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    • The process before leaving town...
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    • Annie Hart Cool
  • Life as it appears to me
  • Blog
  • Italy 2022
    • The process before leaving town...
    • About
    • Annie Hart Cool
  • Life as it appears to me

Cool Annie's Travels

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Notify Me

Historic Falmouth Road Race

8/18/2016

2 Comments

 
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My letter to the 2016 Falmouth Road Race Runners...
​#FalmouthRoadRace
​


​My letter to the Falmouth Road Race Runners:

Just know, The first 3 miles you are pushed by a claustrophobic herd of sweaty beings...then oxygen happens around trunk River. There will be a rock and roll band and water station on the side of the road.

It's then you realize for the first time the only sweat your feeling is your own... Thank God!

You will breath deeper and find your pace...

But somewhere around the Clam Shack you'll contemplate a sweet refreshing swim across the harbor on to the yacht club docks and the surmountable Falmouth heights hill to the finish.

But you won't do it. You will think about your family , and the last time you swam and maybe boat traffic... Certainly the current... How embarrassing it would be to be the "Rosir Ruiz" of the Falmouth Road Race?

So you circle the bend onto Scranton Ave where friends will be tailgating with bloody Mary's, which sound disgusting when you've run 5 seaside miles...

You'll lift a sweaty hand in exhausted but noble greeting while trying not to wretch at the sight of tomato juice...

Crossing the Harbor at the Raw Bar the enthusiasm amps up and you start to realize. "I'm almost there". But here is where you see your fellow runners with heat exhaustion, blown out knees and dehydration.

So you sip some water from the water stop and drop the cup because today you have permission to litter.

Falmouth Heights road will be full of cheering enthusiast and maybe a friend will run out from the sideline in his " go to church" clothing and stumble along side of you passed the Island Queen and while he's encouraging you with every cheer leading word... he then stops and realizes he's out of breath and his wing tip shoes are making hamburger meat out of his heels. He drops out, wincing.

Alone at last! You pass the boat yard condos feeling the lack of training in your thighs but certain the end is in sight!

The slight, and I mean barely recognizable, incline that brings you passed the Silver Shore Shanty and St Thomas ' chapel nearly sends you to sit on the curb but you say NO to your aching knees! You say NO TO THE LOWER BACK PAIN...and you say NO to your shoe string that came untied because leaning over to tie it will take too much energy... And will certainly be painful.

"Shit", you say under your breath as people from your networking group hold up signs of support by the kite flying hill across from the Falmouth yacht club. You love these people but now, because their there... And out of pride

You can't even consider walking up the heights hill. A wave of hatred for 'those supportive people' washes over you and you smile that painful runners smile while raising a hand in salute! Meanwhile,under your breath, your exclaiming "WTF"?

You have made the corner at the Falmouth yacht club and you stop. You throw your leg up on the fence that lines Vineyard Sound and tie your shoe ... You tie that sneaker with a special precision that takes time... And breath...which flows from your hair follicles to your ankles with each inhale.

You head up the hill ... You hear your foot steps rattle through your skeleton. Like a drum beat or the bass turned up too loud on your car radio. 'Thump, thump-thump..' The vibration of every step is testing your internal circuit breakers....

So many people cheering. You can't
Stop now...
It's too beautiful a view.

As you crest the hill you see the American Flag towering over the track by the BBC and your confidence soars!

You then realize. 'I've got this' even if it means the rest of the day in the medical tent...

YEAH...I've run, danced, jogged, tripped and walked this historic race...if I can do it...no worries "You've got this! Have the best time!" #FalmouthRoadRace
2 Comments
Barbara Cotton
8/21/2016 07:04:47 pm

LOVE THIS, Annie. You truly capture the "moments!"

Reply
Annie
8/21/2016 07:54:56 pm

Thx

Reply



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Our Bike and Barge Itinerary!

