In with the New

I'm not what I call a "resolutionist", meaning I don't make New Year's resolutions.  But I am a goal-oriented person and given that it's new month, especially combined with a New Year, has given me pause to think about what I most want to achieve in the coming months. This isn't a full year look-ahead, but bigger than just a month.  I decided that a stop, start, continue format would work best for this.

START

• Take measures to deal with estrogen dominance (look it up - in my case this is related to being a middle-aged woman).  I've added a few new supplements to my routine. I think that I'll know if it's working if I feel that I'm sleeping better
• Be more of an "encourager".  I almost put this in the continue bucket because I'd like to believe that I'm already somewhat encouraging to others, but I really want to step up my game here.  

STOP

• In the past few weeks, the 365 project (one photo a day for a year) seems to have turned into a chore rather than a hobby.  I found myself missing days then trying to make up for it.  Over and over again.  To the point that I realized that I've lost interest in this and it's no longer fun.  I'd been doing for 10 of the planned 12 months.  Since this was nothing more than a hobby, I decided to 'officially' put it to a close on New Years Eve day.  I feel good about that decision.  Maybe I'll start up again on March 1. But this time, rather than call it a 365, I'll call it a photo-a-day and let the duration happen naturally.

CONTINUE

• Be smart about my knee.  Race for fun, keep the distances reasonable, stop when it hurts. I'd rather run short and slow than not at all. This worked well for me in 2012 and I want to repeat that in 2013. Looking at some fun runs in the next few months to kick-start the new year.
• 3x week yoga, 2-3/week running, 3/week fitness walking seems like a good maintenance plan for my body.  I want to keep this up and build from there. 
• Read at least 1-2 books a week.  This may sound odd to you, but until my Husband bought me a Nexus 7 in the beginning of August, I hadn't read for fun EVER.  Since then, I've been reading like a fool.  I want to keep this up and read at least 1-2 books a week just for fun. 

Out with the Old

December Tally

• 1 nasty back spasm
• 7 chiro sessions
• 7 unplanned rest days
• 16.5 miles walking
• 10.0 miles running
• 13 yoga sessions
• 1 4-day trip to Chicago/Deerfield

Thoughts

• It's hard enough to stay on the fitness bandwagon in December without a back spasm that knocks one out for the better part of a week.  I didn't totally give up though. I can only do what I can do, right?

Plans for January

• Back on the fitness bandwagon.  The January goal is 2 per week running, 5 3 per week yoga, 3 per week fitness walking. [edited because I realize that 5/week yoga isn't going to happen.  3/week is more reasonable]

2012 in a Glance

• High-lights
• Travel:  Way more travel than usual this year.  Trip to Grand Cayman, Trip to Washington DC, Trip to San Francisco, Trip to Indiana/Ohio, Trip to Kauai, Trip to Italy, Trip to Chicago/Deerfield.
• Fitness:  Not many races, but steady progress and lots of fun.  And I ended the year weighing less than I did when it started.  
• Immediate Family:  Daughter went on mission trip to Haiti during spring break, graduated high school, moved on campus, and started college.  Son landed an internship over the summer in CA and continues to do well in school, now in his junior year at Cal.  Husband & I went on sabbatical.  
• Visits with Extended Family:  Husband's parents came down for Daughter's graduation. Saw members of my family in Ohio during August. Saw members of Husband's family during December in Deerfield/Chicago.  Also his Dad came down for Christmas.
• Low-lights
• Still dealing with the chronic issue with my left knee.  It has been particularly problematic during travel, but I'm able to manage it fairly well at home. Need to avoid stairs, and excessive walking.  Also need to run shorter distances, preferably on dirt.
• Husband's youngest sister's diagnosis of stage 4 metastasized breast cancer.  :-(

All in all, 2012 was a pretty good year.  Not sure it's possible, but I'm going to try to have an even better 2013.  Bring it on!!

Oh...and  I kicked off the New Year with 4 miles on the trail with my running partner.  Off to a great start!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Cold Weather Running

Met my running partner Friday morning for a 3 mile run.  It was cold and windy....24deg with a 18degF windchill factor.  As soon as I got out of the car she exclaimed, "What the H3LL were we thinking?!?"

I'll be honest, that's getting pretty close to my lower limit.  I usually won't go out if the temp/windchill is below 15deg.  What about you?  How cold is too cold for you?

