Yesterday I ran the half marathon, it was a great way to start the month and re- establish my life in Rome. The day started off with light rain and cloudy sky, and it progressed to heavy rains and even cloudier sky; nevertheless the race was fantastic. A and I ran the whole distance in 2h and 41 min. We were running to reach a goal but especially to raise funds for Behbud. Surprisingly, we had a lot of feedback on our initiative, and lots of people donated money. It felt so good to run for a good cause. No matter what the meteorological conditions were, it still felt like Spring.
New things are coming, and the future looks bright. Happy Spring everyone!
Just one week to go before the half marathon. My body is starting to ache a bit but I have the last bit of training to do. Today it's long run day. After this it will just be short runs, yoga and possibly some swimming before the big day!
The Half Marathon goes from Rome to the beach, in Ostia. The race is called Roma -Ostia
Finally the temperature in Philly has gone up a bit, we went from -3C to 6C today. The sun is shining and the world is beautiful. With all these elements put together and making today the perfect day, I could not avoid my weekly long run. I have been training for the half marathon for quite a while, and I only have 1 short month to go, so long runs are a MUST! I got ready and headed out running towards the river path, starting at Locust and 25th. There were plenty of people out running, so I had extra motivation. I ran all the way to the Philadelphia Art Museum and followed the path till I got to the bottom of the stairs of the imposing building. The museum was partially designed by Julian Abele at it is beautiful example of neoclassical architecture. I was so inspired by the majesty of the building that I opted for some extra exercise, going up and down the stairs leading up to the entrance. Suddenly, once I reached the top, I had a deja vu..didn't this look and feel familiar??? I ran down, then up again and when I finally got back down to the bottom of the stairs where I found the answer to my question: a golden statue to ROCKY!!! How funny, right next to the plaque celebrating Julian Abele, a brilliant member of the local intelligentia, was the statue of the symbol of non- cultured Philadelphia...interesting.
Anyway, I ran home and immediately googled Julian Abele, to find out more about this fascinatig architect, and of course googled the Rocky workout too. Here it is, just for you!
Yes! I am really doing the things I had planned on doing..among other positive and constructive things I started running again. This time, I was inspired by two women: my friend Imogen who ran a half-marathon to raise money for the charity LAM Action (you can donate at http://www.justgiving.com/imogenaylen), and Ms. Malik who runs a non profit called Behbud Behbud allows women in rural parts of Pakistan to have a job and earn an honest living. Behbud's mission is to empower women by providing health, education, income-generation and vocational training regardless of color, cast or creed.
Last April, during a trip to Pakistan I had the opportunity to meet some of these women and I was so impressed by their high spirit and desire to work. It was a lesson.
So here I am, training for the Rome half marathon (March 1, 2009). Amina and I will be running for Behbud, and hopefully we'll be able to raise a good sum. If you are interested, you can donate to both charities, LAM action and Behbud online.
The Rome Marathon is called Roma Ostia. Info here: Roma Ostia
