Gil Can Run!A blog on Running and all the crap that runs through my head while doing it

Mar 31st What a nice day, but it’s hot!

So I woke up early and ran with the guys. I managed to get everything done before 9:30, so then I sat out on my balcony and took in the sun. If every day were like this, I could die happy. But alas, I had to work, it wasn’t too bad actually. Two more classes tonight and then I’m out to dinner with the staff. Lots of pizza gets eaten here.
My meditation has been going well, and I’m staying on top of all my other duties. I find out later if I am in the hunt for a new roommate or not. Apparently, my boss and my roommate had a discussion this afternoon and my roommate may stay on after all. One good thing about this experience has been that I’ve gotten better at not worrying about the things I have no control over.
Now I just need to get the yoga routine going again and I will be firing on all cylinders. Definitely good to relax and get the muscles loose. But it’s more than that, it changes your mindset, changes your consciousness, like I was saying Jeremy Rifkin says we need to do. Seriously, check it out.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 30th A really tough Wednesday

I wasn’t the only one it seems. I see a lot of facebook posts talking about having a tough run today. I definitely had trouble, my stomach was a mess, had to stop at the apartment half-way through. So we end up with one run of 5 miles, and another of almost 4.
It’s a beautiful, mostly dry, very sunny day here today. The weather was perfect, my body was not having any of it. I am worn down, but I’m almost half-way through my running week already. So we will see what happens. Tomorrow I plan on waking up early and doing an easy 5 with my running friends. The rest of the week, I just have to power through and then next weekend is the Rome Marathon. Which my USATF card finally arrived.
So everything is coming together, that mess is all set and settled, and hopefully I get my 40 miles in this week. Right now I am in class, my plucky little Child 3 class (I’d say 7-8 year olds) are diligently writing sentences about what they like and don’t like. They are a riot, they try and boss me around, which is fine, they all know the answers when asked and they all scored perfectly on their progress tests. Love these kids, if all kids were like this life would be a breeze. It’s like having a class of four little comedians. They’ve even finished their books for the class, so I have to just review. So today I’m letting them decide which pages to go over. At the break, they will ask me for water and then hide my stuff around the room. It’s pretty funny. It reminds me not to grow up, and always keep that joy in messing with people! haha
Alright, I have to run and check their work.
Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 29th Final week of the distance challenge!

So I’m back to life, and reality here in Somma. Yesterday, before leaving Trani I managed to trip and twist my ankle bad enough that it made me fall. It’s still sore, it was very sore last night. But not much swelling to speak of and no bruising to speak of, so I went out and ran this morning. I figured if it started hurting worse I could spin it around and head back to the apartment. I know plenty of ways back from different points in my usual route. If you recall this is not the first time I’ve twisted an ankle and then continued running on it, the New Jersey Marathon last year, right before the start, and then I finished that marathon. This is over a week out, so I think I should have plenty of time to rest up, even putting another 32 miles on it this week.
So I definitely process pain differently than other people. That much is for sure.
I haven’t had a chance to download pictures from the weekend off my camera yet, but I will share as soon as I can. This morning was busy between the run, and going to the store, and personal grooming issues. I will have to revisit my legs tomorrow, as I have a feeling I will need some KT Tape come next weekend. Either my thigh, or my ankle, or both! I think I also need to order some tiger balm. But I do get the opportunity to rest a little next week. And I have taken to meditation again, I realized I have not been taking any real time for myself, so I will spend 30 minutes (minimum) every day gathering myself, my energy (my chi if you will). I started yesterday morning in Trani. After busting my ass in that pothole, I went to the end of the breakwater, as far out to sea as you can go walking, and sat on the rocks, silently, still, and just let the world happen around me.
It was funny how it all came together, and it worked out nicely. Most of my mind was directed at a song that was playing the day before while I was running. Out of all the songs I listen to it probably speaks the most to me about my youth, but the more I think about it I realize it also speaks to me right now. It always will. One of my friends the other day, posted about how she came across old epistles she had penned, and how she didn’t miss the angst and anguish she felt as a youth. I thought about that as the song played, and I thought about it again yesterday. I thought about how this song made me feel, and how I always felt out of place, out of step. I still do to this day. I love life, but I have an unease about it. I feel like something is very wrong, we’re getting something very wrong, and it gets worse, and it needs to be corrected. And people complain about the youth, and the other, and they seem to always miss the point. I’ve never had a problem trying to articulate that, but I feel most really miss the boat.
All the best coaches in any sport I’ve played have always said the same thing, “When things go wrong on the field, don’t blame someone else on the team, ask what YOU could have done better.” They had their own way of saying it, and they didn’t just say it as a thing. When we lost in the Northeast Regionals for Rugby Junior Year, the coach said to us, “That’s my fault, I taught you guys how to play and win, but I never taught you how to play and keep your heads when you were behind.” He blamed himself for the loss, right in front of all of us. We sat there and we all mentioned something we could have done to perform better and maybe win, we only lost by less than a try, so it’s not like it was a blowout, we really had the team to win it, but we didn’t keep our heads and got impatient trying to get that go ahead try.
So I feel that is lacking in this world, introspection, as to what we can do to improve things. Not just for ourselves, but for our fellow humans. I’ve always felt a responsibility to others, and I’ve always understood any change needs to come from within myself. I’ve also always been abrasive about it, because when I was younger I was less patient with others. These things were inherent, they were obvious to me, and it pissed me off it wasn’t obvious to others. It still does, I’m just a little more patient now. Not much more. But that’s all that’s changed with me. I know still we need to do better. I’m not satisfied with the way things are, I’m not complacent. If I do have kids, I don’t want them growing up in a world like this. The system needs to change, and it requires a change within each of us, as Jeremy Rifkin says, “We need to have a shift in consciousness.” It’s 100% true, in order for things to change, we must change within ourselves, our mindset, our language must change. Language is as much a way of thinking as it is a way of communicating. It all needs to shift, into something more sustainable.
So I will maintain, I will stay the course, and I will always be that kid staring in the mirror, I’ll always be a “Streetkid named desire.”

Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 27th Happy Easter, One week left

Yep, it’s non-orthodox Easter, so Happy Easter to all. Got my 8 miles in today. As I paused for my afternoon nap (yeah, we nap in Trani) I realized how much pain my leg was actually in. It’s a substantial amount of pain. I will get through this week, and then definitely take it easy until this mess heals (after the marathon of course). I also made up my mind, no run tomorrow, need the day off.
So after my run this morning, I went around to look for a decent meal. A lot of places have special menus today or aren’t opened. Ended up running into my friend at the market in the square. He was passing out leaflets for the April 17th referendum here. Vote Yes to all my Italian friends. It’s time for Italy to stop using fossil fuels and prohibit drilling offshore. There is no oil worth drilling for in the Adriatic, and the Med, you will only ruin some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. So get out there on the 17th and vote yes. It’s amazing how there is almost no talk of this in Napoli.
I ended up getting an overpriced, not-as-good meal at one of the tourist places on the port. Meh, it is what it is. No idea what I’ll eat tonight. Maybe more french fries and beer: healthy! Hey I get to relax sometimes. It’s a holiday weekend! Speaking of which, best Easter movie ever!
So have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 26th Almost there

Got my run in today. Just have to put in about 8 miles tomorrow and then one more week of 40 miles, then a rest before the Marathon, and a week of rest after. Maybe not fully rest, but nothing over 10km. I just need to take it easy.
Right now my biggest concern is what to eat for dinner tonight. I feel like I’m going to end up just having another pizza tonight. Oh and some frittes. There’s a place in Bari, all they do is fries, it’s a chain place, they claim to be from Amsterdam, maybe they are. They have all these different sauces and mayonaises to put on the fries, and I gotta say, they’re good. I did the curry ketchup. Also on the food tip, I grabbed a slice of ricotta pie (pastiera di ricotta) today. It was grandpa’s favorite, apparently it’s a Pugliese thing. Which is cool, I like it too, I still prefer rice pie, but I’ll never turn down a ricotta pie either.
So anyway, I took some great pictures today, but I also forgot the cable to connect my camera to the computer, so I’ll have to share when I get back to Somma. Doh!
The only other thing today is that I realized tomorrow I hit 160 miles for the month, and if I keep on schedule to finish up this challenge, I’ll top 180 miles for the month! I think that’s pushing way too hard. I may actually do more than that and run on Monday morning as well, just to make the end of my week a little lighter. Trying to sort all this out. Alright, time to take a nap.
Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 25th All killer no filler

What a beautiful day for a run. It turns out I forgot to pack my Garmin charger in my bag, I also forgot running shorts. It’s ok, I just wore my jogging pants (I hate wearing them running unless it’s massively cold) and used my phone. If I had remembered to drink water yesterday, and had not had things to do this afternoon, I could have just kept running, the conditions were right and I felt strong. I hope tomorrow and Sunday go as easy.
I went into Bari this afternoon, I cannot begin to say how much I love this whole area. It’s just gorgeous and relaxing.
From last night:

The “fun” vending machine! Safety first kids!

The booze vending machine, people don’t believe me, and it’s cheap!

The streets are beautiful and busy.

Love the port, always!

The cappucines doing Stations of the Cross

And then during the days, Trani and Bari are just gorgeous in daylight:

The parks are so beautiful.

This fountain is more impressive in person though, it’s huge.

A fountain in my beer! Yeah you can just hang out and have a beer.

A fountain.

The streets of Trani, ahhhh.