Of course, as is usually the case, running was way better than not running
And when we were done we decided to meet again the next day, same time same place. So I guess it wasn't THAT bad.

Guess What I Did Today?!?

It's been roughly 7 weeks since my last run, but as of today I am cleared to try easy running. I thought I might aim for 1.5 miles, but ended up doing 2.0 and then walking a half mile cool down. My knee felt okay the entire time.  Woot!

I didn't go far, and I didn't go fast, but I got out there and it was fantastic.

Turned out to be a nice morning for it also.  It rained last night and the cloud cover kept the temperature warmer than usual for this time of year.

What a great way to kick off my weekend!

White Tea and Yoga

Hard to believe that I would blog about either one of these topics, much less both at once, but here we go!

White Tea - I've had and on/off relationship with tea where I go through phases of consistent tea drinking and then give tit p entirely.  When my kids were home at Thanksgiving, they were interested in sampling the various loose leaf teas that we have at home.  And this got me more interested in teas as well.  I decided to add to my collection and stumbled apon a discover that maybe you already knew, but white tea is especially good for your health, even more so than green tea!  And I had never even heard of white tea.  So I have one new white tea already and two more on the way.  I'm going to try to consume 3-4 cups of white tea per day at least 5 times per week for about 3 months and then report back on any positive effects that I notice.  Have any of you tried white tea?  What benefits did you notice?

Yoga - I'm actually on day 6 of my recommitment to yoga (via Kate Perry's Namaste Yoga DVDs - a collection of ~22 minutes episodes).  So far so good; I've done it every day for the past 6 days!  I'm actually really enjoying this particular yoga series and the length is just perfect for me even if the episodes are a bit challenging for my yoga-challenged self.  If I can continue to do this every day, that would rock.  However, just like the tea experiment, I'm actually just hoping to accomplish it 5 times per week for 3 months and report back on any positive effects that I notice. 

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After Thoughts: 

1. I figured at least one of you will wonder why it is that my goals to do something 5 times per week rather than every day?  Because it's something I think I can be successful at, whereas I'm almost certain that something will come up to keep me from doing it every single day, and when I start to feel like I'm failing, I tend to quit.  So I'm trying to set myself up for succses so that I will continue!  Also, by doing it for 3 months, it gives me something to focus on during the winter months. :-)
2. And just because it's too exciting not to mention, I'm going to attempt my first run-walk post knee injections on Friday morning. T-3 days and counting!
3. You can look up the health benefits of white tea yourself, but what caught my attention was the anti-bacterial/anti-viral properties and abundance of antioxidants

Jingle Bell Run Spectator Summary

I ended up as a spectator while Husband ran the 5K.  He had a good race with a strong finish and I suspect an age group placing (I don't think there was anyone over 50 ahead of him, but I could be wrong).  He didn't want to stick around for awards though.  For the record, if it ever looks like *I* am going to place in my age group, I *will* stick around, but to each his own.

It was a beautiful day!  I took some photos with my phone.

The race was at a local park

There was a category to walk with a dog, but these folks actually brought a piglet!

This was at mile 1.  See the guy running in a Christmas Tree costume?!  Hahaha

Husband (in black & grey)  finishing strong and with good running form.

Our local chapter raised about $26.5K for the Arthritis Foundation.through this event this year.  I really wish I would have been able to run, but spectating was still fun.  I'm hoping for next year.

Namaste Yoga

I've decided to try to recommit to yoga and instead of doing long sessions less often, I will aim for shorter (20-25min) sessions more often.

The month got off to a bad start with my back spasm issues, but things are looking up now and yesterday I decided that I felt well enough to give it a go.

What I know about myself is that I need some sort of video or DVD to follow along with.  I wanted to try something different from what I've tried in the past and settled on Kate Potter's Namaste Yoga.  I've actually ordered the full Season 1 DVD set (13 episodes, each is about 22-24 minutes long - PERFECT) and found a few episodes online to follow along with while I wait for my DVDs to arrive.

I have sort of a love-hate relationship with yoga.  For one thing, I pretty much suck at it.  But it does make me feel better afterwards and I know that if I stick with it I will see improvements in flexibility and strength. I've failed in the past trying to do classes - travel time and the rigid schedule make it difficult and feeling like I have two left feet in a class full of graceful students doesn't help my motivation one bit.  I've also failed with longer DVD workouts, I seem to have a lot of trouble making time for them.  But these shorter sessions seem just right from a time perspective.