Day 1: Individual arrival in Mantova


Day 2: Mantova, 21 mi. (35 km)


Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 + 60 km)

Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)

Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)

Day 7: Venice, free day

Day 8: Venice,
​departure following breakfast
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Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Italy as many worldwide know artists have left their masterpieces for us to enjoy, thanks to the famous Gonzaga family! Benvenuti a Mantova!
Day 2: Mantova - round trip tour - 21 mi. (35 km)


This entire day is dedicated to the discovery of this wonderful city and its surroundings, dominated by the wealth and influences left by the Gonzaga family, who owned the city for over 400 years.

Mantova was considered one of the most important cultural cities in the Renaissance and it still maintains a lot of the landscapes and the building that made it famous during that period.

​ In the late afternoon, a local guide will lead you through the most known highlights of the town.

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Day 3: Mantova - Governolo - Zelo, 32 mi. (50 km)

After breakfast, on board, you navigate from the "lakes" of Mantova and cruise through the lush wetlands that lead to Governolo Lock, where Mantova's Mincio River flows into the Po.

​ From here, by bike, you follow the broad sweeps of the levee towards Ostiglia, renowned for its medieval fortress and fierce fighting in 1945, as the Allies drove Hitler's forces back.
Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Fairground Rides and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!).


This village is also in the heartland of Grana Padano, the arch-rival of Parmesan. A visit to the local cheese factory, sampling some well seasoned Grana, is a must-do.

​You meet the barge in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.
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Day 4: Zelo - Ferrara - Adria, 31 mi. by bike + 37 mi. by bus (50 km by bike + 60 km by bus)
Following breakfast, you will start cycling towards Ferrara. Once you have reached the town, which earned the name of "city of bicycles", you will be enchanted by the historical center, still surrounded by the old city walls.

​You will enjoy a guided town tour. From Ferrara, a short bus transfer will bring you to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltic. It's a remarkable museum that also bears witness to its Etruscan, Roman, and Venetian Heritage.
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​Day 5: Adria - Po Delta Nature Reserve - Pellestrina Island, 25 mi. (40 km)
After a short ride on board, you cycle into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a sizeable colony of flamingos. Weather permitting, as you continue towards Chioggia, you can also enjoy a stop at a beach and a dip in the Adriatic - not forgetting a hot savory piadina! Chioggia is also known as "Little Venice", a colorful fishing hub. The overnight takes place on the island of  Pellestrina, just in front of Chioggia.
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Day 6: Pellestrina Island - Venice, 19 mi. (30 km)
Venice beckons, but first another world altogether: Pellestrina, the first of two islands you traverse today – a humble and tranquil fishing backwater, picturesque as ever with its cottages, boats, and nets. A short island-hop by ferry transfers to Lido. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars.

​ After rejoining the barge, you will enjoy a leisure cruise in front of St Mark’s square to the final destination. After dinner, you can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia!
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Day 7: Venice, guided walking tour and free time
A guided walking tour of Venice begins around 11 am and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. It begins in St. Mark square and continues towards the bigger "sestiere" of the city, Castello.

You will visit Campo Santa Maria Formosa where you can experience a characteristic market and then a city hospital and large gothic church in Campo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo. Later, you will go to Campo Santa Marina and to the Rialto Bridge. During this tour, the guide will explain these sites from the outside, no entrances are planned. 
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I guess I always knew this… but forgot?

As we prepare to leave on vacation the energy in the house is a mix between excitement and dread. You know the anticipation? The expectation ! And all the things you forgot.

I take a breath and lean in to my suitcase. I don’t know why I fret. The few things I pack can be washed and reworn!

If Covid taught us nothing it taught us sweat pants can last a week if handled carefully! Two weeks in Italy requires comfort clothes and something a little stylish… but wait, I live on Cape Cod!

We have completed most of the requisites. The note to the Dog sitter, the walk about with the gardener, the cleaned out refrigerator… but then it dawns on us…
what about the storage on our phones?

​TONIGHT. Tonight we will be deleting everything. Sorry, but it’s true.
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