Neander Trail 2009

Yesterday I completed another wonderful trail race.

Originally I registered for the long race, the Cro-Magnon, but unfortunatly, due to the winter heavy snowfalls, the race was canceled.

The race comittee proposed 3 different options: total refund, postponement of the registration for the 2010 edition, partial refound and registration for the short race. Obviously I decided for the short race.

The Neander Trail is a night trail race starting from Camp D’Argent, on the Alps near Nice, France, and arriving directly on the Cap D’Ail beach, close to Montecarlo football stadium. The race length is 53 KM with 2,050 meters of altitude gain and 3,790 meters of altitude loss. The uniqueness of the race is that it starts at 8.00 p.m.

When I arrived in Camp D’Argent I soon realized that this race would have been a hard one. I was freezing: 7° Celcius, foggy and windy!

It was really chilling at the start at Camp d’Argent ski station, some 1,750 meters above the sea level on the French Alps. We started the race climbing soon a steep ski ground. I was even able to run a little bit up there, having a more solid trail training than the last year. After reaching the “Cime des Trois Communes” at 2,100 meters, we went downhill for 3 km and then again up to climb Maoune peak, at 1,930 meters. After Maoune we ran down the mountain for at least 10 km to reach the first refreshment station. Here I changed my head lamp batteries because during the downhill before I was unable to clearly see the trail…

After Sospel I experienced the worst uphill of the whole race. Boy, it was so steep, even if it lasted just 2 km. Here I started passing some runners completely burned by the uphill. After this steep side of the mountain and 10 km up and down, I arrived at Col de Banquettes refreshment aid station.

While climbing the “Cime de Baudon” peak I realised it was time to wear my jacket. It was really windy but so clear thank to the full moon night!!! After the “Cime de Baudon” I speed up downhill and then again up for a mild uphill to the “Cime de Gallian” peak. After that peak, where I almost lost the trail, a nice 13 km downhill to the arrival! Here I really did a nice run. I passed some 3 or 4 runner, always controlling head lamps behind me. I reached the Cap d’Ail beach at 3.35 a.m., finishing the race in 7 hours and 35 minutes in 12^th place!!! Probably my best trail race accomplishment so far…

Check the race website for info:

www.cromagnon-extremerace.com

 

Course profile

The starting line

 

First uphill

 

The winner time (red line), the last guy time (blue line)

Turin Marathon

Yesterday I finished another “preparation” race for my summer trail season.

The Turin Marathon is a medium size marathon, at least for Italian race tradition, held in the second biggest city of the North.

This year was the 13th edition and the finishers were 1.649. The course is not a fast one: in the second half there is a mild uphill from 22K until 28K. This is the uphill to Rivoli, one of the neighborhood of Turin, which gain some 80 meters in altitude in one of the most critical section of a marathon race.

 

Yesterday the weather was not good, with a persistent rain from the early morning until the end of the day. In these conditions and with this kind of course, the personal best is not a priority…

If you need more information check the organization website here:

www.turinmarathon.com/index.php/it/turin-marathon/turin-marathon.html

Considering my training program since my last serious marathon, the Milan City Marathon in November, based on speed training and any long run, I did preatty well. I finished in 2.57.16, 94^th out of 1.649 finishers. Just 1 minute slower than my PB. With a positive split in the second half basically due to the uphill to Rivoli.

Not bad! Here below some picture of the race.

 

 

 

Keep going strong.

Coming back for the trail running season!

Two weeks ago I was in Rome and I started my race preparation for summer trail challenges with … a trail race!

The 10th edition of the “Classic trail della Capitale” was held in the “Parco dei Castelli Romani” nearby Rocca di Papa, Rome.

The race was a quite fast trail race of 18K with a 500 meters altitude change. The first 5K were uphill, then an almost flat section and finally a mild downhill of some kilometer until the finish line. 46 women and 195 men successfully finished the race. For the first time in my trail running life I ran even in the uphill sections. In the downhill part of the race, I pushed really hard and I gained almost 10 places in the final ranking. At the end I was 33rd out of 195 men.

The landscape was wonderful and the race well organized, so if you have the opportunity to visit Rome in the middle of April, do this race:

www.roadrunnersclub.it

The Classic Trail della Capitale was not only my first 2009 trail race, but also my first race with one of the best trail shoes so far.

In 2008 and 2007 I ran with Nike Triax, Salomon Xt and Brooks Cascadia. This year I went for more cushioning with the same grip: Adidas Supernova Riot.

If you are bored with your trail shoes try those:

Tokyo: my last 2 days in Japan...and my first podium!

I arrived in Tokyo on Friday morning from Takayama. I left my big backpack in a locker at Tokyo station and went directly to Ginza for a short walk. Then again in Harajuku starting from Shibuya. In the late afternoon, I checked-in again in Taito Ryokan and then I visited Golden Gai, in Shijuku. Golden Gai is a patch of land (some 2,000 square meters) in the middle of Kabukicho, the entertainment neighbourhood in Shinjuku. While Kabukicho is full of modern bars, strip tease joints and karaoke club, Golden Gai hosts more than 150 Lilliputian bars (for 4 or 5 persons) that survived the rampant construction of Japan's bubble-economy years, thanks to the passion of its patrons.