So far I'm two for two, but the real test will probably be whether or not I'm still doing it a few weeks from now.

I could use some yoga motivation.  If you are a yoga fan, please tell me about your favorite yoga classes, poses, style, DVDs, etc. If you aren't a yoga fan, if you have ideas on how to stick with it anyway, I'd be happy to hear about that as well.

p.s. From a knee perspective, I'm cleared to try easy running again one week from today!  Yippee!!

Chiropractic Therapy

One the positive side, this latest back spasm issue is distracting me from the boredom of letting the injections heal my knee.  I can think of several alternatives that I would have preferred as distractions, but in life you get what you get.

In my adult life, I've been to three different chiropractors.  I really didn't like the first one very much, more of a traditional high impact chiropractic practice that was a little bit scary.  Really like the second one though, he did something more akin to ART and everything was low impact. I always felt better after seeing him and nothing he did was scary. Unfortunately, he has retired and is no longer in practice.  I then switched to someone who is somewhat in between in methods.  She is mostly low impact, not the same as my favorite chiropractor, but much better than the first one.

I had been going monthly for maintenance, but had to cancel my last appointment and simply forgot to follow up later.  With my favorite chiropractor, I never would forget to go.  Since I'm sort of ambivalent toward this one's particular methods, it had't been a priority for me to go.  As it turns out, I hadn't been to the chiropractor for several months when my back spasms hit.  Perhaps not getting regular adjustments may have been a contributing factor.

So I'm back again.  I've had appoints for Tuesday, Wednesday, and then again later today.  On Tuesday, she sent me to a physical therapist for electro-stimulation and heat for my back as well as percussive therapy after the adjustment.  I really didn't like how that stuff felt, but I do think it helped.  Yesterday, I just got an adjustment.  This morning my husband commented that I was standing up and walking with 'almost normal' posture.  That's quite an improvement from where I've been all week, so I think the chiropractic adjustments have helped.  

This afternoon I believe she wants to talk to me about setting up an appointment for getting therapeutic massage sometime next week as well.  I think that's a good idea as well.

I think I want to continue seeing a chiropractor on an ongoing basis, but she may not be the right one for me. I hate the thought of starting over with someone new though.  And with so many different chiropractors out there, it's not that easy to find the 'right' one.

How many of you have seen chiropractors?  Have you had good experiences, bad, or a mixed bag?

Oh, and to get closer to topic.  Husband is running a 5K on Saturday.  I'm thinking of either signing up to walk the 5K or signing up for the 2.5K walk that is happening at the same venue. Alternatively, I may just go and be a cheerleader for him.  It all depends on how I feel Saturday morning.  Whatever I do will likely involve race day registration.

November by the numbers

Numbers for November

• Knee injections: 3
• Young adult children home for Thanksgiving: 2
• Miles walked: 18.7
• Miles run: 7.6
• Pounds gained:  nada

Thoughts

• Very low activity this month due to forced rest while getting the series of injections. That's all part of the healing process though.  I'm now past the worst of it and should be able to try easy running in about two weeks.
• It was nice having both kids home for Thanksgiving.  They'll both be home for winter break as well.

Plans for December

• Ease back into running in mid-December.  If I could get even something as small as 10 miles of running total this month, it would rock.  
• Keep eating at bay.  Remember that maintaining weight is about calories in vs calories out and right now my calories out isn't as high as usual.
• Start walking more now the the knee isn't a limiting factor.  I'd like to average at least 10 miles per week fitness walking (purposeful brisk walking, not casual walking).
• Unfortunately, started the month off with back spasms.  If it isn't one thing it's another, geez!  Hopefully in another week or so all of this nonsense will be behind me and I'll be back to a normal routine.  
• Try adding in yoga.  Long sessions have never worked well for me, but maybe 2-3 days per week for 20mins at a time would be a good goal.

Injections and insights

Well, it's the day after Thanksgiving.  While some of you were out for black Friday shopping, I was at the orthopedic office receiving my third and final injection. Admit it, you're jealous, aren't you?  ;-)

Now I wait.  I can try running again in three weeks.  From past experience, it takes 5-6 weeks before running is okay though.  Also, in 6 weeks, if my knee is pain-free, this will have been considered a success and I'll have another 6-9 months before needing to head back for another round.  If, however, I'm still having knee pain, I need to go back and try something else.  It's worked well for me in the past, and the condition with my knee is progressing very slowly. I have confidence that it will be successful again.

