Pisa!

Housing three world-acclaimed renaissance architectural masterpieces, the Piazza del Duomo, affectionately known as Cathedral Square, graces the heart of Pisa, Italy. The serene square reminded me of a quaint park, barring the four ornate and imposing buildings. This magnificent complex includes the Cathedral of Pisa (Duomo), the Baptistery of Saint John (Battistero di San Giovanni), the Cemetery (Camposanto Monumentale) and the piece de résistance, the Bell Tower (the Leaning Tower of Pisa).

Another name for this marvelous walled area is the Square of Miracles, or Piazza dei Miracoli. Exploring the grounds and buildings leaves little question why Gabriele de Annunzio, an Italian writer, chose such a description. We visited Piazza del Duomo on a glorious day. People filled the lush green grass of the park as they frolicked, picnicked and one group of four struggled to open a bottle of wine without the benefit of a corkscrew. All the while, masses of tourists jockeyed for positions to take pictures of them pushing or supporting the famed Leaning Tower. I busied myself thinking of a run. An outer road circled the square. I took it to be plus or minus one half mile around. What a lovely place to jog.

A word or two of caution--most tour busses park about three quarters of a mile away from the Piazza del Duomo. This provides an interesting stroll through an Italian neighborhood. Once at the Square, be prepared for fairly aggressive vendors bombarding you with their trinkets. Oddly, one of my more memorable moments came as we left the Square. The previously aggressive venders had piled up in an outdoor café, leaving their wares and hopes of money-making, to catch a few minutes of World Cup action at a television in an outdoor café. Ahh, priorities.

Tom

7 Days and Counting

In proverbial terms, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a week remaining to complete the Insanity 60 Day Challenge. Over these past two months I’ve developed a love/hate relationship with the daily exercises and the program leader, Shaun T. Many mornings I dreaded the physical and mental exhaustion I knew awaited. Other days I felt invigorated afterwards reveling in cardio endurance.

Like the nerd that I’ve become, I posted the wall calendar that comes with the program and marked off the days as I completed them. As I counted off each day I looked forward to freedom from exercise oppression. However, now as the end is close at hand I wonder what comes next.

Prior to beginning the Insanity Program it’s suggested to take measurements, check weight and even take photographs of yourself. As I mentioned, on occasion I am very nerdy. I did it all and even collected midpoint data as well. However, holding true the rebel cool guy I once was, I did not follow the recommended diet. For that matter, I didn’t change my diet much at all—it is my summer vacation after all.

Here’s the thing, the program is not finished and already I have lost a few pounds, toned my shoulders, chest, arms, abs and legs. It’s almost enough to make me watch my diet for the remaining days. Okay maybe not, but you can believe in the last week and the final Fit Test I will “Dig Deeper.”

Still I wonder. What will I do next?

Tom

Exercise to Excursion

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated in any fashion from anyone affiliated with Shaun T’s Insanity program. I continue to write about the rigorous schedule of workouts because at present they set the pace for my day. I fully engage in the exercise, probably too much. I have completed the first month of the program and I can feel and see the changes in my body. The week of Core Balance and Recovery came as a welcomed change of pace and really helped to recharge my batteries, especially as it coincided with our vacation.

The aerobics studio on the ship turned out to be a bust. It didn’t open until 6:00 AM and I needed to start my workout by 5:00 in the morning to be ready for our early morning excursions. I promptly set up camp on the top deck and did the program there each morning. What a sight for the cruise employee who cleaned that area. There I was every day watching a portable DVD player while trying to balance or stretch. The best part came as I often fell over as I couldn’t compensate for the motion of the ship.

It was all worth it to enjoy the sea breeze and watch the sun rise over the Mediterranean each morning. Not to mention afterwards I was ready to enjoy fabulous outings such as the one we took to Florence, Italy. We bussed there from the port of Livorno. Streets were packed with cars, busses, bikes, scooters, pedestrians and hordes of tourists. I advise Americans not to even attempt to drive there, and runners beware—watch out for not only the throngs of people, but also the decorative and protruding iron bars that are attached to eye level windows.

While in Florence we rapidly moved between massive churches marking various architectural achievements, historic monuments and learned about the cultural giants born and buried in the city such as Michelangelo, Dante, Galileo and Machiavelli. Though we didn’t do much in the way of shopping, opportunities abounded. Beyond our standard purchase of a magnet and shot glass (aren’t we common?), we also enjoyed our first gelato. Shannan had pistachio and I went for the tiramisu. They were and dog gone tasty!

No time to relax! Before we returned to the boat our boot camp style vacation took us to Pisa. All and all -- exercise to excursion-- I count this as a good day, and it’s far from over!


Tom

My Response to a Two Country Run

RESPONSE. At 16 years old I marched into a hardware store, purchased 6 inch adhesive letters and affixed the word RESPONSE on the back of my 1976 Monte Carlo. That was the name I gave the car because it responded so well to the gas pedal, a 16 year boy’s dream. Of course, being a little redneck I had no idea about the correlation of the name Monte Carlo to the Formula One race that took place in Monte Carlo, Monaco. While visiting that very city I learned it was named Mount Charles, self-named by Prince Charles III in 1866.

I discovered another fantastic factoid in Monaco. Prior to arrival we knew the country was a small one, second only to Vatican City. I didn’t know, however, that you can easily run out of Monaco into France. In one strategic point where people watch the Formula One races, you can see Monaco, France and Italy quite clearly. This new information thrilled me. In May we had lunch in a restaurant that was erected between Tennessee and Georgia. In April I ran across continental boarders of Europe and Asia. Now I had the chance to run in two countries in a single outing. These make for fun little tidbits in my personal record book.