Right, I’m out.
Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 23rd I ran and got some bad news

So I went out, a little light rain and mess, and ran a good 8 miles. It was tough to motivate myself after yesterday’s failures. But I got out there, made it happen, today is the last day before Easter break. Tomorrow, I may not run, although I probably will when I get settled in, because, what else will I do while waiting for people to finish work? It’s how I roll.
So my classes are going well so far today. Having fun, enjoying life and seeing what comes today. But when i got back from my run, and a stop at the office for some problems, I found out my roommate gave his notice. This is a very difficult place to live and teach. There’s a culture down here that makes things much more difficult than they need to be. You either bend, break, or leave. So he will be moving on, and I can’t fault him, things can be very frustrating around here. It will be sad to have another friend go, that’s what 2 roommates and 4 friends gone since I started in January. That’s a lot of turnover.
There is a good side to it for me though. I have a tendency to rely on comfort, and when I get comfortable I tend not to move. It’s good for me to have to deal with discomfort and get accustomed to things being in flux and changing more. Everything in life can be viewed as a chance to grow and improve, or you can sit there and complain about it. I choose to grow and improve. Good things will come of this, my friend will find a better situation for him and I will learn more and be better off for the experience.
Meanwhile. Phife Dawg died, he was only 45. A Tribe Called Quest is one of those groups that was definitive of the era. Sad times, sad times. But people will come and go, some temporarily, some permanently, the important thing is what they have taught you. Always remember that.

Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 22nd Back to normal a bit

So my friend was finally cleared by his doctor to run. So we went for a short slow jog around. The extra recovery for me will be good too. It was nice to get out with my friend though, as much as I’ve always preferred to run by myself, it had become a nice little routine, and it was helping me adjust. He was impressed with how much my Italian has improved too.
I find myself procrastinating while writing this though, I can’t string together any consistent thoughts worth sharing. Lately, I’ve felt very much uneasy. Physically I have not been well, even though I’ve been hitting my running goals and been able to do my daily activities to the fullest. Mentally, I’ve felt completely off-balance, and emotionally I’m just beat. I’m hopeful that the sudden change in the weather, to a drier and more sunny atmosphere will help with the last part, recharge the emotional batteries a bit. The last few weeks have been positively dreadful. I believe the poor physical health is due to, what can only be described as, dreadfully inadequate sanitation in this area. I think mentally, it’s a combination of the physical and emotional, plus the beating that is teaching.
So needless to say it’s been hard to keep the PMA. I need to remember to be thankful for what I have, and the negative will be sorted in due course. Confront issues one challenge at a time and only worry about what you can, the things you can’t do anything about you have to let go and forget. Control is an illusion, and you must stay within that which is called you. I am simply me, and I can only do the best I can with whatever the situation is.
Time to run off to go help others in need. That’s part of what I do right? One of the other teachers needs to set up a bank account, so I’ll go do what I can.
Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 20th I own Vesuvius now

You heard me, I ran around it, I own it. That’s how it works right? Or did I need a flag?
So this was a tough one. About 2 miles in, my stomach decided it didn’t want to cooperate today, so I had to stop at a cafè and ask if they had a bathroom I could use. they did. Now, here’s where things get tricky, here in the Napoli area, I’m pretty sure no one’s ever supposed to poop outside of their own home. Even when you rent an apartment, you are expected to supply your own toilet seat. So basically there aren’t toilet seats anywhere and nowhere has toilet paper, well almost nowhere. But I didn’t have time to think about that, my colon was in full, emergency, settings and that was that. So as I finish up I look for anything that can be used for toilet paper and there’s nothing. Lucky for me, the sink had soap, so I did what no one should ever have to do, and cleaned up the best I could. At this point, I still had 22 miles to go!
So then I’m coming around the mountain and I accidentally took a wrong turn. Ended up going up the hill when I was supposed to go down, added a mile and screwed up my rhythm because I had to go onto a trail at one point, and climb a fence after getting turned around a couple time. There were gates everywhere, it was maddening. Dear Google Map, don’t say there’s a thru street when there is no thru street! Sincerely, every runner on Earth! After I got back on course I was cooked. A little past halfway, I was just done, but I kept motoring on the best I could.
I also had to keep a watch out for my hamstring, which is still tender and not enjoying any of this. Then of course I ran out of water, which wasn’t unexpected, as it’s a little sunnier today than the weather had reported it would be. But that’s alright, popped into the supermarket and grabbed a Gatorade. Now I’m a fan of orange…In the US…turns out the orange in Europe is wildly different and tastes fairly grotesque. But at least by the time I finished it, I had started sweating again. Rounded out my run a little slower than I would have liked, but all in all, with all the adversity not a bad day. Just a nice, not so easy Sunday morning long-run. So to all my friends who ran Savin Rock yesterday, and all my friends running Bataan today, I’m there with you and I claimed Vesuvius for all of us. I’ll leave you guys with this, one of my favorite covers of all time, take it away Mike Patton (plus this video cracks me up, and was totally progressive for its time):

Right, have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!

Mar 19th I ended up not running today

When I woke up, I just felt so tired and stiff and thought it would be better to just do the long run in the morning, as was the original plan. Apparently, I can make it around Vesuvius in 24.5 miles. There’s a part of me that really wants to give it a proper go tomorrow.
It’s more miles than I need, but it’s a challenge and something I’ve been wanting to try since I knew I was moving here. I think tomorrow is my best opportunity to do it too. The weather should be just right. I have plenty of band-aids and I feel like I can. Circumnavigating either way does have some major challenges, there are some fairly difficult elevation changes either way. We shall see what happens. I need a good night’s sleep and a little motivation in the morning and everything should turn out alright.
Have fun, keep running, and remember; If Gil can run then so can you!