My husband went for a run this afternoon and my son (home for the holiday weekend) went yesterday.  I suggested to my husband that he ask our son if he wanted to join him when he went out.  "I'm not a social runner" was his reply.  I realized that we are really different in that regard. In contrast to him, I am *totally* a social runner.  I would never pass up an opportunity to run with someone vs. running alone.  In fact, these days I actually find that I have a hard time getting motivated for a run when I don't have someone to run with.

How about you?  Are you a social runner or not?

I found it interesting that my son mentioned something about how running releases "happy chemicals" in your brain (he was relaying conversations he's had some somebody studying cognitive-neuroscience or something like that).  That's something I know all too well, and I've been missing those "happy chemicals" for a few weeks already.  *sigh*

Knee Update

Well, I had my appt with the orthopedic on Friday.  The good news is that the situation with my knee is progressing slowly.  It seems like the injections will work for me for quite some time (not at all close to needing surgery, for example).  The injections require insurance pre-authorization, which they were able to get by phone while I was there, so I was able to get started right away.  Two more appts one week a part and I'll be done for another 9-10 months or so.

The less good news is that I can't run during this time.  I need to wait at least 3 weeks after the last injection. From past experience, running may be uncomfortable until 6 weeks past the last injection.  But all-in-all, this really isn't a bad time to take a break anyway.

Not sure how much blogging I will do. I find that when I'm not running, I'm not all that interested in blogging. But I do expect to be back in full force when I'm back on the trail.

October Summary

Numbers

• One 10K race resulting in one 10K PR
• Zero cycling.  Oops.
• 23.5 miles fitness walking
• 47.4 miles running
• One early voting ballot completed
• One post-running-group-season surprise baby shower attended. 

Thoughts

• Meant to do a half-century in November, but haven't been on my bike since August so obviously it didn't happen
• Happy that the 10K resulted in a personal best.  
• I essentially stopped running for the remainder of October after the 10K race.  This is because I'm having problems with my knee and I'm trying not to make it worse.   
• I'm only counting walking as "fitness walking" if it is at a brisk pace.  Any walking at a leisurely pace isn't getting included in my numbers at the moment.  This is mostly because my running is down and I'm more conscious of the walking that gets my heart rate up.  When my running goes back up again, I'll be more lax in what I include in the walking numbers.
• Transitioning back to work after 8 weeks off was not a lot of fun.

Plans

• Appt with the orthopedic this coming Friday.  Hoping to set up another series of Euflexxa injections beginning sometime around Thanksgiving.
• Not sure how much running I can do over this next month, goal is to get in a decent amount of fitness walking, 1-2 miles each day at a brisk pace.  As it turns out, my dogs are great fitness walking partners; they never turn down the opportunity for a walk and are quite happy with a brisk pace. 
• While I'm trying very hard to "do the right thing" and not run on a bad knee, I'm finding the lack of running is having a negative impact on my overall mood and stress level.  I ended up running easy on Friday and Saturday and it helped my mood a lot.  So maybe I need some short easy runs just to stay sane.  I hope I'm not the *only* one who feels like I'm teetering on the edge of sanity when I can't run.

[After Thought:  I've been trying to learn more about the physiology behind how running affects mood.  Apparently there is some research that it can affect levels of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, setotonin, and noraepinephine.  Interesting.  Very interesting indeed]

Duke City 10K Race Report

The Good

• Ran this race with my two favorite runners: my running partner & my husband.
• Started and finished the race next to my running partner.  
• The technical long sleeve shirt is pretty nice.
• For once, I didn't go out too fast or slow down too much over time.  Ran fairly steady.
• My Garmin says I ran a 9:44 pace.  
• Husband did better than he expected this morning.
• Finished 10 of 40 in my Age Group.
• By all counts, a achieved a 10K PR!  So did my running partner!

