11 Things

Christi tagged me to share 11 things about me. Here it goes:

1. Post these rules;
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself;
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post;
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer;
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them;
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

11 Random Things About Me:

1. I live in Italy and I studied, I work and I live in the same city where I was born;
2. I love my family, I got married with Daniela when she was 18 and I 22 y.o. Now we have one son (32 y.o.), one daughter (27 y.o.), 2 grandsons (3 y.o. and 2 months) …. and 3 cats;
3. My best friend was Sebastiano, now he is in heaven and I am sure he has always a smile on his lips. I cannot forget his sayings, his jokes, his laughs. We were in the same course at the University and we worked together. The best person who I have ever known. Ciao Lino!
4. The best period of my life was when I was in the Coast Guard;
5. In my youth I was a real champion of table-football and I earned money playing (single and double). Below is a 1978 photo:
6. I like to travel, in 1999 and 2000 I visited the USA (the last pic is in Disneyland);
7. I like rugby and every year in february and march I follow the italian team in the 6 Nations;
8. I am teetotal, I don’t smoke, I don’t like seafood and I don’t dance;
9. My favourite food is pizza and pepsi;
10. I like the progressive, the hard rock and the gothic rock music even if my favourite band are the Roxy Music (front man is Bryan Ferry);
11. The last member to join the Black Knight Army is Raina, our new strategist. Welcome Lady Raina!

11 Questions asked by Christi

1. Which actor played James Bond the best? Sean Connery;
2. Are you a cat person or a dog person? I am a dog person even if I have only cats at home;
3. What is your favorite race to date? All the races in Maremma (southern part of Tuscany) for the scenery and the rich loots;
4. Do you prefer beer or wine? I am teetotal;
5. What is the first race that you ever completed? April 28, 1985: 8 km, my finishing time was 40’00” (5’/km – 8’03”/mi) and I was the last;
6. Do you have a coach to help you with your training? No, I don’t;
7. If you could compete in any long distance triathlon and race fees were not a factor would you choose IM or Rev 3 races? No triathlon for me, after the motor-bike incident I am too scared to ride a bike in a competition;
8. How many blogging friends have you met in person? strewth, CJ and IHateToast from Australia, Dori from USA and of course many ITALIAN BLOGTROTTERS;
9. Who is going to win the Superbowl, New England Patriots or New York Giants? The Black Knight Army!!!!!
10. If you could meet one person alive or dead, who would it be? Julius Caesar;
11. And finally the big question, do you prefer Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars.

Now here are my questions for those that I tag:

1. How many races have you done?
2. What is your unforgettable race?
3. Have you ever raced abroad?
4. Are you the only runner (swimmer, biker) in your family?
5. What is the job of your dreams?
6. The trip of your dreams?
7. Your favorite post-race food?
8. The more expensive fee you have ever payed for a race?
9. The best movie?
10. The best song?
11. The best friend?

If you haven’t been tagged go ahead and do it, I like reading these about other people.

Trofeo Lidense 15 km

Prologue. On Sunday part of the Black Knight Army: the B.K., Sir theyogi, Sir Giorgio and his humble squire Massimo entered the Trofeo Lidense 15 k. It was a perfect day to race, sunny and cold, with a light sea breeze; the flat path was very scenic near the sea and through a wonderful pine-wood. The start was crowded but the rest of the race was perfect. My goal was to finish in 1:15:00 and it was a secret that I didn’t share because I didn’t want to stress myself to prove that I could do it (click on the pics to enlarge)

Stats. 15 km (9.3 mi) in 1:12:11 at the pace of 4’49”/km (7’45” mi); 652/1388 overall and 47/123 age group. As usual a very competitive and fast pack, here it is almost impossible to enter a race only for fun and to enjoy a day of sport.

The Loot. Only a technical blue shirt with long sleeves but the fee was 12 euro. However the organization was perfect and at the end a lot of refreshments were served.

HAPPY RUNNING

Wordless

Blogger Gift Exchange

Blogger Gift Exchange. I got my Christmas gift from Jill's bloggy exchange and it was a nice surprise because it is an item that I was thinking to buy. I received a Road ID, thanks a lot my dear friend Christi. Often I run alone far from the city and through the country, so it is a very useful present.

Lidense Trophy. On Sunday a Black Knight Army’s platoon (the B.K., Sir Giorgio and his humble squire Massimo) will march to the battlefield of Ostia for a 15 km race. That is the Sir theyogi County and he needs our help to defeat the bloody enemies who put under siege his territory. Below (July 2011) you can see the humble squire while loading the Black Knight’s bag on the Sir Giorgio’s car (he is laughing because it’s a honour for him to serve the invincible Knights) and the platoon after a battle:

Latest workouts. This was a tapering week so after the 24.3 km (15.1 mi) of saturday, I did only relaxing runs: monday 10.5 km, wednesday 10 km and this morning 12 km (7.45 mi). After the failure of the marathon I don’t follow a scheduled plan and I feel lazy; for this reason, not to stress my mind, I run every other day. I hope to find again the right spirit with the next programmed races.

