Gelato and Juliet: Running Italian-style in Verona
We spotted Julie’s story in one of the Train Like a Mother Facebook groups and wanted to know what it’s like to race in Italy. We thought you’d enjoy her story, too!
When Julie Doyle ran the Verona (Italy) Half Marathon two weeks ago, two gentlemen did not great her at the finish line. The race’s theme, however, was Romeo and Juliet so Willie Shakes did get a shout out.
Julie, who is a mom to three — a 3- and 6-year old boys and a 9-year old girl — has been running since high school where she was in both track and cross-country. She laced up her kicks off and on in college but really picked running back up after her oldest child was born.
Currently, she works at the family business: two running stores called Up-n-Running, with one location north of Pittsburgh and other in Ebensburg, PA.
Julie and her husband Kevin before the start.
Initially, Julie, her husband, and some friends were trying to pull a group together to travel and race. “But it wasn’t really working out,” she says. “Then my husband and I stumbled across this deal to go to Italy. It just so happened to be the same time as one of the races we were looking at doing with the group. We were, like, ‘well, this works out so we might as well do it.’”
The race itself started at the soccer stadium. For the first part, she ran on roads. Then the footing was less secure, when the course transitioned to cobblestones and took them into the heart of the city.
“We went by all of the old monuments and churches. Then the very last 5K, we were really on the downtown narrow streets, kind of weaving back and forth. We came out right by the Piazza Bra. Then we ran through the first century Roman amphitheater, then out and to the finish. Running through there, everybody cheers you on in Italian. Yelling ‘bravo, bravo!’ That was pretty neat.”
Running near the Ponte Castel Vecchio Bridge. Julie is in white.
In terms of logistics, the expo and the race itself felt like a race in the states. Even without speaking Italian, Julie found it easy to navigate. There were some differences, however.
“On the course, at some of the water stops, they actually had tea,” she says. “At the first one, they had the water marked — but then there was this brown liquid in a cup. It was room temperature. Not cold or anything. Some of the last water stations had bananas and these little pieces of pie. Plus something almost like a fruit chew or chomps but bigger. They were tasty afterwards but not during.
“One interesting thing was that were so many more men that were running than woman, which is completely backwards from a half marathon here. It was maybe 2/3 men to 1/3 women. Also, mostly Italians were running. They seem to do things where everybody is part of a running club. It doesn’t matter if you’re really fast or really slow, everybody has all their club gear on. Like you have your team uniform on and you’re ready to go race. It’s not as individualized. Everybody is representing whatever running club they’re part of.”
The finish line in Piazza Bra with the Arena di Verona in the background.
Refueling after the race was a hardship that involved a charcuterie board with meats, cheeses, and, of course, wine. And also of course: gelato.
“That night for dinner I had some the best gnocchi I’ve had in my entire life,” Julie says. “It was easy to carbo-load before the race.”
Julie would enthusiastically do it again.
“It was an interesting way to be able to run all over a part of Italy and explore the city a little bit differently than walking around to all of the different hot spots that everybody sees.”
Have you ever run a race is a foreign (to you) country? How was it different from what you were used to?
#249: Hacks and Advice for Runners to Combat the Effects of Aging
Sarah and co-host/BRF Molly Williams are feeling creaky on this week’s running podcast!! With Molly staring down the big 5-0 next month, the best running friends talk about the aches and stiffness that accompany aging—and how runners can fight back. Molly asserts an astute observation about when niggling joint pain or stiffness might kick in. Sarah talks about shuffling her workout schedule, plus why she’s changed up her strength-training routine. Dynamic flexibility drills pop up, too. Other topics that enter into the conversation: Embracing your inner dork. Walking down stairs. Hot older guys. Beards.
Before turning to aging woes (and solutions), Sarah and Molly gab pretty much as if they’re on a morning run, chatting about Molly’s recent trip to Victoria, B.C., plus weekend dates with their respective hubbies. Find out which one of those adventures prompts Molly to rave about, “a thick, leathery hide and a roll in the sprinkles.” Guaranteed laugh-out-loud moments so be prepared for odd stares if you listen while running solo!
*Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic meal kit delivery service that brings delicious dinners right to your doorstep. To get meals delivered and show your support for Another Mother Runner, go to greenchef.com/amr to get $50 off today.
*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.
**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!
Running After Breast Cancer: Will It Come Back?
