The Venice Marathon

Tuesday evening, October 18, 2005

I'm off to Italy to take pictures and to run the Venice Marathon with my brother. To pull this off I had to cancel some classes and let some clients wait. It is a one of those annoying overnight flights where you can't sleep. I am fortunate, though to have a row of three seats all to myself. I am able to do some reading and writing but sleep just won't come. The flight is smooth and lands in Venice early ...

Wednesday morning ...

I arrived on time and had little trouble renting my car (which was overpriced but comfortable. I made the mistake of not being in a place where having a car made any sense, particularly in Florence. The drive to Florence was interesting but difficult. I was tired and it was raining. On top of everything I didn’t have the directions to the hotel and do you think I would do anything as silly as ask directions? Not a chance. I wound up taking the wrong exit into Florence and wandered around trying to circle until I could find a landmark that I could recognize on my maps. Adding to the challenge was the complex and hectic traffic with the motorbikes and bicycles everywhere. Of course the missing street signs and the hidden hotel entrance didn’t help. Finally, I found the entrance to the hotel and took the elevator up to the reception area on the fourth floor.

The hotel was an old one (Beacci Tournabuoni Firenza) though it had been recently renovated. It was old world and the service was impeccable. Though there was an elevator my room was actually down a flight of steps. The room was small but serviceable except that the heat didn’t work and the shower spilled onto the floor despite a glass shower wall. The people were nice, the breakfasts were delicious and it was incredibly convenient to the central part of the city. Florence was just beautiful though I won’t say the same thing for the Arno that flows through it. Even the manager admitted that it was so when he wished me luck on the marathon.

The first evening I just wanted to wander about a bit, get a snack, take a nap and then find a good place for dinner. The snack was OK, the nap good and the dinner fantastic.

I wondered down the alley next to the hotel and found this elegant little restaurant where I had a marvelous gnocchi dish followed by my usual steak dinner. This one was a sliced steak with a magnificent dark sauce with strawberries. The waiter was very good and the vine rosso della casa was excellent. A little walk after dinner helped and I was back to my room for a very good night’s sleep despite the new surroundings.

Thursday ...

On Thursday, I loaded up my camera equipment, checked the guidebook and started through the city. The weather continued its drizzly grey pattern that was to continue throughout the visit. I won’t comment again because it just doesn’t make much sense. It didn’t rain for the race though the humidity was very high.

I knew there were museums to see but I wasn’t really interested in looking at lots of old, Italian art. It’s not my cup of tea anyway. I stopped at the Uffizi and did get a reservation for the following day and continued to take many pictures. The light was grey that was fine for some of the pictures, especially in the alleys and side streets. It would have been nice to have some sun for the wide, scenic shots. For those, you will have to look at the guidebooks. Besides, that’s not what I take anyway.

I wandered through alley after alley, through the markets and by cafes and shops. Slowly, but surely I could feel myself getting comfortable with the setting and the photographic opportunities. For many hours I wandered and found the museum where the David statue was but the line was too long and I didn’t see a place for an advance reservation so David will have to wait for the next trip. I could see why people love Florence.

I took my afternoon nap and then wandered back over the Arno for dinner at older and more frenetic restaurant. The food was more expensive, good but not as good as the first night. Fortunately, it didn’t matter. There were lots of locals there and the atmosphere was wonderful. Another good night’s sleep ended a good day of wandering and photography.

Friday ...

Friday was to be my last full day in Florence. I had the good breakfast and headed over to the Uffizi. I spent a couple of hours there and surreptitiously took some pictures to test my wide-angle zoom. I was only stopped once. It didn’t matter, there was not too much to photograph. This wasn’t my kind of art anyway though I could appreciate it for what it was. I guess I am really a modernist at heart. I continued my wanderings through the city, the drizzle not dampening my enthusiasm. On one of the side streets I found this little restaurant that seemed totally out of place. It had a very modern décor and an interesting menu. The name and street were perfect: Via del acqua. We had enough rain.

After my nap, I consulted my map and could not find that street. It is no wonder. There were so many that weren’t. I had a general feeling where it was, also appropriately near Teatro Verdi. When it came time for dinner, I started for the Teatro and began wandering the side streets. I knew I was in the right place when I came upon some hanging laundry from the morning. I took lots of pictures of hanging laundry. Given the humidity there was some question of whether it would ever dry. It was another wonderful dinner and the ambiance was perfect.

Saturday ...

Saturday morning, I skipped the morning run so that I could get a head start on my drive down to “wine” country. I didn’t have a lot of time and all I was really doing was scouting the region for the next trip. I had hoped to reach both Montalcino and Montepulciano since those were very famous wine towns. It was a bit tricky following the roads, and I made a silly attempt to stop in Sienna along the way. It didn’t matter. I did stop in Montalcino, a newish town high up on the hill looking down on the fertile valley. The sun did its best. I had no time to stop and taste the wines. Next time. I started back and took a wrong turn down the mountain seeing a group of older cyclists working their way up the mountain. It will be my turn before long. After circling back I saw where I made my mistake and headed back towards the highway. The country roads were beautiful and clearly worth cycling.

I hit the Autostrade and started the long ride from below Florence back to Venice to meet my brother and sister-in-law. Neal and Tsipi were already in Italy celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary. Fortunately, I was able to fly along the road but I didn’t have the directions to the hotel. I tried calling my brother on the cellphone but it wasn’t programmed with the country code properly. Finally, I realized that it would help if I got him so while speeding along at 150 kph I reprogrammed my phone and miraculously got through to him so that he could give me directions to guide me in. It worked fine.

