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Rossini the Runner Archives Index
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| << December25, 2006 - Rossini the Runner - The Day I Ran |
January24, 2007 - Rossini the Runner - SPECIAL EDITION: Family in Marche >> |
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------------------------------- DID YOU KNOW? ------------------------------- Over one million people will run in an organized marathon this year. And 50 million will be standing along the sidelines, cheering them on. ------------------------------- PROGRESS UPDATE ------------------------------- To celebrate the New Year, this week’s update will be about the rest of my trip in Italy. So stay where you are, keep sipping your Bloody Mary, and while contemplating how one can really have a clean slate, especially after all you’ve done this past year, you naughty thing, please read on: As you might remember, I had three glorious weeks in Italy. The trip can be essentially broken down into three segments: the marathon, which you’ve heard about, meeting my relatives in the providence of Marche, and then the last part, traveling sola (alone). After the marathon, I stayed two more nights in Florence. Long before I actually booked the tickets, APLA was booking the hotel rooms. They would pay for three nights, and then they asked if I wanted to pay for an additional two. I thought, “why not?” It was perfect, because I had a chance to walk off the marathon, and really get to enjoy the company of my fellow marathoners. The highlight was on our last evening, where a group of six of us ate at Trattoria 4 Leoni. This really kicked off my culinary adventures in Italy. Marco, our waiter, handed us menus, and before we could really study them, he asked, “Do you trust me?” We all looked at each other. Okay. And then the food started coming, dish after dish. What an experience! The next day, we said our goodbyes. Those participants that made their arrangements completely through APLA were heading towards the airport and the rest of us were heading to different cities. My roommate was off to Venice. Rochelle would be heading to Rome the following day. And I wanted to make one little stop before I went and saw my family. I took the train south down to Cortona, and actually, Rochelle decided to make a day trip of it and join me, especially when she heard that I was seeking out the house of Frances Mayes, author of the “Under the Tuscan Sun.” I have to admit that I don’t often get struck, but I read her book years back and I was really touched by it. A writing teacher I had recently had informed us that she was trying to get us to write poetry, or in other words, the stuff that pours out from our hearts, because no matter what form it is in, when it from that place, then there’s a rhythm that naturally flows. It’s the poetry you can’t make up and die trying to create, and then without any effort at all, it appears. That’s what that book was like for me, and that’s why I had to make the journey. It was an overcast day, and as we made our way closer, it just looked worse. We got on a bus that curled its way up tight winding roads. It was mid-afternoon and, not knowing what to expect, and feeling responsible for Rochelle’s happiness, I was worried. I started thinking, “Oh please, let it be clear enough to see the house.” Just then, around the bend, the sky was clear, and there was sun! Cortona, being on top of the hill, is high enough to live above the clouds. We were struck. It took a little too long to get my room, but we headed out, trying to beat the sun. Based on the directions I found online, we just needed to walk uphill (it’s all uphill in Cortona!) and at a tavern, turn left. When we asked a driver how to get there, in broken Italian, he asked us to hold on, asked another guy for directions, understood how to get there, and then asked the wedding party he was waiting to escort away if he could leave for a few moments to drive us up the hill! Only in Italy. Unfortunately, Rochelle didn’t get to see it, and the following day, when I did find her house, I realized how close we were! While there isn’t a large front lawn, rather it’s quite close to the road. It is a quite road that looks out into a cascading valley of green. The fa?ade is worn, but the coral makes is so warm and inviting. And so I sat in front of it for a little while, declared that to be my life one day, and then wrote a short thank you note and placed it under the candle. Afterwards, I had another amazing meal. Steak with a pesto green sauce and a wine that was perfectly selected by my waiter. Somewhere between the 45-minute walk downhill back into town and that meal, I fell in love with Cortona. If there was a small town I ever feel like I could live in, it would be that one. I think it was a perfect way to move from the hectic energy of the marathon to the long awaited moment of meeting my relatives. (Stay tuned for next week the next segment of this exciting journey. I figured I should stop now. Give you a break. So, please, go and make yourself another Bloody Mary, because trust me, you’ll need it to deal with alcohol content of next week’s edition, which is overflowing with Booze! Carne! and Loooooove!) ----------------------------------------- RUNNER OF THE WEEK ----------------------------------------- JEFF GALLOWAY Thanks to his own struggle to become a good runner, Jeff Galloway, in the process, developed a strategy to make the sport of running inviting to many who would not have ran otherwise. Overweight as a child, Galloway enrolled in a track conditioning program in 8th grade, thanks to a school that required physical education. It had an immediate effect on him. “Two month of running forest trails produced a young runner addicted to the positive well being that comes after a run, the camaraderie, fun, and mutual respect which I’ve since learned that distance runners share everywhere, at any age.” Still, he wasn’t a great runner. It was until college that he really took off, and take off, did he! Eventually he participated in the Olympics as a short-distance runner, and afterwards, he altered his training program to emphasize more rest and less weekly mileage, coupled with a long run every other week. This model has worked successfully for amateurs, touting a 98% success rate, and makes long-distance running inviting to organizations like APLA, which uses his formula for its marathon training program, as well as for people like me, who struggle with asthma. This strategy also helped extend his competitive career, and at age 35, he ran the Houston-Tenneco Marathon in 2:16:35. Now, widely known as the author of “Galloway’s Book on Running”, which is the best-selling running book in the United States, he continues to find way to bring more people into the “positive world of exercise.” As a race director, Jeff helped to organize the Peachtree Road Race as it grew from 1200 to 12,000 in three years. He organized the first Avon Marathon for women, which contributed greatly to the inclusion of the marathon in the Olympics. His main Atlanta event, today, is the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk, which enters more than 20,000 each year. Through his company Galloway Productions, Jeff owns two Phidippides stores in Atlanta, conducts dozens of fitness seminars throughout North America, fitness vacations to Greece and Lake Tahoe, and training groups in 40-50 cities a year. And I’m sure there is still more to be seen! Way to go, Jeff, and thanks for taking us with you! ----------------------------------------- LINKS ----------------------------------------- Visit my blog – http://runnerla4119.blogspot.com Find out more about APLA – http://www.apla.org/ Make an online donation – http://www.aidsmarathon.com/participant.asp?runner=LA-4119&Year=2006&EventCode=FL06 Download the flyer and spread the word – http://www.geocities.com/jrossini@sbcglobal.net/RossiniAIDSFlyer.pdf Visit me at MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/oldladyrossini ------------------------------------------------------ CONTACT ME / SUBSCRIPTION INFO ------------------------------------------------------ Jennifer Rossini runnerla4119@sbcglobal.net http://runnerla4119.blogspot.com |
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| << December25, 2006 - Rossini the Runner - The Day I Ran |
January24, 2007 - Rossini the Runner - SPECIAL EDITION: Family in Marche >> |
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