Hi, I’m Katie. I’m many things: a mom, a wife, a professional, a new AMR team member, and I’m also a breast cancer survivor. I’ll be sharing my story here on Another Mother Runner as I get back into a regular running routine and train for a half marathon. I hope you’ll come along. Feel free to ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.
I am now 16 weeks out from my last treatment of Taxotere, Carboplatin, Herceptin, and Perjeta, and 14 weeks out from my bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. I have to say that I am feeling on top of the world. The side effects from chemo are all but gone, except for a little bit of short term memory loss, but honestly I don’t know it it ever came back after my last baby, #amirite Mamas? My hair is coming back, which is a constant source of entertainment for my three girls. They think it is so funny that I look like a boy. They love to rub my head and we have a lot of side bets about what color it’s eventually going to be — it started out light, then it was jet black, and now it’s getting light again.
The only thing that still lingers in my mind is: will the cancer come back?
To this day, I still have not been able to go down the Google rabbit hole to really get to the heart of my type of breast cancer (HER2+) or the stats for its risk of reoccurrence. When I was first diagnosed, I immediately went online and became so ridden with anxiety with everything that I read, that I told myself I am just going to listen to my doctors and have faith. I’m not naive. I know that it could rear its ugly head again but I’ve recently made a decision that I am not going to let it consume my life. I’m going to be grateful for this second chance I’ve received and not look back. I’m going to take good care of myself through running (hello, AMR!), diet (thank you, Ellie!), cut back on wine (which is soooo hard after a long day!), and pay more attention to the harmful products that are all around us.
This picture is from a walk we took over the weekend. We went to the cookie store, jumped in puddles of melting snow, and enjoyed another gorgeous day in February. My oldest has been pretty quiet about all of this, so when her sisters ran up ahead of us, I decided to try to talk to her about my breast cancer. I asked her if she was scared when I was sick, and she grabbed my hand, looked at me with her big blue eyes, and said, “Yes.” I held back tears and told her that I was scared too, but now I’m all better, so there is nothing to worry about it.
And I can honestly say that I finally believe it.
Want to catch up with Katie’s story? Click here.
#247: Working Non-Traditional Hours + Running
Sarah and co-host Adrienne Martini chat with four mother runners (including one whose voice will be very familiar to you if you listen to National Public Radio!) about how they manage to merge running with working non-traditional hours: Guests include a midwife, dairy farmer, ER nurse, and Tamara Keith, NPR’s White House correspondent and co-host of NPR Politics podcast. Interspersed throughout the episode are Voice Memos from numerous shift workers and other folks who work unconventional hours, adding to the lively conversation about how mother runners rack up miles on little sleep, “catch-as-catch-can” nutrition, and stand-all-day legs.
Hear why healthcare workers make ready-to-run Ragnar Relay teammates, and why farmwork is built-in cross-training for running. Find out if Tamara laces up her running shoes at the White House. All these ladies impart important reminders to us all, no matter what our work/life schedules, including “running is not going anywhere” and “it’s going to be great.” (Just like this podcast!)
*Green Chef is a USDA-certified organic meal kit delivery service that brings delicious dinners right to your doorstep. To get meals delivered and show your support for Another Mother Runner, go to greenchef.com/amr to get $50 off today.
*The nifty brand-new app SBS recommends for finding new-to-you running routes is called FASTZach.
*If you’re digging our podcasts, we’d be super-grateful if you’d take a minute (because we *know* you have so many to spare!) to write a review on iTunes. Many thanks.
**Also, the quickest way to get our podcasts is to subscribe to the show via iTunes. Clicking this link will automatically download the shows to your iTunes account. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. We’ve also joined the Acast podcast network, download their app to hear our podcast and many others like it!
Running After Breast Cancer: A glimmer of optimism
Hi, I’m Katie. I’m many things: a mom, a wife, a professional, a new AMR team member, and I’m also a breast cancer survivor. I’ll be sharing my story here on Another Mother Runner as I get back into a regular running routine and train for a half marathon. I hope you’ll come along. Feel free to ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to go for a run with Coach MK. We live close by each other, so I reached out to see if I could join her for one of her slow runs. She said yes, so we made plans to meet at 6 a.m. at the park close to where we both live.
Gulp.
I have not run at 6 a.m. aaaaaaaaaand I haven’t run for longer than 1 mile without stopping in 8 months. Eight months! So the night before I laid out my clothes, running shoes, my lucky pink hat (after I found it), and a head lamp, so I would be ready to go when my alarm went off at 5:30am.
