Ladispoli 6km

The Heroic Deeds. On Sunday the Black Knight and Sir Giorgio (with his obsequious page Massimo) marched to Ladispoli to free the people besieged by 94 barbarians who sacked the town with savageness and cruelty. The battle was engaged inside the industrial desert zone and in less than 30 minutes the enemy surrendered; no mercy, we didn't take prisoners. The 2 Knights fought heroically and the Sir Giorgio's obsequious page took the following pictures before and during the bloody battle:

(the Black Knight during the inspenction of the battlefield)

(Sir Giorgio and the Black Knight plan the right war strategy)
(The glorious arrival of the Black Knight)

The Report. The race took place onto an undulating path totally under the sun and part through the country where we had to slow down to avoid injuries. As Sir Giorgio wrote, the Garmin fixed the distance in 5,8 km (3.6 ml) instead of the official 6 km (3.73 ml). After a control on the official web-site and a call to the organization, we can say that the Garmin underestimated the distance, so the scores are:

Sir Giorgio: 26'03" - 4'21"/km - 50/94 over all and 14/22 age group;

The Black Knight: 29'08" - 4'51"/km - 67/94 over all and 7/12 age group.

Tagged. The kind Lady Anne tagged me with the "I'll take that with a Cherry on Top" award. The deal with this award 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.
So here we go: I don't have many regrets but if I could change something it would be to come back on that september 18, 2007 when I badly broke my leg in many parts. Well, I would take my car instead of the motor-bike!

The tagged bloggers are: Lady Amy, Lady Caratunk Girl, Lady Fran, Lady Julie, Lady Molly and Sir Johann.

Crazy Pictures

The Ultimate Battle. After 2 months the Black Knight and the loyal follower Sir Giorgio come back to the battlefield. The fight will take place on sunday in Ladispoli. It will be a short battle, only 6 km., but more than enough to terrorize and defeat the enemy. The Black Knight's son will also defend the honour of the invincible Army. The goal is an under 30 minutes race (before the incident it would have been an under 26 but I am happy because I can run again).

Training. This was a good week for the training: 3 runs (11.2, 10.8 and 10.2 km) at a relaxing pace without pushing and 2 fast swims into the sea (more or less 1200 meters each). By Sept. 1st the training for the Civitavecchia Half Marathon will begin (oct. 31st).

Crazy Pictures. Above there are some pictures (click to enlarge) I took during the cruise. 5 are crazy situations and 1 is a homage to Johann (see my white t-shirt).

The Ports of Call

The War Trip Saga. Above are the pictures (click to enlarge) of the conquered ports of call during the mediterranean cruise (to be continued....).

Running. At last I run painless and I can plan a program to enter some races before the main event in november: the Civitavecchia Half Marathon (it would be the first after the incident). Now I have been able to increase the distance and the speed because the hot weather has gone. Yesterday, after 2 months, I could try a hilly tempo-run 10,6 km. long.

Swimming. Both the pools are closed for ordinary maintenance after the long season so it is only possible to swim into the sea when it is calm (not usual here).

The Program. After a war council the Black Knight Army decided to terrorize the enemy in the following races: Ladispoli 6 km (29.08) and Grosseto (12.09). In the first race 2 official photographers will follow the invincible Army to immortalize the heroic exploits.

The Cruise

The War Trip. At last the Black Knight is back after a war trip of glory. He conquered day after day the fortresses of Genova, Marseille with a raid to Aix en Provence, Barcelona, Tunisi, Malta and Messina with another raid to Taormina. Now the local people are submitted to the Black Knight's power and justice.

The Battle Ship and the Training. The battle ship is the MSC Splendida, a wonderful cruise ship 333 meters long but with a big problem: there is not a jogging track so if we want to run we have to go to the gym where there are only 8 treadmills for 3.000 passengers! I could not to be stressed going there with the risk not to find an available treadmill, so I ran only one time for 50 minutes. However this rest gave me the possibility to get the full recover and at last i don't feel pain anymore.

The Next Programs. Now I began the usual scheduled weekly program: 3 runs and 2 swims. On August 29th I hope to run the Ladispoli 6 km with my son Paolo and Sir Giorgio.

Moments of Glory. Pic 1 from left a couple of friends, Daniela and Stefano; Pic 2 the Black Knight in suit to receive the homage of his new subjects; Pic 3 the Black Knight after the conquest of Taormina; Pic 4 Daniela, the queen of the Black Knight's kingdom; Pic 5 the Black Knight controls the Rambla in Barcelona; Pic 6 the Black Knight and a seal dog in Aix en Provence. To be continued ...

The War Trip

Training. After 3 days of wind from north the heat is back and we have to run in early morning when the sun is not shining. Waiting for the race season (september) and the complete recover, the program is only a workout every other day (10-12 km) and a couple of easy sessions of swimming across the sea.

The secret. On my last post I wrote that the Black Knight is ready for a war-trip on a battle ship to conquer some mediterranean ports (period 6th - 13th august). Now it is time to reveal the secret plan. Here you can see the map and the ship.

Louis Vuitton. Yesterday my lady cat Allegra went to Via Condotti (Rome) for a bit of shopping. She came back home with this humble Louis Vuitton's bag.