Question: Do you plan a long distance run 7 days before a race no longer than a half marathon?

2011: One Running Year

2011. That was a good year for me because I learned new lessons despite I have been running since 1985: the importance of the cross training (swimming and running); regular sessions of physiotherapy (a weekly massage) and, when the path of a race is too tough, to take it easy as a normal workout.

Final stats. Running: 2.183 km (1.356 mi), 170 workouts and 15 races (see below). Swimming: 41 km (25,4 mi) in 33 times. I stopped my swimming in early september to prepare the marathon that I didn’t run.

January 16 - Ostia: 14° Trofeo Lidense 14 km (8.7 mi) in 1:09:47 at the pace of 4’59”/km (8’01” mi). 746/259 overall, 678/1008 men and 55/110 age group. I got the first bottle of wine of the year. The B.K. is the #1002:

February 27 - Roma-Ostia half-marathon in 1:46:12 at the pace of 5’02”/km (8’06” mi). 5238/9486 overall and 363/781 age group. This was a success, I started from the last corral because my previous finishing time was not considered sufficient to get a bib to be included among the “real runners”. The B.K. is the #7055:

March 13 – Ladispoli Correndo nei Giardini 10 km in 47:41 at the pace of 4’46”/km (7’40” mi). 800/1479 overall and 63/132 age group. The B.K. is the #413:

19 – Edinburgh (Scotland) Park Run 5 km in 23:13 at the pace of 4’38” (7’27” ml). 104/252 overall and 5/22 in my age group (see the difference with the score in my italian region !!!).

April 03 – Civitavecchia Vivicittà 12 km (7.45 mi) in 58:31 at the pace of 4’52”/km (7’50 mi). 117/135 overall and 107/119 men. A race not to run anymore because there are 4 long hearthbreak hills. See again the difference with the races abroad (Edinburgh for instance). The B.K. is the #102:

10 – Montalto 17^ Maratonina 9.6 km (5.96 mi) in 44:50 at the pace of 4’40”/km (7’31”mi). 83/136 overall and 4° in my age group. Thanks to this 4th place I got a very big loot:

May 22 – Roma Race for the Cure 5 km in 23:57 at the pace of 4’48”/km (7’43” mi). We were 40.000 among walkers, joggers and runners, if I had got the competitive bib I would have arrived 825/1900 overall. My son Paolo raced too, he is the #26720:

June 04 – Roma Corri per l’Acorp 6 km (3.7 mi) in a hot afternoon with 30° C (86° F) on a dusty path. Finishing time 30:02 at the pace of 5’00”/km (8’03” mi), 102/170 overall and 18/25 age group. The B.K. is the #7:

July 08 – Orbetello Night Run 6.3 km (3.9 mi) on the cobblestones in 29:40 at the pace of 4’43”/km (7’35” ml). 152/196 overall and 15/17 (!!!!!) age group. The B.K. is the #16:

16 – S.Marinella Trofeo Perla del Tirreno 9.5 km (5.9 mi), through a tough and hilly path, in 48:09 at the pace of 5’04”/km (8’09” mi). 223/324 overall and 18/22 age group:

August 11 – Montefiascone Trofeo Avis 7.4 km (4.6 mi). When we arrived we decided to run very very slowly because it was a dangerous path: cobblestones and only uphill and downhill. That was the first time that I made the decision to take a race easy. Finishing time 41:18 at the pace of 5’35” (9’00” mi). 132/141 overall. This is the photo after the “ordeal”:

September 04 – Ladispoli Trofeo Todaro 6.06 km (3.76 mi) in 29:44 at the pace of 4’55” (7’55” ml). 59/75 overall.

25 – Grosseto BioHalf Marathon in 1:57:13, my PW on the distance, at the pace of 5’33”/km (8’56” mi) under the sun with 33° C (92° F) and weak for antibiotics. 207/257 overall, 190/233 men and 12/17 age group.

October 09 – Ostia 30 km del mare. Indeed it was 30.240 km (18.8 mi). I took it easy as a training for the marathon. Finishing time 2:52:45 at the pace of 5’43”/km (9’12” mi). 835/1077 overall, 756/940 men and 62/88 age group.

December 08 – Civitavecchia Liberty Run Christmas 10.3 km (6.4 mi), with only uphill and downhill, in 51:15 at the pace of 4’58”/km (8’00” mi). 88/106 overall (the runners at the start were 136).

Best wishes for a 2012 full of successful races, workouts and PB