My last day started with a wonderful event, around the Imperial Palace of Tokyo. It was a running race, a 10K, organized for charity. I decided to register in Italy before leaving to Japan just for fun. If you want to know something about 2009 edition, held in October, visit www.runforthecure.org/events/index_en.html. 10K is not my preferred distance and two days before I ascended Nishi Hotaka Dake, so I really was there just for fun…but, as every running knows, when you wear a bib on your breast, every funny plan is completely forgotten! And that’s what it happened. During the first 500 meters I was in the first 5 of the race and after 700 meters I was in the second place. I was unable to catch the first guy, so I decided to go for the second place running steadily until the finish line. This was my first podium (and probably the last one) in a race since 2006, when I started running. But it was really unbelievable! I won a North West Airlines bag and a voucher for a pair of New Balance shoes. Not that bad for a 40 US $ registration fee…

During the afternoon I first changed accommodation for the last night. Being the Taito Ryokan fully booked I decided to sleep in the capsule hotel just in front of Asakusa metro station. What a crazy place! For 3.000 yen (25 US$) you have a high level of service. The bathroom was on the top of the building with a incredible view and it was structured like a little onsen (sauna, hot pool and showers), the sheets very absolutely clean and they give you a kind of pyjama to stay in the hotel.

After the capsule hotel, I went to the New Balance flag ship store in Harajuku to change my voucher with a pair of shoes and then again in Shibuya. Here I spent 2 hours and half at Shibuya crossing, taking pictures, looking for Japanese way of life and admiring this incredible place with thousands of young people…something new for an Italian!

Enjoy slide show (click on it to see larger pictures).

  

Hida district, onsen and Japanese Alps.

I left Kyoto on October 14th, early morning, by the first train to Nagoya.

I wanted to reach Takayama, in the Hida district to visit the area and the Hida-Furukawa Kitsune-bi Matsuri festival, held on October 16th, as Lonely Planet reported.

While Kyoto-Nagoya is a shinkansen line, Nagoya Takayama is an "express line" (ordinary train). It takes 40 minutes to Nagoya and then almost 3 hours to Takayama. The JR Takayama Line is one of the most scenic in Honshu. After Gifu, the train runs along a river surrounded by mountains. The day before I decided to stop in Gero during my journey to enjoy the Onsen Japanese Capital. Gero is a small town apparently without glamour. It is the opposite for its onsen. I left my big backpack in the train station lockers and I asked info in the tourist office. I bought a Yumeguri Tegata, a little piece of wood that for just 1,200 yen allows you 3 entrances in private onsen. Well, the only drawback is that these private onsen are mainly opened to the Yumeguri Tegata owners just for 1 or 2 hours a day! It was 12.45 when I bought the pass and the first nice onsen I selected in the list opened at 1 p.m. until 2 p.m. The second one from 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. and then I selected randomly the last one. I started walking fast under the rain from the tourist office to c onsen www.japaneseguesthouses.com/db/gifu/yunoshimakan.htm. I arrived just in time and enjoyed one of my favorite onsen experiences in Japan. I was alone with the full availability of an indoor big hot pool and an outdoor hot rock pool. From this one I was admiring the mountains in front of me while my head was showered by a mild rain...The second private onsen I explored was Yamagataya (www.yamagata-ya.co.jp/). It was really nice and completely desert. Once again, I had the whole onsen for me! The last, unfortunately, was nothing special (Suzunami onsen). I picked it up in my choice just for the convenient opening time and because it is located on the way back to the train station. If you go to Gero and you are short in time, you can enjoy the open air public onsen. It is beside the Gero bridge, easy to find.

I reached Takayama in the mid afternoon and I checked in the Temple Inn Zenko-ji, a hostel located in a buddhist temple not far from the train station. If you want to reserve it check their website www.geocities.jp/zenkojitakayama/ and ask for Tommy, the English speaking monk. A good place to eat nearby the hostel is Origin, a wonderful izakaya to eat with few hundreds yen.

The second day in Hida, I first visited the two morning markets, Jinyamae and Miya-gawa, then the old merchant houses and the historical centre. For the lunch time I decided to use my JR pass to reach Furukawa and ask information for the 16th October festival. The tourist office in Furukawa told me that the Kitsune-bi Matsuri festival has been held in September! In another trip I would have been really disappointed. In Japan was different. I re-planned my last day in Hida region: Kamikochi. Before leaving Furukawa, I explored the city centre (Setokawa to Shirakabe-dozo) with the typical water channels full of carps and I visited the Honko-ji, a wonderful wooden temple. Back to Takayama, I adventured in the Higashiyama temple area through a trail that cross the area and then climb up the Shiroyama park.

