Italia! Part 1: Montepulciano

In the past few months, we've been the lucky recipients of 4 wedding invitations ... none of which were occurring in the US. When Jon and Sonali's came, and invited us to spend a week with them at a villa in Tuscany ... was it even an option to say no??

Let me begin by telling the story of how Jon and I met. He tells the story a bit differently than I do but here's my version:

Jon and I were going to be interns at Intel in Folsom, CA one summer during college. I was flying there from Pennsylvania, stressed about how I'd get everything I needed to live on my own for 3 months into 2 checked bags. Luckily Intel had this nice program where they connected the new intern class via email, and a couple emails later he offered (this is where our stories differ ... I think he offered, he remembers me begging :) ) to stop through Erie and pick up some boxes for me. He stopped at my Mom's house one evening while she was at work and, being that it is Erie, PA after all, Mom left the front door unlocked so he could get in to retrieve my stuff, along with some cookies she baked for the journey. Aren't Moms so nice like that?

In Folsom, Jon and I became great friends and did lots of fun things like climb Half Dome together and go clubbing in San Francisco with all of our intern friends. I never really knew him to have a serious girlfriend until Sonali.... and the way he talked about her, it didn't take long to realize this was going to be THE one!

Back to Italy ...

All the Americans arrived in Rome around the same time so we took a bus (graciously organized by the bride & groom) in to Motepulciano together. This was probably the only time the wedding crowd was quiet all weekend - everyone completely out cold from jet-lag!

We were hosted at Villa Nottola, a beautiful historic villa surrounded by active vinyards and bottling taking place right on the premises while we were there. 

We enjoyed many conversations, and quite a few bottles of wine, with our villa neighbors and good friends Amy & Mike.

The first night, we enjoyed an amazing dinner at Osteria Acquacheta Montepulciano 

where we all had a wonderful time - even the vegeterians among us!
   
Tim and the boys met an extremely friendly Italian who had an amazing (and yes, a bit strange) affinity for John Deere.  They promised to send him a JD hat from the States although I'm not quite sure that ever happened...

 

To help us get over the jet lag, we were treated to a day of wine tasting on Saturday.   The more vinyards I visit, the more I realize that - for as different as the Californians think our winemaking is and as unique as the French think theirs is - making wine is basically making wine.  There are more similarities than differences, regardless of what country you're in! 

  

We also visited Montalcino, a quaint town famous for its wine, but equally deserving of accolades for the shopping (how could I pass up that goregeous pair of Italian shoes?)!

After a much-needed nap, we all enjoyed a pre-wedding dinner at Villa Cicolina.  It was a casual yet elegant reception set under the trees at small tables where we could meet the other guests and enjoy many (many!) more glasses of wine together.

The wedding was absolutely beautiful ... picturesque, sunny, and perfectly staged against the backdrop of vinyards, valleys, and rolling Tuscan hills.
And the ceremony, in a style very fitting to the bride and groom, was heartfelt, casual, and only partly planned.  Yet it went so smoothly and was apparent how comfortable and happy these two are together :)

Dinner was lovely ...more courses than I could count, each a tasty tribute to the local ingredients and culture.  I had no idea how wonderful simple cannellini beans could be!


As is usually the case at weddings, everyone's true self started to come out after midnight.  To the voice of our Italian karaoke singer, we did YMCA around the swimming pool and yes, a few of the boys ended up in the water!

Ahhh ... Montelpuciano ... we miss you.  When can we come visit again??

   

Lessons Learned While Sitting Still

"Sit. Still. Then come back and see me in 3 weeks."

It was only the non-waterproof mascara which kept me from breaking into tears when I heard this from Dr Paul last Thursday.

But, being forced to sit still really does help to, as Jim (best spin instructor in the world) would say "still your mind." While my body and mind have been "still", I have learned a few lessons. I'm capturing them here in case I'm tempted to forget them once I ditch the crutches and start moving more quickly again.

* Life is in ultra-high-definition. But you can't see the detail if you move too quickly.

* People are kind.

* Everyone has a story, and if you slow down long enough, most of them will be happy to tell you theirs.

* Running is not the only form of physical exercise available. (Still think it's the best, but not the only...)

* Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle the setbacks. (This is printed on the Lululemon bag ... it has new meaning to me now)

* Taking time away from your sport is like pulling back the arrow on a bow. If you focus on doing it with intensity, when you let go, your arrow will go even further than it did before (Can't take credit for this one either ... these are more of Jim's wise words).