I got in a short run before dinner and we were off to a great little restaurant in Mestre (an industrial town outside of Venice) for a very good Saturday evening dinner. The waiter was kind and commented that my Italian wasn’t bad. In all, it was a great evening. We parted and made our arrangements for the race the following morning. As usual I didn’t get much sleep the night before the marathon. Fortunately, I had a good night’s sleep on Friday and that is considered the most important time.

Sunday ... Venice Marathon ...

We had our breakfast and waited for the bus to bring us to the starting line in Stra. As we drove we passed the race markers and they counted down. When we got the start all was pandemonium as would be expected at an Italian race. I wasn’t going to make the same mistake as I had in Paris and waited patiently in the WC line. There is one thing I have discovered is that there are never enough at European races. I was glad I did because I was in perfect shape (in that respect) for the race despite standing in line for a half hour.

There were pacers at the race, but like the Paris Race it was difficult to get close to them. I was hoping for a 3:45 pace group but they had 3:40 and 3:50 groups. So I started about a minute behind both of them and went out fast to catch them. Fairly shortly I passed the 3:50 group (which was my mistake) and kept going at too fast a pace. Eventually, I caught the 3:40 group and was hanging with them nicely. When I hit the half-marathon point at 1:46 I knew I messed up because that was much too fast. I was right. Think that I would stick with the pace group I set my watch and mind to my refueling instead of the 5K splits. I was very diligent about the gels and water and I was OK. Sadly, I slowed down in the last 15K and didn’t make my 3:45 goal that would have given me the Boston 2007 qualifier. Since I’m not planning on doing Boston in 2007 anyway, that’s not much of a problem. Sometime after October 2006, I will have to do a 4 hour marathon which shouldn’t be a problem.

The trek over the Ponte Liberta was annoying and long and boring and my shoes don’t seem to have much traction on wet asphalt. It was the hard part of the race but I knew it would eventually end. Once I realized that I was just going to finish with a decent time, I relaxed, sang with my iPod and checked out the scenery as we entered Venice. Through Venice we crossed bridge after bridge over wooden walkways, past Piazza San Marco and the Ducal Palace. It was a comfortable finish since I had eased up.

I changed my clothes and waited for my brother. When we finally met he was looking woozy and I insisted that he lie down. He did and his color returned in a few minutes. He was ecstatic. Where he would have been satisfied with a 4:15 he finished at 4:08. To think that after I had soundly beaten him back at the Marine Corps Marathon he was going to give up doing marathons. Had this been Chicago he might have gotten that sub-4. The humidity and those little bridges easily added five minutes.

After getting ourselves into some reasonable shape we met Tsipi and then waited for the boat to take us back towards town. Once back in town we caught a taxi and returned to the hotel, tired but pleased that we both ran good races and could share a very special bond as brothers.

It was time for dinner and we had a dilemma. There wasn’t much open given that it was Sunday. There was a pizza joint nearby so we ate there and had dinners that weren’t all that bad. Tired and satisfied we returned to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.

Monday ...

Monday morning we breakfasted at the hotel and then headed into Venice. For Neal and Tsipi this was a return. For me, it was my first real visit. The run into town certainly didn't count. We walked from the bus station where we had parked their car and then headed into the town towards the Rialto Bridge and ultimately Piazza San Marco. We passed many, many shops and thousands of tourists. I took some pictures along the way and Tsipi and Neal made some purchases. I’m not one to buy souvenirs for others. They are welcome to get some of my pictures if they want. We did a totally silly and touristy thing: café on the the Piazza at one of the overpriced places which even charged for the orchestra to play behind you. I took Neal and Tsipi’s picture and then we wandered a bit more. Finally, they had to leave to head towards Milan to catch their plane home.

I continued my wanderings with my camera, looking for the side streets, alleys, interesting sights and whatever it would take to leave a lasting impression and fill up the memory of my camera’s memory cards. I took my usual subjects, doors and windows, walls and signs. I doubt whether there is anything of great value to be found in this collection, but we will see when we take the time to sift, soft and add some personal accent. After all, isn’t that what the artist is supposed to do?

Several hours of walking and photography take their toll, especially on the day after a marathon. I headed towards the bus station but gave in and took a taxi instead. It was rush hour and the thought of fighting the crowds again wasn’t worth the 15 Euro. I returned to the hotel, loaded the memory cards on the computer and the backup iPod area and took my nap before dinner. For dinner, it was just pizza and wine and then back to bed.

Tuesday ...

Tuesday morning I awoke, ate a good breakfast, packed and headed off to the airport to spend an hour in line after line. There has to be a better way. The plane was full, and though I had great good fortune on the trip out to have a whole row to myself, this longer trip was not so blessed. There was this rather large man sitting next to me and my seat back didn't stay put. It was a long flight, with some bumpy spots especially in the last couple of hours as we flew through some of the outer bands of Wilma. When we finally landed, I watched the carousel spin and spin but there was no luggage. The plane was overloaded and 60 bags didn't make it. No big deal. It will show up in good time.

It was a wonderful trip, well worth the price. Artistically, it is up in the air. Click over in the links section for "Florence and Venice 2005" to see some snapshots. My real work on those images will start in a few weeks. It was a special time to share with my brother. I wonder where my next trip will take me?