The Bad

• My running partner had to stop and use the port-a-potties about 2 miles in.  It took awhile for her to catch back up to me, but she did.  I didn't like running those middle miles without her.  
• It was really crowded at the beginning.
• It was pretty crowded in the middle too.  For part of it we were running on a narrow path and I had to go off the path and run on dirt to get around some folks that were blocking in front of me.  
• My running group had a relay team doing the full marathon, but we didn't see any of them.  
• My official time seems messed up.  I stopped my Garmin at 01:01:20, but I was fairly sure it was closer to 01:01:15 when I crossed the line (I didn't stop to turn it off right away).  My running partner, who started and finished next to me has an official time of 01:01:16, mine is listed at 01:01:32?!?!  Only thing I can figure is that my chip didn't register when we crossed the start line and hers did.  16 sec is about how long it took from gun to start. For what it's worth, I'm recording it as 01:01:16 on my sidebar, because I know how fast I ran and if I want to aim for a *new* PB after today, that is the time I need to beat, not 01:01:32!

The Ugly

• My mood.  I went from elated to have a PB to ticked off that my official time seems messed up. For some reason those 16 extra seconds are *really* bug me and I'm having a hard time shaking it.

Change of seasons

This weekend it got cold enough that we decided it was time to hook up the furnace.  Strange thing living here in NM, at least in our house, we need to decide if we want the cooler hooked up or the furnace.  Can't have both.  I also needed to pull out my winter running gear.  It was 32 deg at the start of  my run Saturday morning.

This coming weekend is the Duke City Marathon.  They also have a half marathon, 10K, and 5K.  I'm running the 10K.  Several folks in our running group are doing the marathon relay.  We have a couple running the half.  I don't think anyone is doing the full this year.  This race signifies the end of our running group's season.  We'll take a break as a group and reconvene at the end of February.  Some of us run during the winter, some don't.

I'd like to keep running, but my knee has been bothering me enough that I think I'll take a break starting after the race until I've completed the series of injections and get the clear to run again.  Maybe this time I'll keep some momentum alive with walking and swimming.  Or not.  Guess time will tell.

But as for this week, I've still got a few more training runs.  Packet pick-up Saturday.  And going after a 10K PR on Sunday.

My 15 Sec of Fame

While I was in Italy, I got several emails from friends asking if I had seen the latest issue of our local fitness magazine; apparently my photo was in it. Well, someone saved one for me.

My 15 sec of fame consists of a "see-me-orange" shirt with crazy arm warmers and a totally cheesy pose while everyone else is beaming sincere smiles.

Because, you know, I'm classy like that.

Sept Tally

Numbers

• 15 Travel Days
• 40.5 miles run
• 67.1 miles walked
• 1 race (15K)
• 11 days ill
• 0 days working

Thoughts

• Overall, a great month except for getting sick.  
• I got some decent running volume in given that I was gone half the month. I also did a *lot* of walking.  I didn't even capture it all!

Plans

• Sabbatical is over and I'm back to work.  I need to transition back to work and get reengaged in meaningful projects.
• One thing that may not be evident from the numbers is that my knee is bothering me again.  It's been about 10 months since I got injections, that's not bad.  Going back to the orthopedic on Nov 9th and hope to get started on injections again by about Thanksgiving.  The plan between now and then is to run until/unless my knee bothers me too much.  It seems to be okay on flat dirt surfaces, so that's what I'm running on.
• Planning to sign up for Duke City 10K this weekend. The race in in about 2.5 weeks.

Hot Choc 15K Race Report

Preface:

I explained my poor excuse for race prep in this post as well as gave estimates for finish times.  In summary, I didn't train properly for this race due to a trip to Italy and also was recovering slowly from some sort of upper respiratory ick. The plan was to start at the beginning, run to the finish, and consume chocolate.  A plan so easy, even *I* couldn't mess it up.

Pre-race:

Husband has also been recovering from the ick, but he was about 4 days behind me on it.  He wasn't sure if he was going to run or sit it out.  He decided to run, in retrospect, probably not the best decision.  We met my running partner on this side of town so she could carpool with us.  We got the the site early enough to watch the 5K runners start.  We were also able to find all of our friends who were running and bid them well wishes.  Since we were all running, nobody had a camera.  But trust me, we were able to meet up with everyone intended.  Yay.

The plan was for my running partner and I to run together.  With the caveat that it was okay to split up if someone was feeling really good and really wanted to speed up or really sluggish and needed to fall back. We work well as a team, but always give each other an out.

Miles 1-4:

I was feeling really good and we were running strong, with a pace of ~10min/mi.  At that point, it almost felt like we might be able to keep that up throughout the race, but I guess it was too good to be true.