* My husband is one of the most patient and kind people in the world. I need to be more like him.

Athens Marathon

"But babe ... it's the twenty-five HUNDREDTH anniversary. When else in my life will I ever have a chance to participate in the 2500th anniversary of anything??"

And of course, to that question, he had no choice but to say "Well, okay then. We can go. But only if we can stop in Bordeaux on the way home". Twist my arm.

In 490 B.C. (as many of you will know ... but for those not paying attention in 8th grade World History) the Greeks fought the Persians in the Battle of Marathon and had an incredible victory, as the Persian Army was much larger than the Greeks'. To announce the result, a particularly ambitious foot-soldier, Phillipides, ran from the battle site to the city of Athens to share the news. Upon completing the grueling 24.85 (40k) journey, he exclaimed, " Νενικήκαμεν " ("We have won"), then immediately dropped dead.

The very first Olympic Games, held in Greece in 1896, crowned a hometown winner in the 40k Marathon race, a runner named Spyridon Louis, with a time of 2:58:50.

In 1908, the Olympic Games were held in London. Although each of the previous marathons had been 40k in length, it suited the King to have the race start upon his doorstep, Windsor Castle, and finish in the newly built White City Stadium, 42k (26.2 miles away). Imagine ... a stubborn Brit demanding that the world follow his ways ...

So to accommodate the modern-day marathon distance, the 2010 Athens Marathon organizers followed Phillipides's original route, but added a little out & back circle around Marathon Tomb to make up the additional 2k.

History lessons aside ...

Arrival into Greece was non-dramatic, save the brief panic (and asthma) attack in Toronto as we nearly missed our connection. Managed to make it into Athens city center and to the hotel (the first of Becky's excellent reco's!) easily. Thank goodness the King also convinced the rest of the world to learn English.

Greece was so happy to have us there. The shopkeeper across the road who took a personal interest in ensuring that I not only found the soya milk I was looking for, but also that I found a flavor I liked, said to me as I left "How nice it is to have all these athletes visiting us in Athens. Thank you for coming."

After ordering espressos at a cafe the next afternoon, the woman from the next table came over to ask if we had been waited on yet and if not she would be happy to fetch the waitress for us. When our food arrived, the nice lady stopped by again to make sure we liked the Greek salad; it was their local specialty, she told us.

Expo ...

Pick up my bib number and see that I've been placed in corral 6. Out of 7. Hmpf. This is not good. The woman at the "resolutions" desk informs me that I have not entered a finishing time on my application and therefore I am in the last running corral (corral 7 was for the walkers). She was not at all interested in my explanation, nor my pleading to have the corral changed. If I wanted to run, I would start in the corral I was assigned. Well ... ok then.

By the way, have I mentioned the expo was located in Zappeion Hall - the location of the fencing competition of the 1896 Olympic Games and an incredibly beautiful and grand building!

So Greece is a somewhat chaotic country, particularly to someone who grew up in the US and spent the past few years in the UK. Queues? Street signs? I'm fairly certain these words don't translate into Greek. The one who shouts, beeps, whistles, or honks the loudest - wins. And so was the case boarding the buses at 5:30am at Syntagma Square. I managed to board a bus with a group of Italians, and sat next to a sweet girl, Kie, from Texas.

The start at Marathon was buzzing with excited chaos, too! Runners everywhere, a man hollering instructions into a mega-phone every few minutes, funky Greek music over the sound system, a group of protesters convinced that if we didn't sign their petition, the local government would turn the Marathon start line into a landfill ...

The Olympic Cauldron was lit (photo kudos to Kie's friend, Mark)...

...and after waiting in line for a pic we had barely enough time to get to the corrals.

My corral start was :16 min behind the gun, and I could feel the sun getting stronger by the minute ("very pure" as one of the locals had described it). Now, I'm wishing I had left my gloves behind and brought the sunscreen instead!

First 10 k ... it's all about getting around/through/over everyone in my corral. Ahhh .. a little breathing space, then I catch up to corral 5 and it begins again. Keep telling myself to chill out, just relax and take it slow since the streets were so narrow this was really the only option.

Once I got myself comfortable with the idea of running for FUN, not for a time, I really started to enjoy it. Listening to a thousand different languages from the other runners, I especially liked the universal "Bravo" from spectators all along the way. (They also seemed to shout "Bella!" a lot which I thought was directed at everyone but conversations with other runners after the race make me think this might have been a result of my pink tank top or perhaps the pigtail braids?)

Hey there's a Serpie! Hello Serpie!

