The statistics of it all.....

Travel books read: 6
Tourist maps purchased: 7
New purchases: 35
Days in Europe: 43
Days in Italy: 22
Days in France: 9
Days in Spain: 12
Number of hotels staying at: 12
Number of scheduled train rides: 9+
Rental car days: 5
Number of airline flights: Bob (5); Wayne (8)
Marathon miles to be run in Europe: 78.6
Training miles (since August 23) : 1,190
Pairs of running shoes worn out: 2
Pounds lost: 8
Number of 400 meter laps run at the Dome:  Far tooooo many!

To be totally honest, I am so over wanting to train anymore. I'm exhausted having to schedule hours of time to run my 13 and 20-milers at the Dome.  I was lucky enough to get a few outdoor runs in the last few weeks when things warmed up, but we again have more snow and colder temperatures so it's back to the Dome.  While running my 20-miler there last Friday, I was run over by a herd of high school baseball players running laps...they were totally rude and disrespectful!  Luckily the even occurred at mile 18 so I only limped along for the last two miles.  I have never trained so hard as I have these last few months and yet seemed so unprepared.  I think that's telling me that I am super anxious about this trip and just want to jump right into it!

The Winter Olympics certainly have been entertaining and have inspired me to keep plugging along.  It's amazing what some of these winter athletes have overcome to appear on the world stage.  What's been real strange is that the local TV commercial I made for Providence Hospital back in March 2009 about my heart operation has been repeatedly shown during the Olympic coverage.  I feel pretty embarrassed by it all because I have progressed so far from when it was produced, plus my buddies are giving me a lot of crap about it.  However, I have received lots of feedback from others about how my "comeback" has inspired them to work through their hardships.  It feels very strange, uncomfortable and humbling to be told that I inspire others...it does, however, keep me motivated to train hard and set a good example.

I finally have mastered some key features on my iPhone which I plan to regularly use during my trip. I'm hoping to post a daily entry on my Facebook page with a photo taken with the iPhone.  I've tested it out a few times already and it'll be fun to keep in touch that way.  I also loaded up some tour-related bookmarks for our lodging, train schedules, and historical references.  It took forever to understand the international calling and texting features I wanted to purchase.  As much as I want to keep my blog up while I'm traveling, I'm afraid I won't be able to, at least using my iPhone.  I hope to use internet cafes now and then and/or if I can access a WiFi connection.

So, who's on first and what's on second?  I have one more week of heavy-duty training, including a 13 and 20-miler, then it's tapering time.  I also have about three pages of to-do's before I fly out of Alaska on March 15.  Boy, I can't wait to finally relax on the Almalfi Coast and Cinque Terre!!!

It's CRUNCH time!!!

It's not in reference to a cereal, to an abdominal exercise, or to the crinkling-crunchy sound walking on snow. It's CRUNCH time for no more slack in training and trip planning.  The blog countdown clock reminds me that in a little more than a month, my buddy Bob and I will be smack in the middle of this great adventure.

My training is intense these days.  Two days a week are my distance days.  On Mondays, I'm building up to 13 miles...I'm presently at 9 miles.  Friday is the killer-day...I'm presently at 16 miles and working up to running three, 20-milers.  My last 20-miler is scheduled for March 5.  Tuesday is a tempo 6 mile run.  Wednesday is speed work...I'm running 4 miles, two of which have me running 100 meter sprints...it's a b_ll-buster.  Thursday is a non-running day, as I'm up at 5 am for a weekly church function and then work 8 hours at the Corps of Engineers...I finish the day with weight training.  Saturday is a non-running day; however, I go Nordic skiing with my buddies on the fantastic Anchorage trail system.  Sunday is kind of mixed up, as I try to Alpine ski at Alyeska that day and tear up my thigh muscles.  If I don't ski, I do a light run.  I'm finally feeling like I'm making progress with my runs.  I still try to run outside, instead of inside at the Dome, but another cold spell is coming so it's back to running around the track like a hamster running in its exercise wheel. Actually, trip planning is coming along just fine.  All our lodging is set, car rental is set, and airline reservations are set.  The most complicated task is figuring out train schedules and costs.  For those not familiar with European train travel, one can purchase point-to-point tickets or a Eurail pass, which can cover travel in multiple countries for multiple days.  To figure out the best value, I'm having to cost-out both options, which is tough because Bob and I have multiple destinations in Italy to combine with trips in France.  I also have to consider my train trips in Spain, which Bob will not be taking.  It's a who's on first and what's on second puzzle.  The following two calendars map out where Bob and I are headed and when (click on figure to see an enlarged image):

  

As you can see, Bob and I will be every where.  I assure you, however, there is a lot of R&R scheduled, especially in Cinque Terre and the Sorrento area.  It's been a lot of fun having conversations with the folks I've contacted about lodging.  It's amazing how interested they are about Bob and I running marathons.  We already made a special friend in Venice.  The owner of Pensione Guerrato is named Roby, and he threatened to charge us more if we ran a sub-three hour marathon!  He was joking, of course, because he is a marathoner (he ran the Venice Marathon last October) and still has yet to break three hours.  We're looking forward to drinking some wine and chatting with him when we're there...he said he'll show us around...now that's service.  Scott, our Marathon Tours and Travel host for the Rome Marathon is also a runner and we talked track events...he was a 400 and 800 meters runner.  A number of other folks wished us luck and looked forward to hearing our marathon "war" stories.

That's it for now.  I have some other thoughts about inspiration, iPhones, and what-the heck-to-pack that I'll cover in future blogs, as well as fill you all in on the specific things Bob and I have planned.  Remember, train hard...run far!  Arrivederci!

P.S. The photo behind the blog title is in Florence.  Also...Hey Bill, congrats on finishing the Miami Marathon and Salome on running the Half!