Happy July! I officially have one month left of being 28, and June 27 marked three months in Europe for me and Jeremy. Today is also one of my best friends Nicole‘s birthday, so happy birthday Nicole!!!! She is trying to come visit me and Jeremy while we spend the month of August housesitting in Paris, and I REALLY hope it happens. Just think of all the croissants and macarons we’ll eat! Of course we’ll get some exercise too… Nicole and I met the first week of college my freshman year at UGA in Athens, Georgia. We became fast friends, and have been close ever since.

Running in Turin

My runs in Turin were okay, but not stellar. The house we were renting was up in the hills and the roads around it were steep and narrow with endless amounts of blind turns, and I didn’t feel comfortable running on them since Italian drivers are a little crazy and I was worried I’d get sideswiped. Thankfully, my dad nicely drove me to two different spots to run where no cars were allowed. The first one was in a big green park, Parco della Rimembranza, with hiking trails running all through it. I ran to the top, and then up and down a couple times to make up some distance, and I figured it was good to practice running hills. The view at the top was pretty great.

Afterward, my dad and I found a nice café at the top of the park, had a cappuccino and just sat and watched all the local Italians eat and drink coffee with their families.

The other place I ran was along the Po River in central Turin, starting at the Parco del Valentino. This is a such a great place to run; pedestrian paths follow the river for miles, and there were so many other runners out. It was in the middle of the day, though, and it was hot, and I felt miserable. I had eaten the biggest meal OF MY LIFE (not exaggerating) the night before, and felt very heavy. It was one of those runs where you feel like you are running as fast as you possibly can, and it’s still a minute slower than your normal pace. It was rough. But I got through it, and saw some nice sights along the way.

I have returned to Hal Higdon for a half marathon training schedule for a race I’m trying to run in September. I have used his plans for my past four halfs, and I like them a lot. Having a plan helps me stay on track, although this week we’re in Rome and we’ve been walking so much that my legs are too tired to run. On Saturday we walked for six hours straight, and since I don’t want to overdo it and re-injure my knee, I didn’t run on Sunday like I had planned. Since I’ve been pretty consistent otherwise, I think that I’ll be fine to continue the training plan and be prepared to run a couple half marathons this fall. I REALLY miss racing, and can’t wait to get on the starting line again.