8k ... a woman hands me a small olive tree branch which I graciously accept and tuck into my hair.

11k ... course starts going uphill a bit. Not too bad. Still feeling good and taking it all in.

Water stops ... more chaos. We were generously given full half-liter bottles of water, though most of us had a few swigs then tossed the bottles to the side due to a lack of trash receptacles of any sort. The goal becomes getting to the end of the water stop zone without taking a slip on the bottles all over the ground!

19k ... now the hills really kick in. And I know from the elevation map that this hill doesn't end until km 32.5. Here we go!

Somewhere along the way I pass Pat's friend Janet. Always fun to run into fellow Californians 7,000 miles from home!

Temperature check on a bank clock: 30C. I'm a bit rusty on Celsius to Fahrenheit conversions but I'm thinking that's pretty hot. It feels hot anyway.

32.5k ... thank heavens that's over. That was really hard! Now, this is supposed to be the easy part right? It's all downhill to the finish. Why does it still feel so hard?!

Crowds ... wow, lots of crowds! This is surprising - I didn't expect all of Greece to come out and cheer for us. Thank you!

42k ... and into the historic Panathinaikon Stadium ... crowds cheering, music blaring ... this is amazing!

Coming through the finish chute, a guy in a suit (the mayor? a local dignitary? random guy who broke through the security guards?) stretches out his hand to say "Thank you very much for coming. We're happy to have you here!".

You're welcome; it was my pleasure.

After the race the heat really hits me and I start dizzily stumbling around the finish area. I hear my name and think I have never been so happy to see my husband as I was just then! He brings me to the shade where I lie down to rest. As he goes to find my checked bag, a little girl comes over and sits very close to me; she wants to hold my hand. We start chatting (she's from India, now living in Greece, and also speaks rather good English. Tri-lingual at age 6... wow...). Her Dad comes by a few minutes later and proceeds to provide me with the most random, unsolicited family planning advice I have ever received! I think something was lost in translation.

Celebration! We're joined for dinner at Spondi by SFRRC'ers Sina, Leona, and Tom as well as Tom's lovely family, and Leona's 2 friends. Amazing food, wine and top-notch service. Definitely recommend this place!

Monday morning ... off to Santorini for some well-deserved (if I do say so myself) rest!

Looking forward to seeing the chatty girls in Bordeaux next week too!! More on this to come ...

This is sort of fun ...

South of France

It's not often (for us Americans anyway) to have a whole 2 weeks off of work - all at once. In June, before we left London, we had time in between and decided to take advantage of it with a holiday to the South of France.


The first week we spent around St Tropez, and the second in Provence (more about that in a later post).

St Tropez is everything you imagine it to be ... beautiful beaches, delicious food, chic clubs, fabulous shopping - there's no better use for the phrase "Over the Top"! Except perhaps Monaco - which has a bit less sand but a lot more money on display in the form of jewels, designer duds, and fast cars.

Believe it or not, it was an incredibly relaxing experience - we woke up, went for a run, had coffee & croissants next to the pool, then went to the beach and sat in the sun all day. We went to some very posh beach resorts where gorgeous women lounged in teeny bikins & covered in bling from head to toe (who carrys a Louis Vuitton handbag to the beach after all?!) but they were really fun - great music, well-toned cabana boys stopping by to adjust your umbrella and bring you bottles of rosé, and the constant entertainment of vendors walking up & down the beach, modeling their silk wraps for sale.

If we were feeling especially motivated at the end of the day, we'd get dressed up and go into town to enjoy a fabulous dinner - if not, we'd just sit on the patio and open yet another bottle of wine. I'm not sure what heaven is going to look like but my version will be pretty darn close to St Tropez!

We took a day trip to Monaco - quite an experience. Halfway there, we stopped in Cannes and Nice to take pictures and sit on the beach for a bit. After getting back into the car for another 2 hours of driving it hit us - Monaco isn't is France. It lies on the French/Italian boarder. Boarders usually require passports. Mine was in the hotel. Ugh! As it turns out, you don't need a passport to get into Monaco BUT you do need one if you want to get into the casinos (the reason most people go to Monaco to begin with!). Much as we tried begging & pleading with the girl behind the desk, she was not about to budge (I appreciate the thought - but I'm pretty sure I don't look under 18 anymore) So, we agreed that Tim would go in by himself and I'd wait outside. Given that 'outside' featured a row of shops with names like Prada, Versace, Hermes, etc... Tim spent all of about 6 minutes in the casino and we met for a coffee in the piazza afterwards.