Miles 5-7:

Reality started to set in.  It became clear that we couldn't keep up that pace for the full duration of the race, and we slowed down to a pace closer to 10:30ish.  This was still good, as it was our original target pace for the race knowing that we weren't going to be training correctly.

Oh, the hot chocolate RV was near the 5 mile point with music blaring and lots of cheering going on.  I appreciated that.

Miles 8-9.4:

This is where the wheels fell off the bus, at least for me.  I told my running partner to go on without me.  I slowed down quite a bit to a more comfortable pace.  During this time, I made friends with another lady on the course that seemed to be running my same pace so we ran together from there.

About a half mile from the finish line, I saw Husband.  I asked him how he did and he responded that he hadn't finished yet. What?!?  Rut roh!  I guess he started having problems at the 10K point due to the bronchitis(?) or whatever that he was getting over and started walking.

However, he felt good enough to run with me and my new friend at our slowed pace so we ended up finishing together. I was the last of my run friends to finish, so they were all cheering for us at the finish line.  That's one of the benefits of having fast friends! The kicker, my official finish time ended up being 01:38:01, essentially my original target time!  Woot!

Post Race:

Much chocolate consumed.

Husband wasn't feeling very well, so we sat and rested for a bit.  After resting, we
met up with all of our run group friends and did a little post race shopping. They had women's shirts, but I liked this grey long-sleeve men's technical shirt and got it in a size small.

I now also have the jacket (very nice) as well as the brown and white running hats (technical). I'll be sporting the hot chocolate race stuff for awhile it seems.  What can I say, it was a fun race.

Reflections:

I would definitely like to do this again if they come back to Albuquerque, this time training properly!  The race was fun, the promotional event during the summer was fun, the SWAG (jacket and hat) was great, the finishers mug of chocolate was yummy.  I wasn't a huge fan of the course; I counted 31 turns over the 15K route, but it must have been marked well because nobody got lost.

Overall, I'm pleased.

Mission Accomplished

Official Time:  01:38:01.  Much chocolate consumed at finish line.

(Check my previous post to understand where that fit within my estimates.  Race report later.  Too exhausted now).

The Plan

Hot Choc 15K is tomorrow.  Let's review the situation.  My last LONG run was over three weeks ago.  I didn't run the entire time we were in Italy.  I'm still getting over whatever upper respiratory virus decided to infect my body.  I AM feeling well enough to run now and I even tested it out with a few short runs.  My legs are good.  My breathing, not so much.

So here's the plan:

• Start at the beginning
• Put one foot in front of the other until reaching the finish line
• Consume chocolate

So simple, even *I* shouldn't be able to mess it up, right?!?

Here are some estimated finish times.  Under the circumstances, I honestly don't have any time goals, this is just a range of times that seem to be within the realm of possibility.

• Our original target time:  ~01:38:00
• Most likely time given the circumstances: ~01:50:00
• If a miracle occurs, and I feel fantastic tomorrow: ~01:30:00

Husband picked up our packets for us yesterday.  We were one of the first 1000 to sign up, so we got a hat in addition to the jacket.  

I already had the brown hat from the promotional event that they did a few months ago and asked him to see if he could get the white hat instead.  And as you can see, he did.  SCORE!

Here's hoping 3610 is a lucky number for getting to the finish line without coughing up a lung.  Hot Chocolate Run, here I come!!

Yeah, so THAT didn't happen

Remember the 7 miles I said I was going to run today?  Well, the ick that I caught while I was in Italy has worked it's way from my throat to my sinuses and now to my lungs.  Maybe if I feel better tomorrow I will try a 4 mile run.  Or maybe I'll just show up Saturday and let the 15K be the first I've run in 3 weeks.  Or maybe I'll be too sick to show up.  At this point, I really have no idea what's going to happen. *sigh*

Here are a few photos from Rome.  I was feeling miserable while we were there, so I really wasn't able to enjoy it as much as I should/could have.  Still, we did a fair bit of walking and saw a lot of stuff.

Crazy traffic near the Vittoria Emmanuel Memorial

The Roman Colosseum

Michelangelo's Peita at St. Mark's Basilica

Scooters!

P.S. - Sorry that I haven't been commenting on many of your blogs lately.  I promise to be back to reading and commenting more regularly when I am back to running more regularly.