is the marathon cycle with the largest "taper" I have ever experienced almost five weeks excluding the half marathon 3 weeks ago. I am not very happy about it but at least I should be well rested. My original three goals for sunday's race were: goal A 3:10-3:15 goal B under 3:20 goal C under 3:27 (my 2010 time); right now I am still shooting for goal A and I will ready to accept with a smile any finishing time will come.

This was my 11th marathon, not the one that I planned but I am still happy about the result achieved (it was my goal C to go under 3:27). I was shooting for sub 3:15 but it was not in my legs today.

This is the recap of the race: everything was perfect at 7:00 am we were at the starting area, cool temperatures around 8 degrees Celsius with a light breeze from the north. We entered the designated corrals at 8 and then at 9:07 we moved. The first 2 km were a little bit congested but I was happy to have a "wall" of people to block my stupidity and by mile 10 I was perfectly were I wanted to be on track for a 3:13-3:14 finish time. I passed the half with 1:36:40 and the whole system was fine, I was running smoothly and I was very proud not having pushed a faster pace, then all of a sudden in the next 5 km I started slowing down and by the 30th km I was in a total drama. I could not go under 5 min/km my breathing was fine but my legs were no longer cooperating with my will to push. I straggled until the end, I didn't give up but I watched my goal B slowly going away without having the possibility to fight and then I finished with the just one goal left.

These are the emotions from the race: I was really looking forward to running this race after last year, it is an incredible feeling if you are born around Rome to have the honor to run on some the streets in downtown (where only cars are allowed), empty just for the race. After the start, the race goes through some residential areas not that beautiful, at mile 6 we rejoined the river Tiber and we followed it back and forth for the next 13 miles, sun and blue skies were just picture perfect and the entrance in the road leading to St Peter was just as special as last year. Approaching St. Peter was something really unique, it was the only place were the stream of people running in front of me looked so small in the vast emptiness of St. Peter square, after leaving that area and the half was behind we entered the no-man's land of a non descriptive area where no supporters were around until mile 20 when we re-entered Rome downtown. This part was full of supporting people, we run through many narrow streets and then through Piazza Navona, Via del Corso, Spanish steps, Fontana di Trevi  and the scenery was great, the last two km took us around the Foro and the main archeological area until the arch of the last km had the Coliseum in the background, last hill around the Coliseum a short downhill and the finish line was in sight.

Overall it was a great experience. Rome marathon is a hard marathon in spite of being a sea level flatish race, there are many ups and downs, sharp corners and the "official" 5 miles of uneven cobblestones make the race hard on your ankles. Only during the two Rome marathons I had at the end really bad calf cramps, I never experienced them before (after Ogden, Salt Lake, Des News and Park City) and I think cobblestones are responsible. I missed goal A and goal B and I consider my time only a partial consolation, I started this race with the sincere hope that under well 3:20 was easily achievable, but I learned that the word "easy" must not be used in the same sentence with "marathon". I missed the last month of training because the half marathon and a deadline at work. I am still a student in this field, I need more mileage and more mileage. In three weeks I will have a trail marathon, it won't be a redemption race more a fun/adventure race.

Next road marathon next fall.

Rest day. Actually I went for a brisk walk at night just to relax.

First run after the marathon, my legs are almost recovered, calves are ok, cramps did not leave any residual soreness and my quadriceps are just a little bit tense. I will keep this mileage for the rest of the week just to enjoy the spring weather, next week I will start again to increase my miles.

3.3 miles at whatever pace it is left in my legs, no watch, just enjoyed the evening breeze waiting impatiently for the warm italian spring weather and more hours of light at night for running next week after the daylight saving time change.

Another good recovery run of 3.5 miles at night. The weather is still relatively cold at night, spring time is not here yet.

Another short recovery run, actually this is the second run completely pain free since sunday. Life is not back yet into my legs but I am working on it. Tomorrow long run to check the course of the trail marathon, it will be more a fun exploratory run than a real run.

I wanted to explore some of the trails of the upcoming trail marathon, my original plan was to do 16-20 miles but at the top of a hill 7 miles from my car I realized my legs were still fried from last race. I turned around and headed home. On the way down and during the last 3 miles I was really tired, at least I enjoyed the good cool sunny  weather. Enjoy your weekend.

A nice run along the Adriatic sea in Pescara. Temperature, sunny skies and a cool breeze made it a perfect run. My legs are still tired but toward the end of the run I felt I was able to push the pace again, 5.3 miles in 54 minutes. 

Thanks to the Daylight Savings time change, at 7pm there was light, so we started our "spring-summer" season going running near the lake. It was refreshing not running the same loop in the industrial area over and over and even though it was past sunset with cloudy skies there was enough light to enjoy a good run. My running buddy and I officially celebrated the end of the winter season with a decent recovery run. My plan for this week is to keep 6 miles/day for the rest of the week hoping that some slow miles might help the post-marathon recovery.

It was a good run, perfect weather, legs are finally cooperating. More than a 10k in 52:39.

Spring is here.

Good progressive run from 6:00/km to 4:30/km toward the end. A nice 10km in 53:30.

Tonight I wanted to check my legs and I wanted to see if my "dream" MP was still there. I started at 5:00/km I progressed in a couple of km to cruising speed (4:30/km) and then I progressively went faster to catch up the initial slow kms. Overall a 10km in 44:20 faster and better than expected. It is a good start for a new spring-summer training cycle.