Here is where things get interesting. Take a look at this picture. Who does he look like to you? Yes, we thought so too! Once we thought we'd made a celebrety sighting of the great Louis Hamilton himself, I instructed Tim to follow him round & round, pretending to take pictures of the cars (but secretly taking pics of Louis!). So what do you think - if it's not him, this guy bears quite a striking resemblance, no?

*note, I cannot post pictures right now so I'll have to come back to this later. In the meantime, pics are on shutterfly ...

Cannes & Monaco: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CZMW7lo2cMUK

St Tropez: share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CZMW7lo2cMUo

Lake District Trip

Way up north, far, far from London is a lovely little area fondly known as The Lake District. In addition to many beautiful lakes, this area of the country is also famed for its mountainous landscape and hiking trails. Or in our case, running trails.

A bit of car-rental chaos and some minor navigational confusuion aside, we all made the 6 hour journey to a lovely B&B in Ambleside.

The next morning was beautiful and sunny - perfect conditions for our trail runs. There were wet fields to cross, stone walls to hurdle, rocky steps to climb, and fuzzy sheep ...to hug all along the route, the most scenic race in Britian as they say. Brent did fantastically well and Nava was much quicker than even he expected (so fast that although he offered to play sherpa for Nic, his speedy legs carried him far, far ahead leaving Nic gel-less for most of the race! Not to worry as there was plenty of Kendal mint cake to be had...). Jany and Nic also fared very well on the challenging course ...while Mariana and Jen on the other hand ... what can we say? We're city girls! We don't know what to do on rocky, muddy, hilly trails other than squeal, giggle and gossip our way (very slowly!) to the finish. We even had one local guy comment, upon seeing our Serpie vests, "You girls are a long ways from home, eh?".

Nonetheless ... at the end of the 24k and a bowl of homemade veggie chili later, the 5k fun run then took off. With tired legs, I chased behind Tim up and down some more hills to the finish. Kiffin also did an awesome job and really enjoyed the race (or so it looked from her smile when crossing the finish line). We treated ourselves to a fine Italian meal and some ... how shall we say ... very "local" entertainment that evening!

On Sunday, the more adventerous went for a hike while Tim and I took a more laid-back approach, spending the morning in a coffee shop and the afternoon visiting the Beatrix Potter museum to take in some of her finest drawings.

Brent volunteered to drive the bus home, and in true road-trip style we belted out "The Littlest Worm" at top volume and I taught the girls Old Mr Dunderbeck and a few other car ride classics to help pass the miles. Ah ... what a weekend!

Paris (April 08)

I was so lucky to have the most amazing fan club with me in Paris for the Marathon on the 6th of April! My best friend from DC, Shanon, 2 great friends from London, Mariana & Brent, and my biggest fan - my wonderful husband, Tim - all came to cheer me on and take in some of the great sites in one of our favorite cities in the world.

I kept myself thoroughly hydrated before the race...




And because early forecasts called for snow, I double-layered my "throw-away clothes" for the hour-long wait in the red corral before the race start.



Thanks to my awesome and dedicated training girlfriends, Mariana, Nicola, and Jany (with frequent guest appearances by Brent) I was well-prepared and even managed to keep with the 3:15 pace group for most of the way! (Guess we all trained each other well... they all have just done PB's of their own in marathons this month - way to go!!!)

I got myself across the finish in 3:16 (soooo close! one of these days I'll get that 3:15 I'm after!).

The official times & videos (don't worry, I can't find myself in some of them either) are posted here...
http://www.parismarathon.com/marathon/2008/us/top100FMDP.html (I'm #74)


That night, I attempted to make up for 2 months of alcohol-free living all at once ;) We had a great dinner, hit Budha Bar (finally!) and danced the night away. Despite the snowstorm (yes, that's right - snow, in Paris, in APRIL!) we posed in front of the Eiffel Tower to commemorate our visit.

The next morning Shanon toured the Louvre...

while my tired legs rested at a cafe on Champs Elysses... where.. much to our surprise we saw the Olympic Torch coming by! We had the rare opportunity to see it while still lit (Tibetian & Chinese demonstraters caused such chaos that the torch & athletes carrying it were put into a bus for security reasons for most of the route).

(It's there, I promise - you just have to look real close!)

Just a few crepes and a Eurostar ride later, and we found ourselves back home in London.

Until next time ... A bientôt, Paris!

PS, More pics here if you haven't yet seen enough...