Sunday Miles Along the Canal

Daily Miles: 28.01 | Total Miles: 13,495.25

My alarm rang at 6. I snoozed a couple of times before finally getting up, hoping it wouldn’t rain today. I made a hot coffee, went through most of my things, packed up, and was out the door by 7:30 a.m. It was cool and overcast, and at first I felt a bit tired.

But it was Sunday, and I do love Sundays when I’m by myself out on the road in such a big city. There is something special about those quiet early hours before the crowds appear. I enjoyed doing a bit of sightseeing while the streets were still calm. Since I was already here, I knew I wanted to pass the Milan Cathedral.

First I ran through the area with the high-rises and then passed the Duomo. From there I made my way to the canal and followed it for most of the day toward Pavia.

Soon I met Justino, who is 70 years old and full of great energy. We ran together for a while and had a wonderful conversation. At some point he ran ahead of me and started telling runners and cyclists that I’m a world runner. That was so much fun. Many runners congratulated me and said complimenti. I met Davide, and Ricardo, and many others who waved with big smiles.

Ricardo, a young man I had taken a picture with earlier, returned after a while and asked if he could run with me for a bit. That was truly inspiring—to run alongside such an interesting and curious young person. That’s the best when we inspire one another. Ricardo was a great person to talk with and at the same time a perfect pacemaker. Grazie, Ricardo.

After some miles I called my sister to see where they were, and yes—they were just around the corner. I crossed a bridge and we met in a small town across the canal for a coffee. Perfect timing to sit together, enjoy a cappuccino, a chocolate croissant, and share some good laughs. The sun was shining for a moment, though dark clouds were still moving across the sky. Still, I felt in a great mood for the next 14 miles.

Back on the canal path, there were almost only cyclists coming from the other direction. I greeted them happily and settled into a comfortable rhythm, almost the same pace I had with Ricardo earlier. At one point there were millions of tiny flies in the air—some kind of midges—and they ended up in my mouth, nose, and eyes. Not the most pleasant moment, but that happens sometimes when running close to water, so I just stormed right through them.

The sun came out from time to time before hiding again behind the clouds. With about eight miles to go, my family stood along the path cheering me on. I was running well, so I didn’t stop, but it was wonderful to see them and cheer right back.

Five miles before the finish they appeared again. I quickly showed them the direction I would take to reach the hotel. They drove a slightly different way and we planned to meet there.

But then, with about two miles to go, the sky opened and it started to pour—really pouring cats and dogs. Within seconds I was completely soaked. It was cold, it was wet, it was ugly. But I didn’t even bother to put on my rain jacket. Andiamo, I said to myself—just go!

Soon after, I arrived at the hotel where my family had already gotten there. Once inside, we made ourselves comfortable and started thinking about what we wanted to do for our family music medley. We were very focused and determined to get some good shots—but of course most of the time we laughed so much that our bellies hurt.

After filming came editing and uploading. Later my sister drove us to a store to get a few utensils I need for my final running miles. In the evening we found a nice place for our last dinner together here in Italy. Two pizzas, a perfect little restaurant, and plenty more laughter.

Now it’s time to rest.

Thanks for checking in. Andrea