My last day in Hida was perfect. First bus to Kamikochi at 6.40 a.m., then change in Hirayu Onsen and arrival in Kamikochi at 8.25 a.m. Not really cheap: 4,860 yen round trip! I confess that in Kamikochi, located at 4,920 feet (1,500 meters) above the see level, in the early morning I was freezing! So I started to walk up the mountain to reach Nishi Hotaka Mountain Cottage and from there the Nishi Hotaka Dake summit 9,450 feet (2,909 meters). The trail was wonderful: in 1 hour and 40 minut to the cottage I met few people and I admired the color plethora of fall season. From the cottage to the top of the mountain another hour and 20 minutes. So in 3 hours I was on the top. Special view on the Kamikochi valley and surrounding peaks! Just the time for a picture and then back to the cottage for a beer and down to the bus station.

Kyoto mon amour!

 

I left Tokyo on October 11th, early morning, with the 6:23 shinkansen bullet train. If you travel in Japan by train for at least 1 week or maybe less but moving from the north to the south or from the south to the north for many miles, it is worth considering to buy a JR PASS. This railway pass can have a 1 week, 2 weeks or 3 weeks validity and allows you to travel with normal trains and shinkansen trains, except Nozomi shinkansen. You can find the essential information on www.japanrailpass.net/. For 1 week, as I did, the price is 28,300 YEN (some 297 US$ or 237 €). It is important that you remember to buy it before leaving your country, so before your arrival in Japan. You buy an exchange order and when in Japan you change it with the JR PASS. I boarded on the Hikari shinkansen in Tokyo station at 6:23 and I arrived in Kyoto station at 9:16, after 516 K!!! And obviously on time!!! You can find train timetable here: http://japanrail.com/JR_timetableandfare.html#a2.

Here you can see the pass they give you for the exchange order when in Japan:

First thing when in Kyoto: lock my luggage at the train station in order to visit Kyoto without it and then come back before checking in at the hostel. Then I bought a 1 day bus pass, for 500 YEN and started to go around finding many temples and sanctuaries.

Here you have the right ticket to ask for:

The first one was one of the best one: Sanjusangen-do. It is well known for its 1001 statues of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. These statues are in the main hall, the longest wooden structure in Japan.

After Sanjusangen-do, I walked up to Kiyomizu-Dera. This temple has a unique position almost on the top of a hill and offers visitors a nice view over the city from its famous main hall wooden terrace. Kiyozumi means clear water and nowadays you can enjoy the Otawa-no-taki waterfall, where visitors drink for health, longevity and success in professional life. In the temple complex, please don't miss Tainai-meguri...it was so funny!

Then I passed through the Higashiyama area: the historical streets of Sannen-zaka and Ninen-zaka, the perfect Ishibei-koji where I met some geisha, the big cherry-tree in front of the Maruyama-koen (garden) and the Chion-in temple which is also home to the nation's largest bell. The last sight was Nanzen-ji, in the northern part of Higashiyama. When you are in this complex, don't try to visit Oku-no-in...it is far from the main hall and nothing special. However, you can't miss the Hojo with its zen garden, also known as "Leaping Tiger Garden".

Completely tired, I finally checked-in at my fabulous hostel. It is located in the north west part of the city and I don't want to reveal more...

The second day was even more frenetic than the first one. I left the hostel quite early to be at the golden temple (Kinkaku-ji) at 8:30 a.m.. No way! It was already completely crowded! The second temple I visited was Ryoan-ji. This temple has a wonderful garden with a lake full of watering-lilies and a quite famous zen garden built in the kare-sansui style (dry style). The third temple in this western part of Tokyo was Ninna-ji. Nothing special, you can skip it! I took a look at Arashiyama district but I didn't like it. When back in the Kyoto center, I explored the beautiful Nijo-jo castle. Here, in the Ninomaru Palace, you can see how the shogun "house" was organised: the kitchen, the ceremony rooms, the living rooms etc. After the castle, I went directly to Nishiki Market. It's a covered food market where you can enjoy almost every ingredient of the famous Kyoto cuisine. My last pleasant effort of the day was the gorgeous Ginkaku-ji temple. It is probably one of the best I have visited: an incredible zen garden with huge sand cones and a pregnant little bush around the main buildings.

I ended up this full day with a relaxing session in one of the best onsen in town. Priceless!!!

In Kyoto, don't forget to walk around in Ponto-Cho, in Gion and to see Shirakawa Minamidori, one of the most charming streets in Asia!

East east east, a challenge for the beasts! (English)

ENGLISH

When a low-pressure system moves on Balearic Islands...no excuses, it's time to go. You have planned to participate to your best friend's wedding? No excuses, it's time to go. You have organised a Christmas dinner with your family? No excuses, it's time to go. You have been invited for an exciting night with one of the most charming girl you know? No excuses, it's time to go (even if I'm not that sure)!!!

That's what happened yesterday. After a strong west wind week, a rare and powerful storm from the other side was forecasted for Sunday November the 2nd: the All Souls' Day.

Featuring: The Piranha & The Taleban

The forecasts:

The pussy wagon:

The place (Bauvallon, South East France):

 

THE TALEBAN ATTACK:

THE PIRANHA BITES: