I'm not one to back down from a challenge. And I tend to create them for myself - even when they're not necessary. We were five days into our honeymoon adventure - five of thirteen we were spending in Italy - and realized we'd had pasta everyday. So why not keep that streak going... for eight more days? Once that idea was planted, there was no turning back. I'm happy to say we made it! I'm certain a few pounds heavier, but happy. Happy is how we felt throughout our entire experience in Italy. Well, except for those minutes pushing through mile three of the half marathon we ran in Alessandria. I hated those minutes. But I got to watch Erik finish his very best half marathon. I had thankfully pulled myself together and finished the race strong (although the slowest I'd run a half in about 15 months - it was respectable considering the hills and the mountains of pasta that had been consuming) and watching Erik cross that line with a 10 minute PR, only 15 seconds ahead of me made me all kinds of happy. Our time in Italy can be divided into a couple different parts - the first being the reunion, to include a wedding! The second part can be defined by beautiful views and romantic places. And the third and brief last bit can best be defined by athletic exertion of the race. Consumption of carbs, running and love were consistent throughout. the reunion Before Erik and I were even engaged (June, 27th 2016 - for the record) we were planning to attend my good friend Giovanna's wedding in Italy. I met her when earning my MBA in Hong Kong - as well as Diana (from Bulgaria, living in London) who was my roommate and Nora (from Norway, living in Copenhagen). We were overdue for a reunion and Gio's wedding was the perfect opportunity. After the engagement and our decision to not wait to get married and then travel, our previously planned week in Italy for wedding + reunion turned into the beginning of our honeymoon. All kinds of feels. You know those people that you get and just get you? That's what I have with these girls. I haven't seen each of them in three years and we can just pick right back up like that time and distance apart didn't matter. I got to see Diana first. After a lovely start to our honeymoon in Milan... One of our groomsmen, Phillip, gifted us a stay at the Park Hyatt Milan for our night in town. Nothing like starting on a high note! They brought us champagne in the room. We had a Jacuzzi tub and a terrace and the stay included the most delicious breakfast (lobster. omelet.). We took ourselves out for an awesome dinner at a Bib Gourmand restaurant called Pisacco. The next morning I ran a solid 10 miler that included 8 miles at tempo (sub 7:20 pace). Then we headed to the train station to meet Diana and make the trip down to Genova to visit with the bride before her big day. Genova is a beautiful city on the coast and we enjoyed a wonderful walk to dinner to meet Giovanna with a pit stop for an Aperitivo - which might be one of my favorite customs in this area of Italy. (A drink + a plate of snacks... yes please, every day!) The next day we had some time before heading to the tiny mountain town of Borghetto di Borbera (where the wedding reception would be held) - where we snagged the one airbnb available in the town (seriously. one!). Since we were on the coast, it seemed appropriate to spend that time on a beach. And eating with the view of the water. Upon arriving in Borghetto, we realized that it was indeed a very tiny town. The one restaurant in town was closed for a week so we walked, in the dark, about a mile to the next little town to get our carb fix that night. Nora arrived late and joined us in the airbnb (the only one available in that town!). I had a restless, almost sleepless night before my early morning 20 miler. It was tough, running that distance with little sleep, in the mountains, before a long day of wedding festivities. But worth it. The wedding was simply wonderful. Starting with the very lonnnnggg Catholic ceremony in a church. While I am not religious - I found this to be a wonderful cultural experience. The ceremony was completely in Italian and there was so much music. After, we all gathered outside the church entrance and covered the bride and groom in rice. (I'm still finding rice in my purse, weeks later.) The rest of the day (after my 20 minute, much needed power nap) was a mix of champagne, laughter, delicious food, more drinks, and dancing. It was a perfect way to have a reunion. And we promised it wouldn't be years until the next one. The next day, Erik and I said goodbye to Nora and Diana at the train station in Arquata and headed south to the Cinque Terre. Not before I squeezed in a quick two miler though! beautiful views and romantic places Cinque Terre It is absolutely as beautiful as you think it will be. I wrote a whole post on how we spent our one full day there, running it. We stayed in Riomaggiore, the southern most town. Our airbnb was tiny and perfect - and a walk up many steps (typical to most of our airbnb stays in Europe). And we had some of