What happened was so unexpected — we ran for an hour straight and talked the entire time. I didn’t have to stop once! We made it 5.5 miles! I have to admit that I’ve never been one to run with someone else. I usually get out there when I have a break in the day or with my BRF, Annie (my youngest).
Katie and her BRF, Annie.
When I run solo, I pass by these groups of women that are laughing and carrying on a conversation and I usually I get annoyed that they are taking up so much of the running path. But what I discovered was that running with a friend makes the run so much more enjoyable! You get to catch up on life, get your miles in, burn some calories, and clear your head. Plus, a friend doesn’t yell at me to “Run Faster!” like Annie does. I didn’t once look at my watch, search for a different song to get me through the next mile, or find an excuse to stop. I just ran, and it felt good.
I might just be able to run this half marathon after all.
Want to catch up with Katie’s story? Click here.
What a Mother Runner Looks Like: February 2017 (part one)
A few weeks back, we asked the Tribe to share what their proudest running moment has been — and, if they’ve a mind, to send a picture of what a Mother Runner looks like. The Tribe responded — and is a strong, good-looking crew!
This picture was taken after my run today. We live in Florida so off-season is usually July and August. I started running about four years ago purely because it was required as the third leg of a triathlon. After joining the AMR Heart Rate Training program last year, I learned to love running as its own sport. Especially now when it’s cool enough for my little (big) fuzz bucket to come with me. My favorite running moment was completing the 25k Gate2Gate Trail Race last fall. I ran it as a training run for my marathon and just loved being out in the woods, running with my friends, and feeling so good for such a long time.
— Caroline, 48. Mom to an 11-year old girl and a 15-year old boy. Her favorite body part is her brain. With it, she has been able to figure out the best training program for her, to design the best way to work training into her family life, and to appreciate what an awesome gift she has been given.
I recently became a runner in August 2016. I have never enjoyed running and have always struggled with it my entire life. Being prior military, I was no stranger to running but it always felt like more of a chore. Now I run for fun, to feel better, and for weight maintenance. My proudest running moment so far was the day I broke 3 miles. I had never run three miles in my life until November. One day I just started running and all of a sudden realized I made it three miles. I couldn’t believe I had run the whole thing.
— Nikki, 28. Mom to a 3-year old girl and 6- and 8-year old boys. Her favorite body part is her legs because they may be big but they are strong and will carry me as far as she wants to go.
I have been running for 30 years. My proudest running moment has to be jumping into a van full of strangers to run the Ragnar Wasatch Back relay. I learned how to be a good teammate and how to rely on my team for help.
— Camille, 47. Mom to a 9-, 14- and a 16-year old. Her favorite body part is her strong shoulders.
My proudest moment is just getting out to run. It was a terrifying for me. I hadn’t really been into sports for 36 years of my life. When I got back, my husband asked how it went. I made some comment about people probably laughing at the fat lady in running tights. His reply (I love this man so much): “Do you know how many f—-s you give while you are running? None.” That stuck with me. It’s my mantra now when I’m out running or at the gym and feeling self conscious.
— Lena, 38. Mom to a 4.5-year old son. Also in the picture is Mary Pat, 60, who is Lena’s mom. Lena’s favorite body part is her arms. She’s added lifting weights on her cross-training days and likes seeing the muscle that has developed.
I had been running as a sputterer since I was a teenager, but never with much purpose except to stay in shape. I discovered AMR 2 years ago and since have run 3 10Ks and the Wineglass Half Marathon, which was my proudest running moment. I remember just booking it down Corning’s Market Street to the finish line. I was sure people were amazed by my burst of speed. When I saw the actual video of it, my finish line sprint was in reality an awkward hobbling — but I cling to how I remembered it.
— Kathy, 56. Mom to two grown kids. On her favorite body part, she says, “it would be my boobs, because they have been my least favorite. Now that I think about it, I am embarrassed about how I beat up on them. I remember being teased for being flat-chested through middle school and high school. There was a rumor going around that peanut butter made you chestier so the football team took up a collection for me at lunch.
“Anyway, my boobs nursed my two kids, my husband of 29 years has never complained, and I never have to worry about bouncing—they were made for a mother runner. Even at 56, there is no sagging because there is nothing to sag. Now that I think about it, they have never given me a cause to worry about after a mammogram, although the technician is challenged to find enough tissue to put between the vice blocks and ends up pulling skin up from my navel. So, I will declare my boobs to be my favorite body part (but really it’s my booty).”
So what is your proudest running moment, BAMR?
Your favorite body part?
What do you look like after a run?