A lovely run is was. Monte Carlo is a charming, immaculate and extraordinarily expensive city. I left from the famous Monte Carlo Casio and ran up into a French suburb (see picture at right). Monaco sits at the foothills of the Maritime Alps. It’s filled with quaint shops and flats, all set against the backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea. I RESPONDED well to Monaco.


If you don’t gamble, and can’t afford to stay in the Monte Carlo hotels (and who can?), then go for a run in Monaco. It’s a good one.


Tom

Prepare for off ship run

Impromptu runs are fun for sure, and I’ve been fortunate to enjoy my share. However, one of Shannan’s lasting and most profound influences on me has been the heightened level of enjoyment of an event where I came well prepared. Today we head off to explore the tiny independent nation of Monaco. We’ll disembark for a short walk together before I spin off for a short run (I have completed my Insanity program for the day already). To make the best of this experience I used what I’ve learned over the years about proper preparation.

In the past I just took off running, only to find myself a sweaty mess later. I don’t mind that so much, but it’s not so cool if there’s a bus or tender boat ride back to the ship. Water, towel, and an extra shirt have become necessities. I add to that an mp3 player and a camera and pack it all in my rucksack. So I’m as prepared as a Boy Scout. Shannan is proud and I’m looking forward to a great run.

More to follow.

Tom

Across the Pond Insanity

I’ve run on cruise ships many times and have blogged about this experience once. Several years ago Shannan and I participated in the fitness program on the NCL Sea. We went to all the classes- early morning stretch, yoga, aerobics and “earn your meal walk a mile” before lunch and dinner. They had two physical challenges over the course of the week, including running the stairs. I managed to win both. We had lots of fun and felt psychologically better about the 5000 calories we consumed per day, not to mention we earned really groovy T-shirts for participating in all the events.

This evening we travel to Barcelona where we’ll board the Norwegian Jade tomorrow afternoon. I have exercised today, but will need to preserve The Streak upon our arrival in the morning. In the past, this been a relatively easy task. Shannan kindly watches our belongings and I hit the streets. Ah, the joys of Insanity. I’ll have to wait to board the ship to complete the Plyometric Cardio Circuit.

Fast forward--We boarded and I rushed to the aerobics studio. It made for the perfect space for this sort of exercise. The room had mats, towels, and even a table for my swanky portable DVD player. Several employees and passengers peeked in the room during the hour long workout. Luckily doing this program in the great outdoors in Independence, MO, has broken me of all potential embarrassment. I did feel weird with three walls of mirrors, although. In the end, I found the mirrors useful to ensure I used proper form in the exercises. I worried about staying on schedule with the Insanity program while on the ship, but it looks like this is going to be a breeze.


Tom

Peachtree Epiphany

May of 1989 my friend Bill and I were in the middle of a three mile run on the Clarkston High School track. Out of nowhere, we decided it would be fun to run the Peachtree Road Race on the 4th of July that year. We had just started running roughly a month earlier. To date we had never run the requisite six miles of a 10K race. A greater issue came in that we did not have a “number” to participate in the race. Due to its popularity, the roster for America’s Largest 10K fills up as soon as the applications become available in March.

Bill decided since we hadn’t trained properly anyway we should go renegade and run without bibs. “We’ll be scabs,” he said, proudly, as we labored through our run. So we did. That marked the beginning of twenty years of running Atlanta’s premier road race. I missed three races over those two decades. Once I didn’t get my application in on time, while in college I stopped running and was grossly out of shape and in 2004 I ran a different race on the 4th of July. That one went up and down Mount Marathon in Seward, Alaska.

After last year’s race I decided that twenty years had been enough. I awoke early this past Sunday and tried to convince myself I was happy not to have any of the pre-race stress, or to have to fool with traffic congestion and so forth. It didn’t work. I ached.

For the holiday weekend I was out of town for a family reunion. Each morning I did the Insanity workout and did not run at all. Then I ended up sitting around more than I have in years. During this reflective time I realized I love running and I miss the Peachtree. When the weekend called for group activities I realized it’s no accident I run. It engages the body and mind and it’s the perfect loner sport.

Ain’t that America!

Much of the joy and beauty of traveling and running in new cities and towns comes from seeing the unique landscapes and experiencing the particular make up of each community. Unfortunately, both of these continuously lose ground to the ever-present and painfully humdrum retail plazas. You know the ones. In their boring conformity, each has a do-it-yourself home repair place, a retail superstore, a bookseller, a party supplier, a handful of restaurants, a mattress place, a furniture outlet and--what retail hub would be complete without them--a cell phone provider and the ubiquitous coffee house. Oh, the monotony!

Other than the 40 degree spring morning, how might one demarcate Bay City, MI from Atlanta, GA? I started my daily run and managed to escape the anti-inspiring mall sprawl by dipping into a neighborhood. Quickly, I forgot about the institutional look of the main thoroughfare as I marveled at the delights of the commonalities in America I find more appealing. Running in the residential area was much more about real people than the pretentions and staunchly middle class blah of the commercial shopping district. I noted and took special appreciation of:

Unfinished renovations
Americana-like above ground pools, picket fences, picnic tables
Pristinely manicured lawns across the street from a yard with very high grass
The Virgin Mary illuminated by a string of lights
A dog house with hanging baskets of perennials
American flags flying
Christmas garland wrapped around porch columns
Decorative mail boxes, college banners, churches, and undecipherable yard art.

The through street ended at a set of railroad tracks that bordered the Saginaw River. I took a turn and followed the tracks into a heavy industrial area with sediment piled higher than homes. In the first light of day and along the banks of the smooth rolling water even the long rusted bridges and general trappings of Blue Collar America looked fabulous. My eyes had been opened.

The run back to the hotel wasn’t so bad. I found a lesson for myself. If you look for beauty, you’ll find it.

Enjoy the beauty all around you.

Tom