Let me change topics for once...
I said I would run the FlorenceMarathon, because I am a marathon runner! So, yesterday was an important date
for me, because I was set to run my 16th marathon (the 5th in Florence) and
I
was returning from a difficult recovery period of over a year. I started my
training in the spring, but had more doubts than usual, and I finished with no
definite answers and with a mis-behaving Achille's tendon . A bit of pain is
normal, I know, but ... what I noticed more than anything, was that I was
slower than usual. Of the twelve thousands runners, fourteen of whom belonging
to UISPORT AVIS Todi, my team, with just one non-runner due to a last-minute
injury .This wasn't the best organised edition of what I consider to be the
most beautiful marathon here in Italy and in the world, and the athletes were packed in far too
tightly. Despite this, the festivities began and the great jubilant cheers from
the crowds were blessed by the "bell'Alcione" day (a beautiful day in
the middle of bad ones), with warm sun and a cool wind. At the half-way point,
(21.097) I noticed that I was at least three minutes after my aimed time: I
stretched my pace hoping to be able to recover, but at the 28th km I realized
it just wasn't my day. I was surrounded by silence, punctuated only by the
sound of rhythmic footsteps, like a mantra. Many of the other runners were
starting to feel the strain, and the joking stopped. As my friend Max says, you
have to run for 35 kms. to reach the start of the Marathon. This is the point
where fatigue usually kicks in, and many people drop out. I kept this thought
in my mind, and was determined not to get myself into trouble. I gained another
minute on each of the last four kilometers. My final time was 4:08, 9 minutes
more than I was hoping for, but all in all a good result. I carefully returned
to the hotel (two kilometers - by foot...) and joined the others: it was time
for the party to begin!
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