the best seafood pasta I've ever had. And, even though quite "touristy" it was manageable in more of the off-season timing that we went. (Pro tip: always order the table/house wine - it's never overpriced.) Sienna (by way of Pisa) The train to Sienna took us through Pisa. So obviously we checked our luggage at the train station and went on a run. It's about a mile or so from the train to the plaza with the tower and, in my opinion, it's not very pretty. I think it's the lack of trees - it just feels very drab. So running through it is definitely the best way to get over to the tower quickly! Then we had time to grab some food before getting back on the train. I had a delicious dish of pasta with eggplant and our "glass" of wine each was basically served in a pint glass, so lunch included a nice unexpected buzz. On to Sienna! We stayed in a great airbnb right in the middle of the old town. It was perfect location that included a much needed washing machine and wifi, things we didn't have over the previous four nights. We wandered the somewhat haunting streets the first night in town. I was in desperate need of some speed work so the next morning Erik and I did a run that took us to what we thought was a track accessible to the public. But after running a couple 6:35 miles we ran right back out because it seemed like this was actually not something we should be doing. (Ask for forgiveness, not permission...right?!) And then we did the most touristy thing of our entire trip: we went on an organized tour. Eek. But it was totally worth it because we wanted to see and experience (aka drink) wine country and there wasn't really another way to do that safely without having a driver. Due to our unemployment budget - we also needed to go with a bigger group because cheaper. So we got some carbs in our system, had double shots of espresso, and headed out to the Chianti region. We made three stops on the tour. One small, beautiful little town. One big touristy hell (San Gimignano) that had far too many people in it but dripping with history and sweeping views of Tuscany and finally a sit down wine tasting that included snacks at Tenuta Torciano Winery. Turns out - I love Italian wines. Shocking. We were back from the trip just in time for the Italian dinner hour (9PM) and naturally kept our pasta streak alive. Tuscany, check. Florence One of my favorite cities. I hadn't been in four years and felt the city was even more vibrant than before with some progressive choices when it came to food. (For example, we went to a completely gluten free restaurant. In Italy!) It rained for most of our two days in town but it didn't dampen our spirits. (See what I did there.) I got in an amazing flat workout over 11 miles through the pouring rain. We ate on our airbnb terrace. We visited two spots that offered craft beer. And we ate at what I'm calling the real Eataly. (A fun, upscale food court with so many carb options.) I could live in Florence. athletic exertion Just like that - 100 miles, several cities, countless carbs (+ carafes of wine) and 11 days later - we were headed to Alessandria for the last part of our trip. It was a long travel day that included a stop back in Pisa (our favorite). Naturally there was a delay - but we had fully charged Kindles to handle that situation. We got into Alessandria in the afternoon and snagged snacks from a tiny grocery before restaurants opened for dinner. (Not a huge fan of not being able to eat at any time but I realize this is the biggest 1st world problem there ever was.) And this was just the beginning of the non-traditional race prep and race day I've ever experienced. Please note: runners like routines. I always eat a simple pasta with red sauce the night before a long race, forks down by 7PM. I eat toast with peanut butter and banana 1.5 hours before start time the morning of and have at least two cups of coffee. I poop (usually 2+ times). I run a mile warm-up and stretch and take down 100-200 calories within 15 minutes before the gun goes off. Like I said - routine. I got none of that with this race. Here's how it went down:
I started thinking I would walk by mile 3 but ran with Erik for a couple miles where we locked into a nice pace before he pulled ahead. This prepared me to take on the next big mountain and by mile 8 I finally felt warmed up and my stomach concerns had passed. While not my best race - it was respectable test of my perseverance, even when it sucked. And Erik did amazing. He will now have no excuse not to run with me more. (So really, I'm winning out of all of this too) the carb load
As a recap - Italy is a great place for a honeymoon. It's an amazing place to explore by running. And even if you don't eat dairy or meat - you can enjoy some of the best pasta you'll every eat. You should probably book your trip now.
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AuthorA Midwest girl gone global. I choose happiness everyday: I run, eat well, travel, and love completely. Archives
March 2022
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